Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” has remained atop the Country Airplay chart for the third week in a row. This is the seventh tune released by Combs to hit that milestone, but this one is a special record-breaking one.
The popularity of the countryfied version of the 1988 hit has brought new fans to both Combs and Chapman.
Those of a certain age who remember when Chapman broke onto the charts with her stark tales and stripped down arrangements are embracing Combs’ faithful rendition.
Meanwhile younger country listeners are discovering the soft-spoken queer Black woman whose self-titled debut, led by “Fast Car,” sold six million copies at a time record stores were moving millions of units by groups like Journey, Bon Jovi, New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul.
Chapman outsold all of them except one: Journey who’s Greatest Hits was a must-buy for those who were either starting or building their relatively-new CD collection.
But how? How did this painfully shy singer from Cleveland who would be nominated for a Grammy in the folk category break into the pop scene? The answer is two people she’d never met before: Stevie Wonder and Nelson Mandela.
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