New Music from Jamey Johnson “Coming Soon”
Jamey Johnson has “New Music Coming Soon.” This is according to the above banner splayed across his website this weekend, and syncs up with a message left on his Facebook page Thursday telling fans, “We will be announcing some very exciting things soon,” and urging fans to sign up for Jamey’s newsletter. This news comes after a protracted wait for new original music from Jamey that goes back to September of 2010 when he released his last original album of music, The Guitar Song. In 2012 Jamey also released Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, but it did not contain any new Jamey Johnson-penned songs.
For a man known as a songwriter, it was certainly strange when four years passed without a peep of new music. February of 2013 is when Johnson first let on that a contract dispute was the reason for his lack of creative output, telling Rolling Stone, ““Financially speaking, they treat me worse than they ever did the Dixie Chicks. I feel pretty used by the music industry, in that my contracts are written in such a way that I don’t get paid ”¦ I wish I could tell you that I am writing. I’m not. I wish I could tell you I’m gonna go home next week and record another album. It’s not likely to happen.”
This led to speculation that the issue was with Jamey Johnson’s record label, Mercury Records. But when Saving Country Music contacted Mercury, they said Jamey Johnson was no longer signed to the label. Then finally in a Nashville Scene interview with Jewly Hight on July 9th, Johnson finally explained that it was not his label, but his publisher, EMI Music Publishing, that he had the contract beef with.
“I’ve already reached an agreement with Mercury Records that gave me what I wanted ultimately, which was my freedom,” Jamey told Nashville Scene. “I just wanted the ability to go, and they gave that to me. They also gave me the ability to come back, if I decided I wanted to come back. To me, that looks a lot like a revolving door, and that’s what I wanted. But most importantly, I wanted to be able to leave. If I can’t leave, then what’s the point in coming back? My appreciation to Mike Dungan [UMG Nashville Chairman/CEO] and the whole team at Mercury Records for allowing me that ability to come back after I leave. They could’ve slammed the door and locked it and said, ‘Man, enough.'”
Jamey Johnson may have been coy about the specifics of the contract dispute because he didn’t want to bad mouth his publisher publicly, or speaking out against the publisher directly may put him in violation of his contract, or may hurt his chances of receiving a fair solution through the legal process.
READ: Jamey Johnson Problems Are With Publisher, Not Label
There is no news yet if Johnson’s contract disputes are over, or if he is just tired of fighting and is ready to release new music. There’s also no word on when this new music might be coming or in what capacity. But it is on the way nonetheless, and Jamey’s large and loyal fan base of traditional country fans could not be happier.
October 12, 2014 @ 9:00 am
This has been at the top of my country music wish list for a while. I picked up his tribute album to Hank Cochran a few weeks ago and it was such a great listen. Fantastic news and I eagerly await to listen to it.
October 12, 2014 @ 1:46 pm
Excellent news!
October 12, 2014 @ 2:57 pm
Very exciting!
October 12, 2014 @ 4:53 pm
This may be our shot to see an unbridled Jamey Johnson, hopefully he doesn’t disappoint.
October 12, 2014 @ 5:26 pm
This is some of the best news I’ve heard in awhile. I’ve been waiting too long for some original material by Jamey.
October 12, 2014 @ 6:16 pm
All right! This is great news.
Jamey Johnson + Sturgill Simpson ‘Alatucky’ World Tour 2015…
Make it happen!
October 13, 2014 @ 8:30 am
SS and JJ concert would be the best Christmas present ever!
October 12, 2014 @ 7:05 pm
New music from Jamey would be excellent!
October 12, 2014 @ 7:42 pm
Sweet, can’t wait to hear it!!!
October 12, 2014 @ 7:49 pm
This should be interesting.
October 12, 2014 @ 8:09 pm
It is an exciting time to an extent now. Jamey is putting out new stuff I knew he was still writing. He is a writer that is what they do.
Kacey Musgraves is back in Texas and is also ready to be back in the studio recording. Her “creative bone is aching”.
https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/520583033670606849
October 12, 2014 @ 8:23 pm
Let’s hope this “New Music” is actually new content and not a covers album or something similar. Not saying I didn’t like the Hank Cochran album because it really was very good, but I am ready for some new material from Jamey and am greatly looking forward to some more information. Either way I am sure it will be awesome.
October 12, 2014 @ 9:41 pm
Christmas album?
October 13, 2014 @ 1:30 am
Aghhh, I hope not! I suppose at least with JJ we’d be looking at a left field Christmas album rather than the same old-same old that gets churned out but I’d rather have some new songs!
October 27, 2014 @ 6:34 am
I know this is an older post but I was cruising #jameyjohnson hashtags on Instagram and saw Lily Meola tag him in a post which said she was recording a song for his new Christmas album. I’m sure it’ll be great but still a tad bit disappointing.
October 13, 2014 @ 8:56 am
I really wish Jamey could get away from Mercury altogether and sign with a label like Thirty Tigers. It’d give the label a boost, his presence would lead under-exposed fans to other great artists, and he’d truly have all the freedom he could ever want.
Here’s to hoping his new album is as good as his last two, which were monumental.
October 13, 2014 @ 9:44 am
Jamey is a free agent, he left Mercury as the article notes. I’m curious if he left EMI, his publisher or they renegotiated a deal where he feels he gets a better share of the money from his songs.
October 13, 2014 @ 11:58 am
I think he might have left both and went to Black Country Rock Records with his good friend Shooter Jennings. He did do a couple of side projects for BCR with Shoooter.
October 13, 2014 @ 1:27 pm
Though I understand it is a sexy idea of Jamey Johnson saddling up with Shooter’s label, I would put the chances at that happening somewhere between 0% and 1%. Jamey Johnson is a major country music franchise who has won CMA Awards, and I am sure even if he did leave Mercury, he would try to work with a label that has the infrastructure to handle an artist of his capacity. No offense to Shooter’s label whatsoever, but there is a big difference between releasing boutique Record Store Day splits and a major release from an artist like Jamey Johnson. It costs $1 million these days just to release a single to radio. I would be surprised if Shooter would even want to take on that responsibility.
October 13, 2014 @ 2:06 pm
The thing is do other major labels want Jamey after his issues with Mercury and co? Those labels tend to band together on issues like the one Jamey had. He isn’t going to be pulling in major radio play.
I don’t think putting songs to radio is a huge issue, Radio at least in my market would not play his two releases off of the Guitar Song. He is too country for main country radio. I don’t think Jamey is going to be making albums anymore with radio in mind. “You Are My Sunshine” by his admission was his idea as seen here with Shooter and Jessi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKyLxKzPd5k
Shooter can get songs to the radio if he wants to with BCR, The money is there. He and Jessi have Waylon’s library of music on the label now as well so every time a Waylon song is played on radio or by a DJ BCR gets money.
If Jamey doesn’t go there I would like to see him go to Black River which is Kellie Picker’s label and is partly owned but well invested in by Buffalo Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula and has done wonders for her.
October 13, 2014 @ 4:13 pm
Black River is exactly what I was thinking, or Sugar Hill which is doing some great things with Lee Ann Womack, including getting a single to radio.
The thing is, I’m not seeing anything that alludes to any problems between Mercury and Jamey Johnson. In fact he appears to be going out of his way to say the problem is NOT with Mercury, but with his publisher EMI. I agree that IF there was drama between Jamey and his label, or if he decides to NOT go with Mercury, then his options for a major label are probably very limited. You really only get one chance with the majors unless you’re a commercial powerhouse. I just don’t think BCR media has the capacity to take on an artist the size of someone like Jamey. I think you could argue Jamey is bigger than BCR Media, and would be just as well served if not better served self-releasing. I agree there’s a relationship there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jamey releases other short run projects with the label.
October 18, 2014 @ 8:31 pm
Actupally, to be fair, Shooter and Jessi don’t have the rights to Waylon’s catalog, unless there is something I’ve missed. The initial BCR Waylon release was a joint venture with Justice Records, that’s why the Justice logo as well as the BCR logo are present on the physical copies. The upcoming release is unreleased 70’s RCA era Waylon, so not sure the deal on that one yet. Possibly licensed the same way Bear Family, Buddah, and Fat Possum have licensed Waylon recordings from Sony, idk, just a guess. Would love for Shooter and Jessi to get control so that the albums could get a proper rerelease, as most are now out of print, and some from the early 80’s have never seen a CD release…….. That being said, as a fan of Jamie and Shooter, I’d love to see Jamie on BCR, but I’m skeptical that it would happen just yet. BCR is way too new. I think Jamie will release through Mercury again. Just a guess though.
October 14, 2014 @ 12:14 pm
Now he is badass!!! Love some Jamey
October 15, 2014 @ 9:20 am
Great news! Heading to his concert this Friday in Oklahoma, he is with Robert Randolph Family Band, anyone seen them together before? Just wandering what to expect
November 18, 2014 @ 9:21 am
While I agree with Trigger that a small indie label like BCR isn’t positioned to handle someone with Johnson’s status, a part of me is excited about the potential of him earning his freedom from his previous label. Hank 3 put out his best work after getting away from Curb (a few stinkers too…). I imagine Sturgill Simpson’s work would sound way different if he had to answer to a major label too. Hopefully he works with an indie label that celebrates creativity and still has the financial clout to give him the $ he seems to want.
January 8, 2016 @ 3:34 pm
Still waiting…. 🙁
August 10, 2020 @ 8:25 am
Still waiting.
Forever waiting.
August 10, 2020 @ 9:04 am
Well, here’s the next best thing:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-wayd-battles-powerless/