Rodeo Cowboy Turned Top Country Musician Wins CMA Album of the Year Award

The coveted Country Music Awards were held last week and a very unique cowboy took home one of the most coveted awards

Cody Johnson poses with his Album of the Year award backstage during the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas native, Cody Johnson, revived a sector of the country music industry - the life and experiences of the real rodeo cowboy. Throughout the past eighteen years, Johnson self-released six albums, one of which debuted at no. 2 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. In 2019, his first major-label album, Ain't Nothin to It released with great success, followed by Human: The Double Album in 2021. In 2022, the song "Til You Can't" won two awards at the CMAs.

Fans call him "CoJo" and have a unique respect for the singer-songwriter who began his musical career in his youth. Throughout high school and his early life, he continued to ride bulls professionally at local rodeos and play music, in addition to his job at a local prison. In 2018, Johnson became the first unsigned/independent artist to play to a sold-out crowd at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The Journey of CoJo

As I like to remind people often - there is no such thing as an overnight success. While Johnson steadily built a fan base and a genuine following, his first album, Black and White Label, released in 2006. Johnson has been grinding for nearly twenty years. I always have a strong admiration and respect for people's individual journeys. Regardless of the area of success, I think it is so important for us to understand what goes into the wins and recognition that Johnson has been receiving.

Dear Rodeo: The Cody Johnson Story is available on a variety of platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Freevee, and Tubi. The documentary is incredibly inspiring and serves as a great reminder that rodeo may not be the future of all great men and women, but it plays a key part in shaping who they become.

Johnson, who still enjoys team roping, recently hosted the inaugural CoJo Championship Event. Alongside the roping, there was also The Champs for Charity Gala Event and R-C Ranch Gala Watch Party, benefitting non-profit organizations near and dear to Johnson's heart and mission. The first event was an absolutely smash success and hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to competitors.

Johnson has had the privelege of performing hit duets such as "Dear Rodeo" with Reba McEntire, "I'm Gonna Love You" with Carrie Underwood, and "Red Dirt Road" with Brooks & Dunn. Leather, the album that won the 2024 CMA, boasts tracks that showcase Johnson's cowboy take on love songs, duets with Jelly Roll and Brooks & Dunn, and some good old-fashioned country music lyrics.