Luke Combs knew his 2016 song would make him superstar

Luke Combs is a well-known country musician. But before making it into the big league, he believed there was a song that would make him a star.

It was nonetheless his iconic hit track, the Hurricane.

Then came the moment when the musician felt it was the right time to perform in front of a group he admired, which included singer Blake Shelton.

Colin Reed, the executive chairman of Ryman Hospitality, recalls the moment that occurred over a decade ago at his home in Mississippi.

"I don't even have a record deal. I've never had a No. 1, but if I get a record deal, this song I'm going to play is a song I've written," the executive tells People, remembering what Combs told Shelton while looking at him and holding the guitar.

Reed himself admits that he thought the 36-year-old would hit rock bottom because he had been sick for two days.

"I'm thinking he's been sick for 48 hours. This is going to be a monumental disaster. I can see it."

But against the expectation of many, when Combs performed Hurricane, there was a dead silence around the campfire where the industry's A-listers had been partying moments before.

"I get chills even now describing it because everyone in that room went completely and utterly quiet, and it was like, holy c***, this is unbelievable," Reed remembers, adding, "And that was the first time I met this guy."

Hurricane, a debut single by Combs, went on to become a Billboard Hot No. 1. In addition, the song also hit the top spot on other charts, which was first released in 2016.