Luke Combs

Influences

• Eric Church — Combs has repeatedly cited Church's Chief album as the record that made him pick up a guitar in college. You hear it in the blue-collar attitude and the way Combs structures his mid-tempo driving songs. The influence is unmistakable in the raspy vocal grit and the refusal to use traditional Nashville pop-country polish.
• Tracy Chapman — Combs covered Fast Car on his Gettin' Old album after listening to it on a cassette tape in his dad's truck as a kid. His version copies Chapman's iconic fingerpicked acoustic opening note-for-note but adds a heavy Southern rock backbeat. The massive success of that cover introduced Chapman's masterclass in narrative songwriting to a whole new generation of country listeners.
• Brooks & Dunn — Combs specifically recruited the legendary duo to re-record Brand New Man with him for their Reboot project in 2019. His early radio hits steal their exact 90s honky-tonk swagger, particularly the loud, driving electric guitar hooks and the booming, twin-vocal choruses. It is the blueprint for how Combs keeps his stadium rock elements grounded in traditional country music.
• Shenandoah — Combs grew up on Marty Raybon's lead vocals and later collaborated with the band on the track Scotty McCreery. You hear this influence in the phrasing of his ballads, where he stretches out vowels over acoustic arrangements. It is the direct source for his appreciation of clean, emotional storytelling over excessive production tricks.
• Vince Gill — Combs has frequently pointed to Gill's incredible tenor and acoustic flatpicking as the standard for vocal control in Nashville. On the Fathers & Sons record, Combs channels Gill's understated acoustic arrangements, letting the song's emotional weight do the heavy lifting rather than a wall of loud drums. It is a nod to the era of country music that valued a pure singer over a loud production mix.