Wolverhampton musician celebrating country superstar is set to wow crowds with Black Country gigs

Think again. According to popular website countrytown, country music has grown in popularity by 67-per-cent already this year in the UK, with the Country to Country (C2C) festival in London selling out, music stations covering the genre springing up regularly and artists like Post Malone, Morgan Wallen and Shaboozey getting thousands of streams and hours of airtime.

Now Wolverhampton based singer Liam Price who 'became tired' of singing regular covers for a living is blazing a trail as one of America's biggest country stars in Luke Combs and is selling out all over the UK having performed 104 dates in the last 12 months.

Still confused? Get this. Active since 2017, the North Carolina native has won multiple industry awards, sold millions of records, and become a mainstay of country radio with his cover of Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' winning single of the year in 2023 at the Country Music Association (CMA) awards. Put simply he is one of the biggest superstars of the country scene.

Since their first show in July last year Luke Combs UK have sold out venues all over the UK and Ireland and are going from strength to strength on the back of his music and the explosion of interest in the UK and Europe.

Who would have thought one cover singer and two musicians from Wolverhampton and two from Telford could take a genre which has often been depicted as outdated and categorised as 'Only for American's' and produce such an authentic show for one of its biggest stars so popular.

And next year they will take it to Comb's home coutry when they play a 12 date East Coast US tour including at Daryl's House Club' – the venue where artists jam with legendary artist Daryl Hall for his popular YouTube channel. They will also play The Stoney Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey where a certain Bruce Springsteen cut his teeth

Liam said: "The US tour will be special and there are many musicians who would not get this opportunity, it is a chance to really make a mark in the states and it has been carefully planned,

"The promoters have looked very carefully at our video footage, our CV, how many tickets we have sold in the UK and the dates we have played because for visa purposes you have to be the real deal and they seem to have decided we are the official cover band in the UK for Luke Combs.

"I have always loved country music, I have been over to Nashville many times and played in bars for tips but as many people from the UK will know, that city is awash with singer songwriters, tribute acts and people trying to make it big.

"There are also plenty of Luke Combs tribute acts over there but after many years of playing as a cover band, and with two of the current line up as well, I thought last year it was time to try something different on this side of the pond and it has paid off."

Liam makes no secret the band have ridden on the crest of a wave of the explosion of country music in the UK and Ireland, where they have gone down particularly well

He said: "Ireland is such a hot spot for music from folk to country and all things in between but country has always been massive there, whether it be superstars like Garth Brooks or home grown singers.

"You could say it was a calculated move to base the act on Luke Combs whose music has really taken hold of the industry but it wasn't a hard decision to make although I wasn't sure there was a market for him at first.

"But I am of a similar stature, my vocal style is not dissimilar, the crossover if you like between country and rock suits the band and I guess you could say there aren't many s tribute acts for him playing the UK but certainly there are plenty of people who love his music."

Indeed Combs himself headlined the massive C2C festival in London in 2022 and the following year played five gigs in the UK and Ireland as part of his sell out world tour,

Liam said: "American country stars are coming here in their own right and selling out, the music is massive and thousands of people from the UK go to Nashville every year to sample it for themselves in hundreds of bars, clubs or arenas.

"When they come back they want some of the authentic feel of that and we provide it with Luke Combs whose music has proved popular, no more so than when Fast Car which was originally a massive pop song for Tracy Chapman in the 80s, broke the UK top 30."

But what about the West Midlands? Liam is not forgetting his routes and is headlining the 'Keep it Country' all day festival at the Astoria Wolverhampton on October 12 which is being held in association with Rodeos, a city restaurant and bar which celebrates everything American, from the food and culture to of course the music. It will also feature Gasolene and Matches and Lura Aston amongst other acts.

Liam said: "We are looking forward to that obviously, Wolverhampton and the West Midlands is where it started for most of the band and that is going to be very special with a great line up of acts, and the early bird tickets already sold out."

Luke Combs UK are also playing Dudley Town Hall the night before on the 11th with two more dates in Wolverhampton planned for November.

For full details of all dates go to https://www.lukecombsuk.com