Tracy Chapman's Bassist Shares Details from Their Emotional Grammys Reunion 16 Years in the Making (Exclusive)

“When we got to the first rehearsal, we had tears in our eyes,” bassist Larry Klein tells PEOPLE

Tracy Chapman and her band returned to the stage Sunday night at the 66th Grammy Awards.

After only a handful of shows over the past decade, the 59-year-old singer-songwriter joined Luke Combs for a performance of “Fast Car,” originally released in 1988. Bassist Larry Klein tells PEOPLE that the reunion with Chapman was “incredibly moving.” for him.

“When we came to the first rehearsal, we had tears in our eyes,” he shares with PEOPLE. “I haven’t worked with her since we made it Our bright future in 2008.”

Tracy Chapman performs a rare performance of ‘Fast Car’ with Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Being on stage at the Grammys was a “beautiful” experience for Klein, 68, especially seeing “how much respect” Combs, 33, had for Chapman.

“’Fast Car’ is what made it [Combs] I want to become a musician,” says Klein. “Life can make us a little more numb every day. Kafka said: ‘A book should be an ax for the frozen sea within us.’ Great songs like ‘Fast Car’ reawaken our humanity. There was something deeply meaningful about playing in this setting at the Grammys.”

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Klein recalls meeting Chapman for the first time and the emotions that came from her music. He says that when he was invited to play on her first album, he was supposed to work with another artist, but changed his plans for Chapman.

“I was already booked to perform on the second album. “When I told David Kershenbaum that, he said ‘let me send you the tape,'” Klein explains. “He had two songs; ‘Revolution’ and ‘Baby’ on it. Just guitar and vocals. I listened to it once and called him and said, ‘I can work on Tracy’s album,’ and I called to cancel work on another album.”

He continues, “I immediately heard greatness on that little tape.”

Tracy Chapman reveals what he thinks of Luke Combs’ chart-topping cover of ‘Fast Car’

For two decades, Klein and Chapman worked together, and Klein says her music has always fascinated him. Coming together to perform the performance – which received a standing ovation from the crowd – was nostalgic for Klein.

“I remembered when Tracy first played me songs from that album, ‘Sing For You’ made me cry,” he says, before adding: “Her language as a lyricist on that album immediately struck me as a rare blend of simplicity and depth. . Then it fell straight into my heart, and it still does.”

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In December, Combs told PEOPLE exclusively that he started performing the song “Fast Car,” which he released in April 2023, because it brought back happy childhood memories with his father, Chester Combs.

“When I was 5, my dad and I would be in his truck, and he would always play music for me. He had a Tracy Chapman tape, and ‘Fast Car’ is one of the first songs I remember,” the native told PEOPLE. North Carolina. “I’ve always been a big fan of that and it reminds me of my dad and our time together when I hear it.”

“I always thought it was one of the greatest songs of all time, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” Combs said. “But there’s nothing like Tracy’s version, so I thought it would just be a nice complement to the original, but I didn’t expect mine to take off the way it did.”

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Source: HIS Education