Luke Combs didn’t exactly make a great first impression the first time he met Blake Shelton — in fact, he barely made one at all.

The country star says he was so sick during the trip that he spent most of it stuck in his room, convinced he’d blown a huge opportunity before it even started.

Looking back, what felt like a complete disaster at the time turned into one of the most important moments of his career.

A Rough Start

Speaking at a recent event, Combs recalled meeting Shelton and several music industry heavyweights at a private gathering in Mississippi more than a decade ago.

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At the time, he was the up-and-comer — and already felt out of place. “I’m the new guy, nobody knows who I am, and I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there,” Combs said.

Sick at the Worst Possible Time

The trip took place at a farm owned by Ryman Hospitality Executive Chairman, Colin Reed, but instead of enjoying it, Combs was dealing with a brutal stomach bug.

“Colin has this beautiful farm in Mississippi, and there’s deer, and I’m like, ‘Man, this is like Mecca for a redneck,’” he said. “There are ducks in the pond, and here I am, chugging the Imodium on the toilet.”

He spent most of the trip in his room eating chicken soup while Shelton and the others spent time together.

“It was less than ideal,” he admitted. “I remember thinking, like, ‘Well, this is it. My career’s over. I finally got invited to a cool thing, and I’m the weird guy in the room that’s sick.”

One Last Chance

By the final night, Combs felt well enough to join the group around a campfire, where everyone — including Shelton — took turns playing songs.

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Reed admitted he didn’t expect much. “I’m thinking, he’s been sick for 48 hours. This is going to be a monumental disaster,” he said.

When it was Combs’ turn, he took a shot. “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,” he told the group.

The Moment That Changed Everything

He then played “Hurricane.”

“I get chills even now describing it because everyone in that room went completely and utterly quiet,” Reed recalled. “It was like, holy crap, this is unbelievable.”

At the time, almost no one had heard the song. It would go on to become Combs’ debut single — and his first No. 1 hit.