NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born and bred country star asks the crowd: “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”
It’s not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.
The rancher, rodeo competitor and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named entertainer of the year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show’s highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.
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“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let’s get to the next chapter.”
On Friday, that new era began with the release of his album “Banks of the Trinity.”
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It hasn’t been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”
It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not: The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.
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“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”
At the heart of “Banks of the Trinity” is its title track, which recalls Eagles’ cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel. Lyrically, it’s an ode to Johnson’s childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity (River.) Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.
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And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn’t consider this album a throwback collection. He says it’s about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity. “The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit Bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”
It’s the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards. “I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”
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And now that the album is out, he’s ready to take a breather. “I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “‘Cause I have already done all the prep work. I’ve been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”
It’s not a bad place to be.
