Watch: Toby Keith and Luke Combs Record Joe Diffie's 'Ships That Don't Come In' for 'HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE'
By Alli Patton
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The recent HARDY-helmed project, HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE, set out to honor the life and career of late country legend Joe Diffie. In doing so, they unconsciously memorialized another fallen icon.
On the DIFFTAPE project, longtime country heavyweight Toby Keith and fellow hitmaker Luke Combs teamed up for a rendition of Diffie's staggering 1992 hit, 'Ships That Don’t Come In'. The song would be Keith's final recording session before his passing in February 2024.
Today (Aug. 29), a behind-the-scenes video has been released, capturing the two stars in the studio as they recorded the striking cover. The result is a moving immortalization of unmatched artistry from a legend country music won't soon forget.
Combs remembers the collaboration, calling the decision a "no brainer" when asked to record the song with Keith.
“To be on a song with Toby was a no-brainer when it got presented to me. That was something I had always hoped to do but never knew if it would happen or not,” Combs shared in a statement. “It being one of Joe’s songs, especially this one, made it even better; he was there the night I got inducted into the Opry and actually gave me my Opry member award. I grew up listening to both of those guys’ music, so to be a part of this version of the song and it now be Toby’s last recording is kind of hard to put into words. Country music misses them greatly, but I hope we’re doing justice to continue what they started.”
Released in late March 2024, HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE is 17-track collection that features a fleet country's finest paying homage to Diffie and his catalogue of classics.
For more on HIXTAPE, see below:
