Even celebrities get star-struck sometimes. Luke Combs would know. His nerves got the best of him and stopped him from meeting Dolly Parton.
The almost chance encounter never-to-be happened a few years ago at the Grammy’s. Combs and future wife Nicole Hocking stood mere feet away from the country music legend. Combs just couldn’t muster the courage to meet Parton, something many could probably relate to. For all of her warmth and down-to-earth-ness, Parton is still one of the biggest names in country music.
On Twitter, Combs wrote, “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting @DollyParton or I’d post a cool picture of us. Me and @nicohocking were real close a few years back at the Grammys but were too nervous haha.”
While they may not have any cool meeting stories, Combs wished Parton a happy birthday. He revealed he was celebrating the occasion by listening to Parton’s “My Tennessee Mountain Home.”
The Musical Influences of Luke Combs
Besides Dolly Parton, Combs also previously revealed some of country music’s other icons that inspired him along the way as a music. As a boy, he would sing to the likes of Vince Gill and Clint Black.
“Vince Gill was what I started singing,” Combs told The Boot. At the time, Combs didn’t realize he would soon join their ranks. “Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black — that was my favorite stuff to sing when I was little, burning up the cassette tapes.”
But the country singer confessed he stopped listening to country music as a boy, around the age of eight. It occurred after his family moved from Charlotte to Asheville, North Carolina. Combs wouldn’t rediscover the genre for almost another decade. By then, he was ready to try to be a musician himself.
“My parents, for whatever reason, stopped listing to country music when I was 8,” Combs said.
One of his friends introduced him to the music of Eric Church. Church’s music would inspire Combs to try his hand at country himself. Later, the two ended up even being friends with Combs clapping him on as Church accepted the CMA Entertainer of the Year award last year.
“I didn’t get back into country music until I found Eric Church when I was 18 years old, a freshman at Appalachian State,” Combs said.
Maybe, one day Combs will finally cross paths with Dolly Parton as well. The country singer is always looking for guest stars on her albums after-all.
