Luke Combs Shares Heartfelt Moment With Wife, Sons In Nashville

Luke Combs marked the unveiling of his new exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with his wife and two young sons by his side. The opening event took place this month in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

Luke Combs: The Man I Am features artifacts beginning with the North Carolina-born singer-songwriter’s childhood and spanning through his career as an award-winning mainstay in the genre. Combs said it was “pretty wild,” as he took the stage to deliver remarks to a roomful of guests in the Hall of Fame Rotunda, surrounded by plaques of Hall of Fame inductees who blazed trails and solidified their places in music history over the years.

“I thought about the name of the exhibit on the way over here, and it’s called ‘The Man I Am.’ And I’ve realized that the man that I am is because of all the people, not only in this room — a lot of you in this room — but a lot of people that aren’t in this room, too,” Combs said. “People that I write songs with, my parents, my friends, my family, that’s what makes me who I am. And then I feel like it’s been the thread of my whole career, is that I feel like I’m surrounded by wonderful people who care about me as a person. I feel like we’ve gotten to achieve so many things together. Things that I never would’ve thought were possible.”

Combs said he’d been in the Rotunda and the Hall of Fame many times, “in awe” of the artists represented in the museum. He remembered walking through the building looking at Merle Haggard’s boots, Keith Whitley’s motorcycle and other standout artifacts on display. He credited many people with making him “The Man I Am,” including his parents, his friends, his high school chorus teacher and others in attendance, in addition to, of course, wife Nicole Combs and sons Tex Lawrence and Beau Lee. Combs said his sons — Tex turned 2 last month, and Beau will turn 1 next month — are “not old enough to be up this late, so…they were here earlier.”

Nicole said walking through the newly-opened exhibit was even sweeter as she got to experience it with her two sons.

“Such a special night celebrating Luke’s country music hall of fame exhibit opening! Even more special that the boys got to see it 🥹 we’re so proud of you babes ♥️,” Nicole wrote in her caption as she shared a few photos from that evening on Instagram. Her husband replied: “Couldn’t have done it without you my love!”

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum announced Luke Combs: The Man I Am earlier this year, promising a chronicled journey of the singer-songwriter’s life though musical instruments, manuscripts, stage wear, memorabilia and. Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, introduced Combs at the opening event after delving into the “When It Rains It Pours” star’s story from his summer job at a go cart track in college to now. Combs “has been nothing short of a phenomenon,” since releasing “Hurricane” in 2016. Since then, he’s scored more than a dozen No. 1 hits, won two CMA Entertainer of the Year awards, sold out stadiums around the world and more. Young previously said “few artists have experienced the kind of meteoric rise and sustained success Luke Combs has since signing his first recording contract just two years after moving to Nashville.”

These are some of the items on display in the Luke Combs: The Man I Am exhibit, per the Country Music Hall of Fame:

• Martin GPCPA4 Sapele acoustic guitar Combs used extensively at his early performances, 2012–2014. When he moved to Nashville, Combs gave the instrument to his friend and fellow performer Adam Church.
• Playbill from Combs’ leading role as Nathan Detroit in the musical “Guys and Dolls” during his senior year at A. C. Reynolds High School, Asheville, North Carolina.
• CD-R of the three songs recorded for Combs’s debut EP, The Way She Rides, signed by Combs and Adam Church and given to Church’s parents. Combs wrote on the paper sleeve, “To the Church’s / Y’all rock SO hard!”
• Columbia PFG shirt and Swamp Assassin ball cap Combs wore in the 2016 music video for “Hurricane.”
• Manuscript of “Six Feet Apart,” co-written by Combs, Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder on April 14, 2020.
• Dale Earnhardt commemorative leather jacket Combs wore in honor of the famed stock car racer and team owner when he performed at Daytona International Speedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500, Feb. 14, 2021. Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.
• Jersey that Combs wore when he was a member of the Rockets football team at A. C. Reynolds High School.
• Dollar bill Combs kept as a memento from his first paying gig at Boone’s Parthenon Café, where the cover charge was $1.
• Crosley Dansette portable record player Combs used to share his recording of “Beautiful Crazy” with Nicole Hocking, now his wife, for the first time.

“Once I decided I wanted to do music as a career, it didn’t matter if it was for 100 people or 1,000 people, I just wanted to be playing Country Music for anyone who would listen,” Combs said in a press release when his exhibit was announced. “If I could have enough fans to call it a job, I was set. Other than that, I never dreamed of being featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, much less having my own exhibit; that was beyond my wildest dreams. But honestly, it’s all a credit to my fans, family, songwriters and team. I have only made it to where I am today because of them, and this honor is one of my most humbling yet. At my core I love Country Music and this exhibit is as prestigious of an honor as it gets.”

Combs also marked the exhibit opening by taking part in a songwriter round hosted in the CMA Theater at the museum. He performed alongside collaborators Ray Fulcher, James McNair, Drew Parker and Rob Williford.

Luke Combs: The Man I Am is the latest time Combs has been represented in the behemoth of country music history. Earlier this year, he was one of many artists to appear in American Currents: State of the Music, an annual exhibit spotlighting some of the artists and moments in music that played a significant role in shaping the genre throughout the previous year. That exhibit will remain open through February 2025.

Luke Combs: The Man I Am is open now through June 2025.