Jamey Johnson
Johnson in 2016
Background information
Born	(1975-07-14)July 14, 1975 (age 50)[1] Enterprise, Alabama, U.S.
Origin	Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	Country outlaw country[2]
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2005–present
Labels	BNA,Mercury Nashville, Big Gassed
Website	jameyjohnson.com

Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an Americancountry music singer and songwriter.

Signed toBNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single "The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 albumThe Dollar. He was dropped from BNA in 2006 and signed toMercury Nashville Records in March 2008, releasing his second album, thegold-certifiedThat Lonesome Song. This album produced two singles, the top 10 hit "In Color" and "High Cost of Living". Johnson has since released two more albums,The Guitar Song in 2010 andLiving for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran in 2012. In 2014, he released a five-song Christmas EP titledThe Christmas Song. In addition to most of his own material, Johnson has co-written singles forWillie Nelson andMerle Haggard,Trace Adkins,George Strait,James Otto,Joe Nichols, andJessie James Decker.

Johnson was born on July 14, 1975, inEnterprise, Alabama, and raised with sister Jessica inMontgomery, Alabama. From an early age, he was influenced by country acts such asAlabama andAlan Jackson; the latter was the first act he saw in concert.^[3] After graduating fromJefferson Davis High School, Johnson attendedJacksonville State University, the same university from which Alabama lead singerRandy Owen graduated.^[3] During his time at Jacksonville State, he was a member of theMarching Southerners.

Johnson quit college after two years and served in theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve for eight years.^[3] While in the Marines, he began playing country music in various bars in the Montgomery area; one of his first gigs was opening forDavid Allan Coe.^[3] By 2000, Johnson had moved toNashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in country music. One of his first connections was with Greg Perkins, a fiddler who had played forTanya Tucker,Tammy Wynette, and other artists. Perkins invited Johnson to sing as a duet partner withGretchen Wilson on a demo tape.^[3] Songs for which Johnson sang demos include "Songs About Me" (cut byTrace Adkins) and "That's How They Do It in Dixie" (cut byHank Williams, Jr. withBig & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, andVan Zant).^[3]

Johnson had also made connections with producer and songwriterBuddy Cannon, who helped him land a songwriting contract.^[4] Among Johnson's first cuts as a songwriter was "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", which Adkins released from his 2005 albumSongs About Me. That song he co-wrote along with hit songwriter Dallas Davidson and fellow country singer-songwriterRandy Houser, who later worked with Johnson again, co-writing "My Cowboy" forcountry pop singerJessie James for herself-titled debut album.

On November 17, 2024, Johnson was pulled over for speeding by Tennessee Highway Patrol in Williamson County. It was reported that during the traffic stop, Johnson was found in possession of "several Ziploc bags of marijuana and pre-rolled joints". Johnson was subsequentlyarrested on a felony drug charge for possession of marijuana. This class E felony charge can result in one to six years in prison, and up to a $5,000 fine.^[5][6][7]

Johnson's case is still pending, with next hearing scheduled for April 15, 2026, according to Williamson County online court records.^[8]

Johnson has previously been candid about his sobriety journey, stating he has not had a drink of alcohol since 2011. He also stated he stopped smoking "pot" in 2015, however admits that many years later he resumed smoking and still occasionally partakes in the substance.^[9]

By 2005, Johnson had been signed to a recording contract withBNA Records. His first single, entitled "The Dollar", was released that year, followed by hisBuddy Cannon-produced debut album (also entitledThe Dollar) in March 2006. "The Dollar" went on to peak at No. 14 onBillboardHot Country Songs. The album's second single, "Rebelicious", failed to make the chart, and Johnson was dropped from BNA.

After the loss of his record deal, Johnson divorced his wife and took on a reclusive lifestyle, residing in a friend's house while working on his songwriting.^[10] He wrote several songs for other artists. In 2006,George Strait reached No. 1 on the Country chart with "Give It Away", a song which Johnson co-wrote withBill Anderson and Cannon. This song became Strait's 51st No. 1 on theBillboard country charts, setting a new record for most No. 1s on that chart.

In 2007, Trace Adkins charted with two more songs that Johnson co-wrote: "Ladies Love Country Boys" and "I Got My Game On", the former being Adkins' first No. 1 in 10 years. Also in 2007,Joe Nichols reached Top 20 with "Another Side of You", another song co-written by Johnson. This song was the first single on Nichols's albumReal Things, which also contained "She's All Lady", a song that Johnson originally recorded onThe Dollar.

Johnson was part of theFox TV television seriesNashville,^[11] which was cancelled after two episodes in September 2007.

Johnson released an album in 2008,That Lonesome Song, which was only made available online.^[10] The album drew the attention ofMercury Nashville Records, who signed him to a record deal in 2008. His first single for the label, "In Color", was released in March 2008. This song, which Johnson co-wrote withLee Thomas Miller andJames Otto, entered the Top 40 in June 2008, andThat Lonesome Song was released on CD in August of that year. "In Color" peaked at No. 9 on the Country chart in January 2009 and was followed a month later by "High Cost of Living", which managed to crack the Top 40, but only reaching No. 34. By April 2009,That Lonesome Song was certified Gold by theRIAA.

A fifth single, "My Way to You", was issued in July 2009. The song was released to the radio on July 13, 2009, and debuted at No. 56 on the U.S.Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song peaked at No. 52 in September 2009.

Johnson was nominated for the 2009 CMA Awards New Artist of the Year, and has been nominated for the 2010 Academy of Country Music Top New Solo Vocalist.

In 2010, Johnson released a follow-up to his 2008 album,That Lonesome Song. The album titledThe Guitar Song was released on September 14, 2010. Upon its release,The Guitar Song was met with overwhelming praise and universal acclaim from music critics.^[12] The album debuted at number four on the U.S.Billboard 200 and number one on the U.S.BillboardTop Country Albums, selling 63,000 copies its first week of release.^[13]

Johnson released three singles from the album, including "Playing the Part", in summer 2010. The music video for the single was released in October, and was directed byMatthew McConaughey, who also stars in the video as a dancing gorilla.

Johnson was the supporting act onKid Rock's 2011 Born Free Tour, accompanying Rock on a duet or two during most concerts. He was also a main stage act on Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown from May to July 2011.

In addition to producing other acts and writing new material,^[14] Johnson released his fourth studio album titledLiving for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran on October 6, 2012. The album is a tribute to songwriterHank Cochran.^[15] The album garnered Johnson a nomination at the55th Grammy Awards for Best Country album. The album paired him with acts such asRay Price,Willie Nelson,Alison Krauss,Emmylou Harris,Elvis Costello,George Strait,Vince Gill, andMerle Haggard. Longtime collaborator and producerBuddy Cannon oversaw the project.^[16] The album was released on vinyl September 25, 2012, and other formats on October 16, 2012.^[17]

Following a dispute with his label, Johnson founded his own label, Big Gassed Records. His first release on the label was a Christmas-themed EP,The Christmas Song, including several covers and one new original song, which was released in November 2014. It was announced that more new music would follow in 2015.^[18] In January 2015, Johnson released a new song, "Alabama Pines" as a free download.^[19] This was followed by the release of another single, "You Can", in February.^[20]

In a 2017 interview, Johnson stated that he had been having more difficulty with songwriting after an incident about seven years prior when he received a concussion due to slipping on ice and hitting his head.^[21][22] In 2019, Johnson played alongsideDon Was,Warren Haynes,Lukas Nelson, andCyril Neville onThe Last Waltz Tour, a live celebration ofThe Band's 1976 farewell show at theWinterland Ballroom, also known asThe Last Waltz.^[23][24]

On March 19, 2022,Bill Anderson invited him to become a member of theGrand Ole Opry, which he accepted; Johnson had performed regularly on the show for the previous seventeen years.^[25] He was inducted on May 14, 2022.^[26]

On December 15, 2023, Johnson gave thecommencement speech to the 2023 Fall graduating class of Jacksonville State University and received an honorary doctorate from the school. Alabama GovernorKay Ivey proclaimed December 15 Jamey Johnson Day.^[27]

• ^A"The Dollar" did not enter theBillboard Hot 100, but peaked on theBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number one.^[37]

Johnson received threeGrammy Award nominations at the51st Grammy Awards: Best Country Album forThat Lonesome Song, and Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "In Color".^[40] "In Color" won theAcademy of Country Music's 2009 award for Song of the Year and the same award during the 2009Country Music Association Awards. Going into 2010, Johnson received two moreGrammy Award nominations for the52nd Grammy Awards: Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance, both for his 2009 single "High Cost of Living".^[41]

• Official website
• Jamey Johnson discography atDiscogs
• Jamey Johnson atIMDb

• 1975 births
• American country singer-songwriters
• American male singer-songwriters
• People from Enterprise, Alabama
• BNA Records artists
• Grand Ole Opry members
• Living people
• Mercury Records artists
• Musicians from Montgomery, Alabama
• Outlaw country singers
• United States Marine Corps reservists
• United States Marines
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• 21st-century American male singers
• Country musicians from Alabama
• Singer-songwriters from Alabama
• Thirty Tigers artists

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