On This Day in 2023, Luke Combs Hit No. 1 With a Cover That Helped a Folk Legend Make Country Music History

October 19, 2026, 3:45pm

On this day (October 19) in 2023, Luke Combs was at No. 1 with “Fast Car.” His cover made songwriter and folk singer Tracy Chapman the first Black woman to have a No. 1 hit on the country chart with a solo composition. This was true for the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. Then, in November 2023, “Fast Car” won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards, making Chapman the first Black songwriter to win a CMA trophy.

Long before Combs recorded it, “Fast Car” was Chapman’s first hit. She released it as the lead single from her self-titled debut album in April 1988. In June, she performed at Nelson Mandela’s birthday concert at Wembley Stadium. She didn’t initially perform the song. Then, according to Songfacts, Chapman returned to the stage later in the evening when Stevie Wonder was delayed. She performed a solo acoustic version of “Fast Car.”

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Thanks to the massive audience, “Fast Car” became an international hit. It peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and went to No. 5 in the United Kingdom. In 1989, “Fast Car” won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Chapman took home the award for Best New Artist and her debut album won Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

Luke Combs Covers Tracy Chapman’s Debut Hit

Luke Combs has notched a long string of hits with songs he’s written. His cover of “Fast Car” was a nod to a singer/songwriter who influenced him early in his life.

“When I was five years old, my dad and I would be in his truck, and he would always play music for me,” Combs told People. “He had a Tracy Chapman cassette tape, and ‘Fast Car’ is one of the first songs I remember. I’ve always been a huge fan of it and think of my dad and our time together when I hear it,” he explained.

“I always thought it was one of the best songs of all time, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” Combs said when asked about the success of his single. “But there’s nothing like Tracy’s version, so I thought it would just be a nice complement to the original but never really expected mine to take off quite the way it did.”

Featured Image by Dingena Mol / ANP / AFP via Getty Images