Ever since we received an email with Addison Johnson’s album, Cherokee Blues, attached back in January of 2019, the North Carolina native has consistently churned out some of our favorite country story songs in recent memory. The detail Johnson weaves into his writing puts you smack in the middle of each of his tales, and that’s something we’ve continued to admire.
With a new album, Dangerous Men, on the way in a few months, and because Johnson is one of our favorite songwriters, we selected him as the next artist for our “Songs That Shaped Me” series. Read along to hear about the songs he admires that helped mold him into the artist he is today!
“Little Man”- Alan Jackson
When I think back to the songs that made me, I go back to being seven years-old laying on my bedroom floor in Gibsonville, NC with a brand new copy of Alan Jackson’s High Mileage. That wasn’t my first AJ album, but it had a very important song on it. I’ve always had a connection with the song “Little Man.” I think it’s probably responsible for my love affair with story songs. The song doesn’t get a ton of attention, but it’s incredibly well-written, well produced and just oozes with nostalgia from a simpler time.
“I’ve Aged Twenty Years in Five”- George Jones
I could probably just pick five George Jones songs for this article and be done with it. No artist has had a bigger impact on me professionally or personally than Jones. Working through my struggles with alcohol, I really could relate to Jones on so many levels. No song hit me harder than “I’ve Aged Twenty Years In Five.” There is something just very real and vulnerable about that song. I think it’s forgotten sometimes because it sits behind “He Stopped Loving Her Today” on I Am What I Am, but I think it’s the best song on the album.
“Misery and Gin”- Merle Haggard
I get asked on the road a lot about my favorite song. I think a lot of people expect me to say something by George Jones, but my undisputed favorite song of all time is “Misery and Gin” by Merle Haggard. In my mind, it is the perfect honky tonk song. The first line: “Memories and drinks don’t mix too well, and jukebox records don’t play those wedding bells” is probably the greatest opening line to any country song ever. It instantly puts you there, and the piano and steel dancing through the first verse is nothing short of iconic.
“I Got a Gig”- Hayes Carll, “The Ballad of the Devil’s backbone Tavern”- Todd Snider & “One, Two… Many”- Jason Eady
I’m breaking the rules and I’m doing three songs for my last song. These three guys changed my entire path in music. When I moved to Nashville, all I knew was Top 40 Nashville country, and I knew it wasn’t great. In my early years in town, I drove a forklift and would listen to Spotify all day, and that’s when I discovered Hayes Carll, Jason Eady and Todd Snider. One of the first Hayes songs I fell in love with was “I Got A Gig.” Hayes is able to deliver rawness that no one else can while delivering incredibly written songs at the same time. I had never heard songs written like that before.
Todd Snider, in my mind, is one of the greatest storytellers and entertainers of all time. No one has influenced my live show more than him. I poured over and studied his Near Truths and Hotel Rooms – Live album. His song, “The Ballad of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern,” and story showed me the difference between playing songs and playing a show. It’s like you’re not even listening to a song anymore as much as you’re walking through one of his memories.
I consider Jason Eady to be one of the best writers on planet earth. His Daylight and Dark album is one of the best country albums in the last 40 years. But the most intriguing thing about Jason’s music is the versatility. No two records sound the same. If you’re a country lover and his song “One, Two…Many” isn’t in your playlist, you’re missing out.
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