Recently, I had the chance to sit down for a long conversation with country music giant Luke Combs, and he opened up about playing CMA Fest 2023 with Vince Gill.
The two men got to spend some one-on-one time backstage, and it was an honor for Combs, whose song “Love You Anyway” is nearing the top of airplay charts.
“We talked about any and everything, you know, careers, guitars, golf, songs, and ya know, philosophy of a career,” he dishes of his conversation with Gill, a country icon.
Combs couldn’t stop gushing over Gill, actually.
“He’s an awesome guy, man, you know, he’s a giant for sure and one of the greats,” he says. “He’s my hero — he was my favorite country singer growing up, and I think he’s the best country voice we’ve ever had. He’s just amazing, man.”
This reminded me of a story Combs once told us about literally running into Gill early on in his career. It could have gone poorly if the elder star wasn’t so cool about it:
As we know, Combs is no slouch himself — he, too, is a hero to a lot of up-and-comers.
Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and has had 67 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with seven No. 1 hits.
He also has a pretty cool side hustle, which Combs recognized.
“Ya know, his driving an Uber is being in the Eagles,” he says, smiling.
Check out my full interview with Luke Combs on this week’s episode of Taste of Country Nights, On Demand wherever you get your podcasts. Following this interview is a sit-down with country newcomer Dylan Schneider.