Cody Johnson’s ‘Husbands and Wives’ Cover Is Stone-Cold Country Truth
Cody Johnson pays tribute to the men who preached country music truth before him by covering "Husbands and Wives," a song most recently made famous by Brooks & Dunn.
Johnson covers the song on his new Ain't Nothin' to It album and is quick to point out that Roger Miller is the original artist, and it was his version he learned first. Indeed, Miller made "Husbands and Wives" a crossover hit in 1966 before Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn would take the song to No. 1 in 1998.
This new version of the waltz stays true to both versions, but Johnson takes it up a notch vocally.
"I'll just tell the truth, and my wife and I are in such a great place that it won't matter," Johnson tells Taste of Country before explaining how he and his wife had a fight just before he had to leave for a string of shows. "I was just kind of sad that weekend," he spills. "I got up for my acoustic break and I had this song in my head all day long because of that fight, and I played it and my band is like, 'What the heck?!'"
The next week they were to record a gospel song live in the round, just like you see in this video. His guitarist convinced him to record this one, as well. It's a one-take song on the album and so was this RISERS video.
"It was, push the red button and go!" he admits.
Look for Johnson to appear on Brooks & Dunn's new Reboot album when it's released on April 5. He'll be singing "Red Dirt Road."
Johnson was chosen as the first Taste of Country RISERS act of 2019 in part because he's capable of performances like this. There's more to come, but for now enjoy his version of "Husbands and Wives," subscribe to the Taste of Country YouTube channel and then check out his original performance of "On My Way to You."
Watch Cody Johnson Sing an Original Version of "On My Way to You"
Cody Johnson Is One of 23 Country Traditionalists Bringing It Back: