Jamey Johnson

Jamey Johnson is cut from the same cloth as ’70s outlaw country legends like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. Not only does he share their reverence from old honky-tonk traditions and rock-oriented singer-songwriter conventions, but he also has the unique ability to be genuinely different while still being commercially viable. Johnson earned his Nashville stripes by co-writing singles for George Strait and Trace Adkins (he’s partly to blame for “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”), but he’s always had grander ambitions than just punching the mainstream country clock. His staggering 2010 album, The Guitar Song, shows uncommon ambition for a contemporary country singer, with Johnson running through 25 songs on a wide-ranging and frequently stunning double-album split into “black” and “white” sides.

Updated 02/11/2011