Today marks the 10th anniversary of country music legend Merle Haggard’s passing on April 6, 2016, which coincidentally also marks what would have been his 89th birthday.
Recognizing this monumental loss of one of the genre’s most influential figures, Cody Johnson took it upon himself to honor the late singer on his birthday with his very own rendition of Haggard’s 1979 song, “Footlights.” Featured as the opening track on his May album Serving 190 Proof, the song was never released as a single, but stood out as a fitting choice for Johnson to cover.
The Texas native took to Instagram this morning to share a clip of himself recording the rendition in the studio, announcing, “Merle Haggard’s music has been the soundtrack of my life. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor him on his birthday than by sharing our version of “Footlights.” It’s out now. Hope we did it justice.”
With Haggard’s career spanning over 5 decades, during which he received numerous accolades and 38 number one hits, obviously, no one can ever compete with his incredible hand in country music; however, to Johnson’s wary caption, his version does, in fact, do this track justice.
Exemplifying his red dirt roots through a traditional country sound, Johnson is no stranger to wowing fans with some pretty exemplary covers from “Travelin’ Soldier” to “She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles)” and even Haggard’s Christmas tune, “If We Make It Through December.” This newly released single is another addition to the ever-growing track record for the “‘Til You Can’t” singer.
Following a milestone moment in his own career, setting a new record of attendance at the Houston Rodeo last month, this latest release is the first of many to come as Johnson recently promised on the Rodeo Time podcast that he had a lot of sporadic drops and eventually a full album to come this year throughout his time on the road. This summer, he’ll continue out on his packed Live ’26 tour, including an exciting headlining stop at Stagecoach later this month on April 24.
Tour Dates:
- March 27 – Baltimore, MD
- March 28 – Houston, TX
- April 4 – Little Rock, AR
- April 18 – St. Louis, MO
- April 24 – Indianapolis, IN
- May 2 – Clemson, SC
- May 8 – Sioux Falls, SD
- May 9 – Des Moines, IA
- May 29 – Grand Rapids, MI
- May 30 – Rosemont, IL
- June 26 – Milwaukee, WI
- July 11 – Cavendish, PE
- July 17–18 – Columbus, OH
- July 25 – Jacksonville, FL
- Aug. 8 – Oklahoma City, OK
- Aug. 22 – Knoxville, TN
- Aug. 29 – Saint Paul, MN
- Sept. 12 – Tacoma, WA