Luke Combs hit the top of the charts last year with his cover of Tracy Chapman's 1988 song "Fast Car" — and the two of them teamed up to play the track in a stirring duet at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Chapman's lilting timbre and Combs' twangy baritone had the whole crowd swaying. Taylor Swift and Jelly Roll could be seen giving it up the most for the performance — each of them were on their feet, singing their hearts out for the duration of the song.
Combs' cover sparked a renewed fervor for the optimistic folk-rock song about trying to escape the cycle of poverty. It also made history. Combs' version was a number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list and won Chapman the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year, making her the first Black woman to win the award. Combs won Single of the Year for his rendition.
Though she wasn't able to attend the CMA awards ceremony, Chapman reacted to the historic win in a statement. "I'm sorry I couldn't join you all tonight. It's truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut. Thank you to the CMAs and a special thanks to Luke and all of the fans of 'Fast Car.'"
Chapman's original also raked in the awards. At the 1989 Grammys, she won Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocalist, Best Contemporary Folk Album and received additional nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. She also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video.
Combs wasn't the first artist to put their own take on Chapman's "Fast Car." Swedish record producer Tobtok released a chart-topping tropical house version in 2015. EDM artist Jonas Blue's cover became a Billboard number-one dance club song in April 2016.
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