Cody Johnson longs to be instrumental in country music’s future, and his career is well on its way to achieving this goal. Cody started playing music in small-town honky tonks across Texas, including a few right here in Montgomery County. Now that he is topping the charts, winning awards, and performing worldwide, he hopes others will recognize the efforts he made to achieve such heights.
This year alone, the Multi-Platinum Artist received seven nominations for the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and both Song and Single of the Year. He has also earned 44 gold and platinum certifications, 8.5 billion global streams, and four number-one singles, all achieved on his own terms by prioritizing meaningful storytelling in his music.
Johnson is currently touring to promote his Leather Deluxe Edition album, his ninth studio album and third major-label release with COJO Music/Warner Music Nashville. Yet, despite his fame, this country music cowboy strives to remain the relatable neighbor from down the road in Huntsville, all while spreading his brand of authentic country music worldwide.
The Honky Tonk Circuit
Success in music like honky tonks is hard won and can be fleeting, but unlike most of the venues where Johnson first played in our area, he is not only still standing but has danced past even his initial expectations.
“When I first started playing music, it was really acoustic nights around Huntsville, Texas, playing at Humphery’s — [Them saying] we’ll give you 100 bucks and a bar tab. You need to play for four hours — I was like yes, I’ve made it!” laughs the artist who grew up listening to Merle Haggard.
“One of my first gigs moving down to Montgomery County, I think, was in New Waverly at Borski’s [Tavern]. God rest its soul, they tore it down. I should have bought that little honky tonk,” reminiscences Johnson. “Then we would play on Lake Conroe at Grampy Larry’s. I don’t even know if that’s still there.”
(There is a Shell gas station where it once stood and the parking lot of what, until recently, was GuadalaHARRY’s Bar and Grill.)
“Then we’d play County Line BBQ and then all the way down to Spring, Texas, to Big Texas North when it was still around, then we’d run over to College Station and play Big Willies and Texas Hall of Fame and Hurricane Harry’s. Basically, the name of the game was play as much as you can,” says the musician who recognized that change was on the horizon for the music industry.
Johnson famously remained independent longer than most artists dare, passing on initial record deals for an entire decade so that he would have a more significant say in his own fate. On his own, Johnson gained traction through talent and tireless effort. He established well-worn trails across the state to perform, recorded independent records, and started getting played on Texas Radio. Then, he took the same approach and applied it to the entire country, having his band drive a van cross-country to play 250 shows a year before ever accepting the backing of a record label.
Building COJO Music
Initially, Cody’s support came from family, friends, and a feverish fan base, the COJO Nation.
“Especially starting out with my very first independent album, you’re talking about the same core group of 200 to 500 people who’d travel around [to watch you play]. You got kind of familiar with the people you were playing for,” says Johnson. “Those people feel like they have ownership.”
This deep connection with his fans has been a driving force in Johnson’s career. Protective of fan investment and their belief that his music was something the rest of the world didn’t have, or at least had lost, Johnson wasn’t willing to give it up for a run-of-the-mill record deal. He wanted control. In Johnson’s world, authenticity, like being a cowboy, is something you can’t fake; either you live the life or you don’t. It’s in your DNA, and it shows in your craft. The emotional truth fans heard in songs like “Dear Rodeo” would not be there if he had not lived it.
“You can tell when you sit in your car if a song is manufactured or real,” he says.
The following year, Johnson returned to the rodeo, this time for opening night. Over 74,000 people came for the show, making him the first unsigned artist in history to sell out NRG Stadium. Only Garth Brooks and George Strait had ever done it before.
Between his success and the advent of music streaming, Cody’s moment finally arrived. In June 2018, he went to Nashville and signed a groundbreaking record deal. The agreement signing Cody Johnson to COJO Music/Warner Music Nashville meant Johnson was now part of one of country music’s most prominent label groups. However, he retained creative control under his long-standing, completely independent, and personally owned record label, COJO Music.
This agreement opened the gates for other artists to follow. No longer must they get pushed around in LA and Nashville by the business side of music, signing over all rights to their music for a chance to be heard. Johnson’s success and his ability to retain creative control set a new standard in the industry.
“[To] have people see that nothing changed — holy cow, he’s still the same; he didn't change his look; he didn’t change his sound,” Johnson said while out on tour.
Resurgence of Authenticity
Johnson believes country music is experiencing a resurgence of authenticity, where it’s cool again to be country, and that suits him just fine. Yet he’ll stay the course even if the latest fade passes.
To him, the heart of an authentic country song is a well-written story. He says it doesn’t matter if it’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek drinking song like “Beer Never Broke My Heart” by Luke Combs or something more serious; if it echoes real-life sentiments, you’re on your way to having something special.
“When you hear songs about ‘Til You Can’t,’ that’s a part of who I am,” says Johnson. “I think that country songs should make you laugh, they should make you cry, they should make you pissed off, they should make you sad, they should make you want to go wave an American flag around. Make you want to hug your kids and reevaluate your life — all those things.”
Cody is at the top of his career and shows no signs of stopping. Still, when it does wane, he says it would make him proud to think that his sacrifices helped open the door to an open-mindedness in the industry that allows artists to be more creative.
“I think about me being old and gray and still putting out country music and still going to play shows and people still relating to it,” muses Johnson. “Having that longevity, of someday when I’m gone to have someone say, ‘Cody Johnson changed country music for the better. Country music wouldn’t be what it is today if he hadn’t done what he did.’ To me, that is more important than a platinum record, or a number one, or a sell-out show.”
“When you hear songs about ‘Til You Can’t,’ that’s a part of who I am,” says Johnson. “I think that country songs should make you laugh, they should make you cry...all those things.”