Jamey Johnson Opens Up About His Friendship With Riley Green: ‘A Natural Connection’

You could say Jamey Johnson and Riley Green were cut from the same cloth.

Both Alabama natives, they even attended the same college (Jacksonville State), share a love for golfing, and have a knack for humor. Over time, they’ve formed a close friendship. 

“There’s a natural connection with us there,” Johnson recently shared. “I was immediately impressed with his writing and singing.”

Johnson went on to share his appreciation for Green’s quick wit.

“One of my favorite things about Riley is his sense of humor, and he can take as much as he dishes out, so that’s why we are always hurling comments at each other,” Johnson says. “Recently, when one of the videos caught some traction, I felt bad about it. You don’t hear him giving me crap. You just hear me messing with him and it’s not a good look, so I had to call and apologize for that!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jamey Johnson (@jameyjohnsonofficial)

The two have shared the stage and events on multiple occasions, from Losers Bar and Grill in Nashville to the Windy City Smokeout, Green’s Buford Bonds Foundation Golf Tournament, and the Regions Celebrity Golf Tournament. They’ve even collaborated on stage to perform songs like Johnson’s classics like “In Color” and “High Cost of Living.”

Now, the pair has teamed up for their first official duet, “Smoke,” a breakup song with plenty of attitude. The title takes on a few different meanings as the story unfolds, from the dust her tires kick up as she pulls away, to the cigarette haze they use to dull the pain. No matter how it shows up, one thing’s clear: instead of dealing with the heartbreak, they’re choosing to disappear behind the smoke.

Co-written by Johnson, Green and Erik Dylan, “Smoke” was crafted inside two iconic spaces: The Cash Cabin and Big Gassed Studios. The track was produced by Kyle Lehning and Jim “Moose” Brown, with T.W. Cargile on recording and mixing. Johnson has worked with Lehning before on a Randy Travis tribute project, but “Smoke” is the first time they’ve partnered together from the ground up on one of his own songs.

According to Johnson, the concept for the song came from Green.

“He called me and we booked some time to get together with Erik Dylan. We sat down and scribbled it out over the course of about an hour,” Johnson recalled. “It has an interesting sound to it, with one part going down while the other part is going up. I like the whole concept of this guy not being too upset about whatever she is mad at. That smoke probably has a lot to do with it.”

“Writing this song with Jamey was a lot of fun,” Green added. “After spending time on the road together earlier this year, it just felt natural to get in the studio and make some country music together.”

“Smoke” arrives just in time, with Johnson set to join Green’s Damn Country Music Tour for nine dates throughout the month of November.