Luke Combs Hasn’t Met Tracy Chapman Yet

Luke Combs won a CMA Award last week (11/8) for Single of The Year for his remake of the Tracy Chapman classic "Fast Car." Chapman also won the Song of the Year (an award given to the songwriter) for Luke's version of her song. With that, she became the first African American woman ever to win a CMA Award.

Backstage after his win, I asked Combs if he ever thought he would win a CMA for a song he first heard in his dad's truck as a kid and loved since he was little. He told me, "Definitely not. I definitely had no idea that would be going on. It's insane, really, the journey. I remember sitting in my apartment, and I was teaching myself to play guitar at 21 years old, spending just days and days trying to teach myself how to play that lick, which we all know and is so iconic. I finally figured it out after about a month and a half or two months. I was so new at playing guitar, but I knew I wanted to play that song."

He continued, "I remember the first time I got it down, then I tried to sing while I was playing it, and I couldn't do it because it was so advanced for where I was as a guitar player. And then it took me a few more months to be able to sing it and play it at the same time. It's been a long journey; that song has been a huge part of my life for a long time. All credit to Tracy for writing one of the best songs ever written. It's insane to be holding this for sure."

Luke also shared backstage that he has yet to come face-to-face with Chapman. He said, "You know I haven't met Tracy. We haven't communicated outside of our official correspondence to each other. But that is something that I hope to do one day in the future."

He concluded, "I think she was a trendsetting, barrier-breaking artist when she came out, and she continues to be that to this day. I think tonight is proof of that, and I'm super humbled to be a super small part of that."

Country music fans are some of the biggest football fans in the world, so when they announced Usher was going to be playing the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show, no doubt many country die-hard fans were disappointed. I'm sure many wondered: Why, once again, will we not see a country superstar on the halftime show? Especially when country superstars today have been selling out multiple nights at many football stadiums all over the country in 2023.

In 2003, Shania Twain played the Halftime show at the Super Bowl, and since then, country music has not been part of the event. While many country stars, including Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Eric Church, and Luke Bryan, have performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, the Halftime show has excluded country stars for the most part.

No one can forget the reaction to Chris Stapleton's 2023 Super Bowl National Anthem that had some people on social media quipping, "I hear there was a football game at the Chris Stapleton National Anthem performance."

As we wrote in February, Stapleton did not disappoint with his version of the National Anthem before Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix. Wearing all black and sunglasses, Chris played a soulful guitar without his trademark hat as he sang. During his performance, the camera shot went to many of both teams' players, some of whom were brought to tears. Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Nick Sirianni was visibly crying while Stapleton sang.

And Dolly Parton, well her halftime performance at the Dallas Cowboys Red Kettle Kickoff game on Thanksgiving Day was epic and in advance of the performance, she surprised Dallas Cowboys' Charlotte Jones with a donation of $1 million dollars to the Salvation Army. Parton's appearance in the game helped it become the third most-viewed regular-season game in NFL history, with a 44 million viewership peak.

So, in 2024, it would have been great to see country music shine at the big game. Here are five country superstars who we believe should be a Super Bowl Halftime show sometime in the near future.

Luke is all about having a good time on stage, and his energy and hit songs make for a great show for his double-booked sold-out arena shows. He has also become a Las Vegas performer in the last couple of years, which helps. When we interviewed Bryan recently, he shared his thoughts on if he ever got asked to play a Super Bowl halftime show. He told us, "I think I would certainly love the opportunity to do a Super Bowl Halftime show. I think the beauty of someone in that role, if it were me, I would bring everybody to the party. A lot of special guests, a lot of surprises. If I got asked, certainly Jason Aldean would be my first call."

This journalist has loved Keith Urban for his music and the generally lovely and considerate guy he is since the day I met him at an interview before he became a superstar in the early 2000s. So, yes, I am biased when it comes to Urban. That being said, his shows are legendary, and with his guitar skills, Keith would make country music proud at the Super Bowl halftime show. His Las Vegas residency sells out every year, and imagine, with an Oscar-winning wife (Nicole Kidman) to cheer him on, how Hollywood would come out to support a Keith Urban halftime show.

One of country music's biggest stars and personalities, Blake would be great at the Super Bowl halftime show, especially if his wife, Gwen Stefani, took the stage with her man. Shelton is one of country music's biggest NFL fans; specifically, he is a die-hard Arizona Cardinals fan.

Morgan's star is getting so big in country music, and this guy keeps fans screaming for more in multiple nights of stadium shows in big cities all over the country. If Wallen played the Super Bowl halftime show, you can bet he would more than likely have his buddies HARDY, Ernest, and Bailey Zimmerman also on the show.

Luke knows how to keep a stadium of fans hanging on his every word at his double night booked stadium shows all over the country, so he is a natural to play the Super Bowl halftime show. Just a handful of years into his massive career and three CMA Entertainer of the Year awards already under his belt, he is a no-brainer for the halftime show. Can you imagine the excitement of the Super Bowl crowd when he plays his wild "Beer Never Broke My Heart" encore?

With her ties to Sunday Night Football and her love of the game and the players, Carrie would be great at the Super Bowl Halftime show. Her energetic performance would undoubtedly include some of her big rocker friends like Axl Rose and Joan Jett. Underwood would more than likely also have some serious aerial moves like she did when she performed on her Denim & Rhinestone tour.