When most people think of country music, they think of Nashville, Tennessee. While it’s true that the majority of country artists live in or near Music City, few of them were actually born in the Volunteer State. These four artists all became country music superstars and are all from North Carolina.
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Luke Combs
Luke Combs likely at one time thought he would never leave North Carolina. Born and raised there, Combs even attended college at Appalachian State University, located in the town of Boone, where he was studying criminal justice.
By the time Combs was in college, he was already becoming known as a singer. Still, it wasn’t until he dropped out of college and taught himself to play the guitar that his parents had bought him years before, when he finally decided to pursue music as a career.
“Well, I mean I hated school,” Combs admits (via People). “That helped. I was also probably failing out. … There was nothing about it that made me want to be like, ‘Man, I gotta get up and go to science class today.’ Nothing about me wanted to go to math or science. I was just more concerned with drinking and playing rugby and singing.”
Randy Travis
Randy Travis is from Marshville, North Carolina. Part of a musical family, Travis often sang with his brothers, Ricky Travis and David Travis. Showing an early gift for music, Randy Travis got distracted by the wrong way of living, later dropping out of high school and getting in trouble with the law.
Fortunately, Randy Travis not only mended his ways but made his way to Nashville, thanks to a talent competition. Travis won, winning a recording session. Interestingly, the semi-finals were held at a nightclub in Nashville, owned by Lib Hatcher, who would later become his first wife.
Scotty McCreery
Country music fans have American Idol at least partly to thank for getting Scotty McCreery out of North Carolina. Born and raised in Garner, North Carolina, McCreery was just 16 years old when he auditioned for Idol, winning Season 10 in 2011.
Since then, McCreery has gone on to have one of the most successful careers out of all the American Idol contestants. While McCreery spends a lot of time in Nashville, he and his family still proudly call North Carolina home.
Eric Church
Eric Church is from the small town of Granite Falls, North Carolina, with a population of around 5000. Still, his rural upbringing didn’t keep him from pursuing music. As a teenager, Church began playing local gigs, mostly cover songs.
From an early age, Church dreamed of having a music career. Still, he made sure he had a backup plan, attending Appalachian State University, like Combs. But unlike Combs, Church graduated with a degree in marketing.
Church still has a lot of love for his home state. After the devastating 2024 Hurricane Helene, Church vowed to build 100 homes for hurricane survivors.
“The sense of community here, I know how strong that is because I’ve been a part of it,” he tells WRAL. “And I know that the power is going to come from the people in that community.”
Photo by Frank Micelotta/The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images
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