Cody Johnson might have a big awards ceremony to attend, but he’s not missing the opening day of Texas deer season.
“I was needed to fly into Nashville for a rehearsal, the same day as the opener. My girls have gotta sit in the deer stand. The memory of them getting up early and having dad make grilled cheeses is more important. Priorities are priorities,” the singer explained.
CoJo, as he’s known, is a redhead of medium athletic build with a freakish ability to jump up in the air in the middle of complex guitar handiwork, the kind of cricket leap one learns from getting bucked off rank bulls and having to pop and run. He’s the kind of guy who shows up to a photo shoot with cow shit on his chaps and dust on his black felt hat, not for dramatic effect, but because his act is authentic rather than cowboy costuming.
A native of Huntsville, Texas, Johnson the artist is the product of a town built around a prison, the dying American public school vo-ag program, church and old-school country music, bull riding, dance halls, and the relationships that have supported him over a lifetime.
“I know I want to hear good music, good songs,” he laid out. “I want to sing songs that make people relate, real stories. That’s the kind of music I grew up on. If it’s a happy song, I
