Before becoming a country music singer, Cody Johnson grew up in Texas, learning how to ride bulls. He even spent time working for the local prison system with his father. Embracing the lifestyle of a cowboy, Johnson eventually turned his eyes to Nashville. And in 2006, he released the album Black and White Label. Jump forward almost two decades, and he was nominated for the Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMAs. And speaking of entertaining, apparently, Johnson will not only headline at the Hondo Rodeo Fest but will also compete.
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Kicking off on November 7th, in Arizona, thousands of fans will converge on Phoenix for the Hondo Rodeo Fest. Besides getting a chance to see Johnson perform, the festival will also welcome Jon Pardi, Treaty Oak Revival, Riley Green, Jason Aldean, and even Nickelback. But while the rest of the performers only focused on their music, Johnson will put cowboy skills to the test.
Excited to have him compete, the Hondo Rodeo Fest CEO, James Trawick, announced, “He’s actually going to rope at the Hondo this year. Fans are going to get to see him ride and rope at the Hondo for the first time ever. Pressure is on Cody. It’s out there. It’s in the public.” Not only wanting to win over the crowd, Johnson hoped to also win the roping portion of the competition.
[RELATED: Cody Johnson Teases “Spicier” New Music; Reveals Tabled Marcus King Collab]
Cody Johnson Labeled “Too Country” For Country Music
Outside of the Hondo Rodeo Fest, Johnson also discussed his rising stardom in country music. Although living the life of a cowboy, the singer revealed that the suits in country music weren’t always fans. “When you get so many people on this side that a guy like me is considered ‘too country for radio,’ man, we’ve got a problem.” He added, “We were discussing what songs off my new record we would consider singles…and my producer Trent Wilmon says ‘If they’re already not gonna play it, why not release what we want?’”
And speaking of “too country” songs, his duet with Reba McEntire on “Dear Rodeo” was deemed “too rodeo.” “I just got told a couple weeks ago that my song ‘Dear Rodeo’ was and I quote, ‘too rodeo for radio.’ Because apparently the word ‘rodeo’ reminds people of cruelty to animals.”
Gaining millions of views when released, fans didn’t agree with the “too rodeo” statement as comments included, “Texas makes great music.” And one comment insisted, “When you hear a song and can feel the passion and heart being poured out into it… it brings tears to my eyes how amazingly beautiful this song is. Keep doing great country music Cody! We love it”
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
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