From Bouncer to Stadium Star: Luke Combs’ Journey from Boone to the Big Leagues

In a recent chat with Garth Brooks on Big 615 Radio, Luke Combs took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, revealing how his early days in Boone, North Carolina, set the stage for his meteoric rise in country music.

Photo Via BIG 615 Radio Instagram

The conversation kicked off with Garth quizzing Luke about his colorful past as a bouncer. “Yeah, I was a bouncer. Not a very good one, but I was,” Luke chuckled, recalling his time at the Town Tavern. Picture this: a young Luke, moonlighting as a bouncer while living above the bar, strumming his guitar after work. The Town Tavern wasn’t just where he worked—it was where his music career began to take shape.

“I played every Wednesday night with my buddy Adam,” Luke reminisced. “We played there 100 times, I mean, a lot of times.” The Town Tavern was Luke's stage for honing his craft, and soon, he and his band were crisscrossing North Carolina, performing up to five nights a week. “We’d drive around the state in my bass player’s Chevy Avalanche, towing a U-Haul trailer with barely loud enough speakers,” Luke laughed, painting a vivid picture of his early days on the road.

Luke’s hustle didn’t stop at playing gigs. “I was cold calling bars, making press packets, mailing them out—just trying to get gigs. It was my job, so I had to apply myself.” His dedication was palpable. Each small step—securing a local gig, expanding to neighboring states, and eventually landing shows in Nashville—was a building block toward his grander dreams.

“It was just always these baby steps,” Luke said. “I wish I could say I was smart enough to have known at that time what I was doing, but I was just doing what made sense.” What started with modest gigs in Boone has now culminated in stadium shows, proving that sometimes, the journey is as important as the destination.

So next time you’re at a Luke Combs concert, remember: it all began with a bouncer, a bar, and a whole lot of determination. From the Town Tavern to the top of the charts, Luke’s story is a testament to the power of persistence and the magic of following your dreams, one step at a time.

You can tune in all week for more exclusive interviews with Garth and Luke all week at HERE at 10AM Ct.