Cody Johnson

It’s difficult to imagine many songwriters whose lives have been more suited to the mythologies of country music than Cody Johnson. Born in Texas, in 1987, Johnson started picking on the guitar before he was a teenager, but competitive bull riding soon became his main focus. When he left the rodeo circuit, he took up a job as a prison supervisor and music became his side hustle. Johnson’s meat-and-potatoes brand of country—a traditionally Texas sound he’s run with since the beginning—has endured since his 2006 debut, and stands in stark contrast to the poppier fare burning up Nashville radio. A DIY spirit and dogged work ethic—Johnson released his early records on his own label—paved the path to his music career, and his fourth album, 2011’s A Different Day, allowed him to quit his day job. His major label debut, 2019’s Ain’t Nothin’ to It, turned him into an overnight sensation—after nearly 15 years. On his well-polished tour de force, Johnson offers up a sentimental wisdom exchange on the title track, dreamy romantic odes (“Nothin’ on You”), and even sends a love letter to his bull-riding days (“Dear Rodeo”).