Singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson was onstage Wednesday at the 58th annual Country Music Association awards in Nashville, just two days after he was released from jail.
The 49-year-old musical artist was front-and-center at the Bridgestone Arena as part of a tribute to George Strait, who was honored with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the award show.
The Enterprise, Alabama native – who was arrested Sunday in Tennessee’s Williamson County in connection with drug possession and speeding – performed the track Give It Away during a medley of artists performing tracks by the honoree.
The 10-time Grammy nominee followed Lainey Wilson and preceded Parker McCollum, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and Strait himself in the musical tribute.
Johnson ‘sounded invigorated and triumphant’ in performing the hit 2006 track he co-wrote, Rolling Stone reported.
At the show, Johnson shared to Instagram Stories a repost from Jelly Roll’s account, listing the artists assigned to a dressing room area, which also included Keith Urban, Post Malone, Eric Church and Cody Johnson
Singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson, 49, was onstage Wednesday at the 58th annual Country Music Association awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, just two days after he was released from jail
Johnson, who has written for both Strait and Nelson, was released from jail on Monday after posting a $5,000 bond.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol told News Channel 5 in a statement: ‘We can confirm that Jamey Johnson was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Williamson County. The incident is still under investigation.’
The district attorney’s office overseeing Williamson County confirmed the arrest, but would not confirm the specific charges.
Johnson earlier this month released Midnight Gasoline, his first album since 2012’s Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran.
Ahead of the album’s November 8 release, he dropped the tracks Sober and 21 Guns.
The song Sober discusses the challenges of maintaining sobriety in an industry where drinking is prevalent.
‘I’ve been mad, I’ve been drunk / I’ve been so high I can’t tell up from down / But lately I’ve been working on / Trying to get my feet back on the ground,’ he sings in the first verse.
He goes on to sing: ‘It ain’t easy on the wagon / Hell I lost more of my mind than I have found / All these drinking songs we’re playing / Make it hard staying sober in this town.’
The Alabama songwriter was released from jail on Monday, after posting a $5,000 bond
The musical artist was front-and-center at the Bridgestone Arena as part of a tribute to George Strait, who was honored with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
Johnson was pictured chatting with Megan Moroney, 27, at the award show in Music City
He promoted the song on his Instagram, writing, ‘For those who struggle with sobriety, I understand. This is Sober.’
‘Sober is about how hard it is to stay sober in a town that glorifies drinking and other kinds of debauchery – not just glorifies it, but it is in just about every song in country music one way or the other,’ he said in a press release at the time.
‘It’s about how difficult it is being a songwriter to stay sober in the presence of it.’
‘I am 13 years sober now. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 2011, and I know that could end this afternoon,’ Johnson continued.
‘It is a day-to-day, hour-to-hour decision. Most of the places I play are bars, or I am still hanging out in bars. That’s where most of my friends are. Now I can hang out in them and not be drinking like I used to. That is what “Sober” is about.’
Johnson shared to Instagram Stories a repost from Jelly Roll’s account, listing the artists assigned to a dressing room area, which also included Keith Urban, Post Malone, Eric Church and Cody Johnson
His recent single Sober discusses the challenges of maintaining sobriety in an industry where drinking is prevalent
A number of fans had nice things to say about Johnson amid his whirlwind week
Johnson’s 2006 debut single, The Dollar, launched his career in country music.
His success continued to blossom with his second album, That Lonesome Song, released two years later.
He went on to release The Guitar Song in 2010, and Living for a Song in 2012, among other albums.
The country star, who is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, has also served as a songwriter for several prominent artists, including Merle Haggard, Jessie James Decker, Trace Adkins and others.
