Luke Combs‘ The Man I Am exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame is open. The country music hitmaker spoke about the accomplishment, at a reception celebrating its opening.
“I tend to be a freestyle speech guy, which at times has failed me,” Combs began. “But I figured that was still the right move, because I know I will say what I mean to say … I thought of the name of the exhibit on the way over here. It’s called The Man I Am, and I realized that the man that I am is because of all of 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, people that I write songs with, my parents, my friends, my family. That’s what makes me who I am. And that I feel like that has 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 have thought were possible,” he continued. “I’ve been in this room so many times, just standing around in awe of all of the names that are in here, and I’ve walked into this museum many, many times, once or twice completely alone, looking at Merle Haggard‘s boots, or Keith Whitley‘s motorcycle, whatever it may be. And so I just want to say thank you to you guys. This exhibit isn’t about me, because without everybody in this room, I wouldn’t be here. Nobody goes it alone, especially in this business.”
The North Carolina native went on to thank his parents, his wife Nicole, his two sons, Tex and Beau, high school friends, his choir teacher (who was in attendance) and more.
“There are so many people in this room who have changed my life for the better,” Combs concluded, “and I just want to seriously say thank you so much…If you are in here tonight, I just want you to know that I love you.”
When The Man I Am was announced, Combs said it was an honor he never expected to achieve.
“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. “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,” he added. “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.”
See photos from the exhibit below. The Man I Am will remain open through June of 2025. More information is available at CountryMusicHallofFame.org.
Combs is currently headlining his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour. Find Fathers & Sons, and all of Combs’ music and upcoming shows at LukeCombs.com.
Read ‘Luke Combs: 11 Things To Know About the Singer’s Life and Career’ here.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame
