Cody Johnson Credits His Wife For His Successful Career: ‘I Pretty Much Owe Everything I Have To Her’
If Cody Johnson had never met his wife, Brandi, he might not have become the country star he is today.
Cody Johnson and Brandi Johnson; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT
Throughout Cody Johnson’s career, he’s made it clear that no amount of money or fame can overshadow his love and appreciation for his wife, Brandi and their kids. When it comes to music, Johnson revealed that he actually has his wife to thank for getting him to this point.
“I pretty much owe everything I have to her. I pray daily, “Thank you for this woman.’ She gave me a reason to not be a danger to myself,” Johnson said during an interview with Cowboys & Indians Magazine.
The couple first met when he was in the midst of figuring out his path. At the time, he was recovering from a bull riding accident and working as a chain gang overseer in a prison, while also recording his music in his garage and performing at small gigs on the side.
They later solidified their relationship by moving in together and saying, “I Do.” Eventually, Brandi encouraged Johnson to quit his job at the prison and make music his top priority. To further show her support of his dreams, she quit college and picked up two jobs.
“She had all the faith in me. I compensated for my lack of confidence in a lot of bad ways,” Johnson continued. “She recently said, ‘I always knew you would be this man. I knew this man was in that boy.’ What an intuitive woman. There are times I’ve wanted to quit music, in the last five years even. I’ve come home and said, ‘I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. It’s eating me up.’ And she’d say, ‘Yes you can. You got to. You’ve got to get back to work, have a better mindset, and push through.’ And I did. If I had to give it all up for her, I’d do it.”
Thanks to her motivational words, Cody Johnson is now a CMA award-winner, a chart-topping artist, and a true representation of authentic country music. However, at his core, he is just a husband and a dad to his two daughters Clara Mae and Cori, who lives on a ranch in Central Texas.
“We lead a pretty simple life. We’re homeschooling our two girls. They feed the cows with me and then do their schoolwork. Brandi does the formal schooling. I show them the practical things,” he told the outlet. “I’ve always wanted to have good, purebred, white, long-eared, flesh-hanging-off-of-’em Brahman cows. We’ve got an excellent Hereford bull and this first round of F-1 calves are show quality. I’d like to ultimately add more acreage and raise Wagyu beef for restaurants.”
The “Human” singer revealed that his parenting style revolves around teaching the importance of hard work and responsibility, instead of leading with a materialistic mindset despite his beaming success.
He added, “I want my kids to grow up on a ranch where they have to work and see the honesty and integrity of a hard day’s effort, to see the finished product with a show calf that they’ve raised out of our herd. I want to use the good luck we’ve come into to invest in that. They’re not making any more land these days. I’m not interested in Lamborghinis, an apartment in New York, or a beach house. I want to invest in the land and the herd.”
This year, Cody Johnson is starting out on the road in support of country music star, Randy Houser. Later on, he will join Luke Combs as a special guest on his massive world tour. Johnson is also booked for several special events in 2023 including The American Rodeo and the 91st annual RODEOHOUSTON.
His next performance is slated for February 16 in Grand Rapids, MI.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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