For Luke Combs, it was a full-circle moment to step into the Opry Circle, as early inspirations Vince Gill and Joe Diffie turned their attention and admiration to the fast-rising superstar for Combs’ induction ceremony on Tuesday night (July 16).
Emcee Bill Cody informed the audience that Combs was listening to Diffie’s hits like “Pickup Man” and “John Deere Green” while still a toddler, and that Combs’ mother sneaked her son into his first country concert – which happened to be a Vince Gill show. Diffie and Gill stood with fellow members The Gatlin Brothers, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, and Mark Wills during the presentation. Darius Rucker submitted a congratulatory video.
“It’s pretty hard to find anything to say that makes me feel like I wouldn’t sound like an idiot right now,” he joked. “Here I am on stage with people I grew up listening to and people who have shaped me as an artist. I just want to say thank you to you guys, thank you to the Grand Ole Opry, and thank you to the fans—without you all, there is no country music, there is no Grand Ole Opry. Thank you so much for everything you guys do for making this possible for guys like us on this stage.”
He added, “I will never forget tonight. Thank you everyone for being a part of it. Everyone who has meant something in my life is here tonight. I want them all to know that I love ‘em and I can’t wait to sing one more song for you guys tonight – my first song as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.” He concluded his set with a solo performance of “This One’s for You.”
“This is what dreams are made of right here,” Gill began. Looking to Combs, he added, “If you’ll come here and you’ll invest in the people and this stage, you’ll get back a hundred-fold what you ever give to this place.”
Presenting Combs with his Opry Member Award, Diffie added, “I remember being asked to be a member of the Opry, and it was like a dream. And it still feels like a dream, even to this day. On behalf of myself and all the Opry members past, present, and future, Luke Combs, you are now officially the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry!”
Pictured (L-R): Randy Goodman, Chairman/CEO Sony Music Nashville; Sophia Sansone, day-to-day manager, Make Wake Artists; Lynn Oliver-Cline, Founder, River House Artists; Combs; Sally Williams, General Manager, Grand Ole Opry; Ken Robold, COO/EVP, Sony Music Nashville; Chris Kappy, Founder/Owner, Make Wake Artists)
