Everyone has to start somewhere, and for 14-year-old Cody Johnson, that meant playing gigs at his local bar and, of course, getting whooped by his father for it.
The “Til You Can’t” singer might have had some impressive vocal chops as a teenager, but his sneaking-out skills were certainly far less developed. Johnson recently appeared on Bobby Bones’ podcast, The Bobby Cast, where he dived into this hilarious story of one of the first shows he ever played.
Johnson recounts the memory saying, “The night I snuck out of my parents’ house to a bar. I think I was 14 and I snuck out and hopped in a truck with a buddy that was 16, and we went down to the bar, and there were like 100 people at this little honky tonk, and the band let me jump up and play with them.”
Of course, amongst this 100 people room (which is an impressive feat for a 14-year-old to perform in front of), what bigger nightmare is there than to look out and see your own father in the crowd. “They said we’re gonna take a break, why don’t you play, and I was playing by myself and looked in the back of the bar, and my dad was standing there.”
He adds, “You wanna talk about an oh sh** moment? That’s one of them.” Like any good father in 2001, Johnson said there was no lack of punishment for the outing, “I got whipped pretty good for that. You know, ‘you play in these bars it’s going to lead to a life of destruction, and you’re going to wind up becoming a drug addict and an alcoholic.”
Bobby chimes in, asking, “How many songs did you get out before he saw you?” to which Johnson exclaims that he only got to do three before getting pulled out of there. Despite the bruises he endured that night, Johnson admits his father still offered some loving praise afterward, saying, “And after I got my whipping, he said, ‘You actually sounded really good, just so you know.’”
The 38-year-old country star went on to spend his teen years in the bull pen as a professional bull rider, while also earning a living as a prison guard in Huntsville, Texas. At the age of 19 (still not quite legally allowed into these bars but continuing to play gigs nonetheless), Johnson shifted to pursuing music full-time.
After releasing his first album, Six Strings One Dream, in 2009, the Texas red dirt singer-songwriter went on to become CMA’s 2025 Male Vocalist of the Year and has since racked up an impressive list of accolades. Thanks in part to some tough-love “fear tactics” from his dad, Johnson built a long, successful career that stretched far beyond dive bars. He recently launched his headlining Live ’26 Tour with almost 30 dates across North America on February 6 and will remain on the road through September.
Check out the dates below:
- February 13 – Champaign, Illinois – State Farm Center
- February 14 – Louisville, Kentucky – KFC Yum! Center
- February 27 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina – LJVM Coliseum
- February 28 – Columbia, South Carolina – Colonial Life Arena
- March 6 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena
- March 7 – Baltimore, Maryland – CGF Bank Arena
- March 22 – Houston, Texas – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
- March 28 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Simmons Bank Arena
- April 10 – Bossier City, Louisiana – Brookshire Grocery Arena
- April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach
- May 2 – Clemson, South Carolina – Death Valley (Clemson Stadium)
- May 9 – Des Moines, Iowa – Casey’s Corner
- May 30 – Rosemont, Illinois – Allstate Center
- July 11 – Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – Cavendish Beach Music Festival
- July 17 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena
- July 18 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena
- July 25 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
- August 8 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center
- August 22 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Food City Center
- August 29 – Saint Paul, Minnesota – Grand Casino Arena
- September 12 – Tacoma, Washington – Tacoma Dome
Watch the clip here: