Luke Combs Opens Up About Mom’s Encouragement That Got Him Started on Guitar at 21

Luke Combs' journey to country music stardom didn't begin with a childhood dream of playing guitar. In fact, he didn't pick one up until age 21, inspired by his mother's encouragement and the reminder that stars like Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw had started around the same age. "I didn't start playing guitar until 11 years ago. Never played. I had been singing my whole life just as a casual thing I enjoy to do, it made me happy, other people liked when I did it," said Combs, according to Circle Country.

"My mom came out, and she was like, 'I don't understand why you're sitting around sulking. You know Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, they didn't start playing guitar until they were 21,'" Combs recalled during the interview.

His next stop: Charlotte. There, under his grandmother's roof, he tested his songs at coffee shops and open mics. "I was never nervous, because I was always so confident in my singing," Combs said. Though new to guitar, his natural confidence helped him overcome the steep learning curve.

Before picking up the instrument, Combs was already performing regularly in North Carolina, drawing crowds of around 200 people several times a week. His blend of soulful vocals and relatable lyrics quickly gained traction in the state's bar scene.

Combs' musical awakening came during the summer after college at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where he was working two jobs and was uncertain about his future. Despite thinking guitar "wasn't cool" as a kid — even after his parents bought him a $50 Ibanez — he taught himself to play within a year and began writing his own songs.

By the time he released his EP, The Prequel, on Oct. 3, he had transformed from a late-blooming guitarist into one of country music's most recognizable voices. His story underscores how passion, self-belief, and family encouragement can turn hesitation into harmony, and how a late start doesn't stop a superstar from finding his rhythm.