It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that Cody Johnson is one of the realest acts in country music.
With a badass live show, country to the bone songs, and a passionate fanbase, CoJo has positioned himself as one of the best in the business among traditional country fans.
And of course, those traditional country music fans are in desperate need of someone who can bring that country sound back to radio, when the majority of the mainstream has been suffocated by the “pop” sound that currently dominates the airwaves.
CoJo is the man for the job, but that doesn’t mean country radio will play it. In fact, it’s shockingly the opposite…
He joined Whiskey Riff Raff a couple of weeks ago to discuss everything from playing live events again, to the politics of the industry, his upcoming double album, documentary, and even a few hangover cures.
And aside from announcing the plan for the upcoming album, perhaps the best part of the conversation was when he gave us the reasoning why “Dear Rodeo” hasn’t got the airplay that it deserves.
The answer might blow you mind…
“We were discussing what songs off my new record we would consider singles… any producer Trent Wilmon says ‘If they’re already not gonna play it, why not release what we want?’
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.”
When asked if that’s what radio is actually testing for? CoJo replied:
“Yes… it’s a crazy world we live in.”
If that ain’t a sign of the world we live in, I don’t know what is. It’s sad when a guy sings a passionate, authentic song about a sport that inspired him to be who he is today, and they won’t play it on country radio, because it’s “TOO country.” And the animal thing? I don’t think PETA is listening to country radio anyways…
However, even if CoJo can’t get some of his best songs on the radio, he’s still selling out venues that artists with #1’s can’t. So keep doin’ you my man. You gotta respect somebody who stays true to himself and true to country music.
And of course, we can’t forget the his iconic, SOLDOUT, performance at the Houston Rodeo a couple years back:
Listen to the full episode below (the “Dear Rodeo” conversation begins around the 18-minute mark).
