Luke Combs To Chris Stapleton: ‘Everybody Wants To Be You’

Luke Combs was full of love for his fellow artists when he accepted the "CMT Artists of the Year" honor from the live show in Nashville last night.

Luke said in his speech talking to his musical hero, Randy Travis, who was seated in the crowd, "Randy, I watched you play in this building a few years ago with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and was absolutely blown away, and to be in the same room with you again in the same place and to just have a small fraction of an impact on country music like you’ve had man, it’s incredible.”

Combs also gave a shoutout to fellow Artist Of The Year nominee, Chris Stapleton, saying in part, ‘Everybody wants to be you man.”

An emotional Stapleton said in accepting his honor, “This show’s different tonight, the first time I’ve been in a room, with a lot of folks again really. We’ve done a lot of these things remotely, but really I feel a lot of love in the room tonight. Lots of love in the room tonight, and that’s what music’s about, it’s about love."

He added, "And I’m so grateful to be in the room with all the people I’m in the room with right now. It's so inspiring listening to your performances, so inspiring to hear your words and your stories, and I’m humbled to be in the room with some of the folks I’m in the room with tonight.”