Major League Baseball is keeping it country this week. Singer Cody Johnson is set to perform the National Anthem ahead of the All-Star Game on Tuesday night (June 16) in Arlington, Texas.
The “Dirt Cheap” singer’s performance comes one day after Ingrid Andress‘ heavily criticized National Anthem ahead of the MLB Home Run Derby.
The “More Hearts Than Mine” singer has since explained her poor performance.
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Johnson is from Texas and will be returning to Globe Life Field less than three months after taking batting practice and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of a Texas Rangers game. He’s also headlining the stadium on Nov. 9.
In 2016 he had the honor of singing the anthem at Globe Life Field for the first time:
Picture of Cody Johnson singing the National Anthem in 2016
Who Is Cody Johnson?
The 37-year-old Cody Johnson is a former prison correctional officer and bull rider who started his country music career in 2006 with his first of six independent albums. He signed a partnership with Warner Music Nashville ahead of the release of Ain’t Nothin’ to It in 2019 and notched hits like “On My Way to You” and “‘Til You Can’t.”
“The Painter” and “Dirt Cheap” are singles from his most recent Leather album, released in 2023. He has two daughters with wife Brandi.
Like Andress, Johnson is a stage veteran. Both are also aligned with Warner Music Nashville.
Johnson is surely hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened on Monday night (July 15), when the younger singer sounded off key and unsure through most of the performance. She’d later admit to being drunk, adding that she’ll be headed to rehab immediately:
Other singers who’ve had memorable performances of the National Anthem include LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Luke Bryan and Lindsay Ell, who sang the Canadian anthem in 2019.
Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.
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Cody Johnson has a way of captivating his fans with his heartfelt delivery and powerful, rugged vocals. His ability to get a crowd fired up and also draw them in for a sentimental ballad is unmatched. Although most know him for his hits “Human” and “‘Til You Can’t,” Johnson has been rocking the stage for quite some time. Let’s take a look at his Top 20 songs.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes