09-05-2025
Cody Johnson joins Brooks & Dunn on 'Red Dirt Road' for ACM Awards performance
In the past two years, Texan Cody Johnson has achieved 12 Academy of Country Music Award nominations while touring the world and selling out Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on multiple evenings.
His performance of "Red Dirt Road" with Brooks & Dunn at the 2025 ACM Awards on May 8 felt like a coronation moment. The trio had the crowd on its feet as they ripped through the classic song.
However, like the horses the authentic rodeo cowboy still rides, he's not letting any dirt settle under his feet.
Johnson initially recorded a version of "Red Dirt Road" for the Country Music Hall of Fame-inducted tandem's "Reboot" album in 2019. Brooks & Dunn also paid back the favor by collaborating with Johnson on his "Leather" album track "Long Live Country Music" in 2023.
Johnson said the legendary performers have always treated him "like family." Over the past five years, they've grown from not knowing each other to Brooks and Dunn serving as mentors of sorts to the "The Painter" vocalist.
"Like Reba McEntire, Kix and Ronnie are my heroes who have become my friends," Johnson said.
Johnson delved deeper and established a connection to artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, whose legacies have paved the way for the one he now has the opportunity to uphold in the current era.
"Texas has always made country music fun and exciting," he said.
"I love this music, but I'm already thinking about trying to outdo it," Johnson told The Tennessean in November about his award-nominated songs of late. At the ACMs, he took home song of the year.
Along with moments like sharing the ACM Awards stage with Brooks & Dunn, the performer said he is excited about his next career steps. He took home song of the year earlier in the night.
"I'm excited by how good these songs make me feel. Also, I thrive on the pressure of competition, even if it's with myself. In every way, I'm prepared to put forth my best effort to set a higher standard of success."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACM Awards 2025: Brooks & Dunn sing 'Red Dirt Road' with Cody Johnson
