Tracy Chapman wins CMA award for "Fast Car" 35 years after it was released with Luke Combs cover

On Wednesday, Luke Combs' cover of the song "Fast Car" won song of the year at the Country Music Association awards – but singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, who first released the song in 1988, took home the award. With the win – a whopping 35 years after the song was released – Chapman became the first Black songwriter to win the song of the year prize at the CMAs. 

Chapman, who did not attend the ceremony, said it was "truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut," in a prewritten statement read by presenter Sara Evans.

Combs also won the award for single of the year for his "Fast Car" cover, and when he went up to accept it, he thanked Chapman "for writing one of the best songs of all time."