Cody Johnson is far from an overnight success story. The 37-year-old started by performing in his home state of Texas, playing in small clubs and bars, with nothing but talent and determination to keep him going. Able to keep a crowd entertained, his fanbase grew slowly, in part because he couldn’t get a hit at radio.
“I chose the long road, the one that comes with its scars and stories,” Johnson tells The Line of Best Fit. He even tried to convince local stations to play some of his music, to no avail. In hindsight, he now understands why, although it felt like a bitter pill to swallow at the time.
“They wouldn’t play me on the radio because I didn’t have a really good quality record,” he admits.
Undeterred, Johnson expanded beyond Texas, performing his music wherever he could.
“We traveled all over the country, doing the same grassroots approach,” Johnson recalls. “It was club by club, bar by bar.”
By his own admission, the former rodeo star struggled when he saw other artists — artists who started when he did — having big successes, while he was not. But now, the father of two is grateful that it didn’t happen for him like it did for some of his peers.
“There were times I thought, ‘Why hasn’t that happened for me yet?’,” Johnson admits, adding that success is sweeter — and more sustainable — now. “If I would have made it back then, I probably would have screwed it up.”
Johnson might have a bunch of awards and hit singles by now, including a Top 5 hit with “I’m Gonna Love You,” his duet with Carrie Underwood. But at his core, Johnson remains the same, undeterred by fame or celebrity status.
“Success changes you, they say, but I’m still the same person,” maintains the singer. “This job is something that I’ve worked for my entire life, and I truly don’t feel like I could live without it.”
It’s unlikely Johnson will change anytime soon. A devout lover of country music, and outspoken in his determination to honor its integrity, the father of two has never lost sight of his original goal, when he started making music.
“My job is to bring stories, and we’re gonna have a damn good time doing it.,” Johnson says. “When they hear me, if they fall in love with that sound, I want them to say, ‘That guy Cody Johnson represents country music.'”
Johnson is currently headlining his Leather Deluxe Tour, with a rotating list of opening acts that includes Ashley McBryde, Cole Swindell, Walker Montgomery, Ashley Cooke and Wade Forster. Find all of Johnson’s music and upcoming shows at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA