Cody Johnson still preaching his brand of country music
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By Preshias Harris
By any measure of success, Cody Johnson has already had his fair share. Eight albums – six on his own CoJo label and the two latest on Warner Music Nashville – and one of those, Ain’t Nothin’ To It, is certified Gold by RIAA.
When it comes to single releases, he’s no slouch either. Six singles RIAA certified Gold and two certified Platinum. Right from the start, he’s been known for putting on a great live show as evidenced by his 2016 indie album, Gotta Be Me, that debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, buoyed by sales to fans who flock to his live performances. Johnson made history as the only unsigned or independent artist to sell out the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, playing to more than 70,500 fans, something normally achieved by the likes of Garth Brooks and George Strait.
But with all that shiny gold and platinum hardware on his mantle and “Sold Out” stickers on his show posters, it seems incredible that Johnson had never achieved a Number One… had never reached the pinnacle of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay charts. Incredible but true.
That all changed with the release of “Til You Can’t,” a cut on his eighteen-track project, Human: The Double Album. The single made a steady climb up the charts and finally peaked at the coveted No. 1 spot on both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts earlier this year. The song first topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 19, returning to the top in March for a total of nine weeks, also leading the Country Airplay listings for two weeks beginning March 26. “Til You Can’t” has racked up 315 million global streams to date.
Recently, Johnson celebrated the success of “Til You Can’t” with the song’s writers, Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers, at a Number One party jointly hosted by ASCAP and BMI at the Local in Nashville.
The song also marked the first No. 1 for songwriter Ben Stennis, although he is no newcomer. The BMI Award winning songwriter has credits that include Tim McGraw’s “Neon Church” and cuts on Ronnie Dunn (“Damn Drunk”), Parmalee (“Roots”) and more.
Describing Stennis during the event, Josh Tomlinson, BMI’s Director, Creative, noted that he had watched Stennis grow as he “kept his head down and put in the work” that led to this moment. “It’s been a privilege to watch,” he added.
Mike Sistad, ASCAP Vice President Nashville Membership took the stage to talk about Matt Rogers. “He’s had songs recorded by Luke Bryan, Dustin Lynch, Brett Eldredge, Randy Houser, Chris Young, Lainey Wilson and many more,” said Sistad. “He’s had four Number Ones on Canadian Country Radio, a nomination for Single of the Year and just recently celebrated his Number One with ‘Freedom Was a Highway’ for Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley.”
In his remarks, Johnson noted his admiration for the art of songwriting and, when he first came to Nashville, he wanted to be a songwriter. also expressed his sincere thanks to his long-time manager Howie Edelman who had introduced him to producer Trent Willmon.
On a personal note, for several years I had been hearing about Cody from my friend Judy Mayes who had relocated to Texas. Judy knew that I had followed Texas artists since 1992 when I began covering the ‘Nashville’ happenings for Texas Country Music magazine.
She told me that she wanted me to check out a Texas artist named Cody Johnson. When I did get to know him and his music, I was an instant fan of both his music and character. He was causing a stir all over Texas and was in high demand over the next several years as a top artist on the Texas music scene, now becoming a national and international country artist.
During the No. 1 party, Cody said, “My guys on the stage, my crew, we are a family. We’re on every night and we try to preach our brand of country music. We know that we’re different. We know it’s different and it’s not what radio’s been playing but we never stopped. We kept on playing, kept on trying to preach real country music.”
More about Cody Johnson at his website, on his Facebook page, and on Instagram and Twitter @codyjohnson.
About Preshias Harris
JournalistPreshias Harris is a music journalist who has interviewed everyone from Alabama to ZZ Top for articles and stories published in numerous music magazines. She is the author of longest-running monthly country music column in America and authored The College of Songology™ 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s ‘Need To Know’ Reference Handbook. As a music career development consultant with special emphasis on emerging and aspiring artists and songwriters, she focuses on ‘chasing the dream’ while understanding the realities of the music industry. She maintains a writers’ room on Music Row – named The Sangtuary – for her clients and their co-writers. She is a member of ASCAP (as a publisher), BMI, The Country Music Association (CMA), The Recording Academy, The National Association of Talent Directors (NATD) and a life member of Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
You can find out more about Preshias at https://www.collegeofsongology.com and find her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
