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Tracy Chapman won song of the year at the Country Music Awards on Wednesday for \u201cFast Car,\u201d a folk ballad that topped the country charts more than three decades after it was first released thanks to a cover by the singer Luke Combs.<\/p>\n
Chapman, 59, is the first Black songwriter to win that award, Rolling Stone Magazine reported<\/a>. She did not attend the awards ceremony in Nashville but thanked the crowd in a statement that was read onstage by Sarah Evans<\/a>, a co-presenter of the award.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut,\u201d Chapman\u2019s statement said. \u201cThank you to the C.M.A.s and a special thanks to Luke and all of the fans of \u2018Fast Car.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Combs, an unassuming star known for his irrepressibly catchy and relatable country anthems<\/a>, also won single of the year for \u201cFast Car.\u201d He began his acceptance speech<\/a> on Wednesday by thanking Chapman for writing \u201cone of the best songs of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI just recorded it because I love this song so much,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s meant so much to me throughout my entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n The original version of the song reached No. 6 on Billboard\u2019s Hot 100 chart in 1988. It won Chapman three Grammy Award nominations<\/a> in 1989, including for song of the year. She won for best female pop vocalist.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Combs\u2019s cover climbed to No. 1<\/a> on Billboard\u2019s Hot Country Songs chart in September, after 19 weeks in the No. 2 spot. It also reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart over the summer.<\/p>\n As covers go, the vocals and acoustic guitar riffs on Combs\u2019s version hew relatively closely to those on the original \u201cFast Car.\u201d But other elements, including his North Carolina twang and a pedal steel guitar, give it more of a country feel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Combs was not the first artist to cover the song<\/a> by a long shot, but the success of his version this year has been a catalyst for many young people to discover Ms. Chapman\u2019s music<\/a>.<\/p>\n