Joanna Cotten can flat out SANG.
Of course Joanna may best be known for her role as Eric Church’s longtime background vocalist, before announcing back in 2022 that following the Gather Again Tour, she would be stepping away as a member of Eric’s band to focus on some solo music:
“Hello, friends and fans… I want to let you all know that I made the decision to take some time off after the ‘Gather Again Tour’ to focus on writing some new songs and have a time of rest and recovery. It was my intention to return, but God has other plans.
I want you all to know that your energy carried me through so many shows with Eric. What a run we had. I am so grateful for the stages I sang on with him and the people I met along the way.
I am very much looking forward to new solo music and ventures on the horizon. I love you guys and I’ll see you out there on the road before you know it!”
Fans were obviously disappointed with the news, after so many had grown to love JoJo just as much as they loved Chief.
Church’s right hand woman on stage, Cotten also lent her vocals to every one of the superstar’s albums since Chief. But it was during their live shows that fans really got to see the badass vocalist shine. At times it felt like they were a duo on stage, with Church always giving her plenty of time to shine. And she made the most of it, never failing to disappoint when she was in the spotlight.
But at Chief’s this weekend, the spotlight was all hers.
Joanna played three sold-out shows at Church’s new downtown Nashville bar, including one back in May and two this week bookending the annual CMA Fest. And let me tell you, even with all the artists who were in town this weekend, there might not have been more talent in Music City than there was at the Neon Steeple when Cotten took the stage.
Along with her own music, the powerhouse vocalist also included her own performance of a song she’s gotten pretty familiar with over the years: “Like Jesus Does,” from Eric Church’s 2011 album Chief.
Church’s Gather Again Tour featured the two teaming up for an epic duet of the song. But Cotten proved that she’s more than capable of delivering her own powerful version of the song.
Church and Cotten also recently reunited for his performance at Stagecoach, where they once again showed off what a powerhouse duo these two are with this song.
Eric and Joanna Cotten performing a duet of "Like Jesus Does" at @Stagecoach 2024.
Watch The Full Song Here: https://t.co/M0xn5AJCrR pic.twitter.com/tJZtFrhewa
— Eric Church (@ericchurch) June 9, 2024
Gotta love seeing JoJo get the spotlight she’s long deserved.
