Cody Joe Hodges Is One New Artist Who Is ‘Keeping It Country’!

Have you ever tuned into a radio station that billed itself as 'Country', and found yourself listening to...

Rap?

1980's Rock and Roll?

Something called 'Hick-Hop'?  Something called 'Bro-Country'?  Songs with screaming guitar's, wall-rattling drums and lyrics that were incomprehensible?

Yeah, me too.  It might be something, but it ain't country!

Well, here at AM 1000 KXRB and KXRB.com, we proudly 'keep it country'.  Not only are we not ashamed of real country music, we shine the spotlight on the greatest legend's and the greatest country music ever recorded!  We love Hank, Lefty, Buck and Johnny.  We proudly (and loudly) play Kitty, Loretta, Tammy and Dolly.  Milsap, Pride, Conway, Randy and George are staples.

And fortunately, yes there are new artist's who respect that great tradition and are putting out 'real' (and good!) country music!  Names like Teea Goans, Gord Bamford, Valerie Smith and Ben Rue may not ring a bell yet....but they will.

In fact, let me introduce you to a 'new' artist who indeed is 'keeping it country'.  Not ashamed of a steel guitar and a fiddle, Cody Joe Hodges has a new single called 'Getting Back To Country'.  And in the vein of Waylon and Willie, The Hag and George, he does just that.  Give it a look and a listen.

Now then, who is this Cody Joe Hodges?  Well, for that I went to his website and found the following information:

Cody Joe Hodges started playing music at an early age, but it wasn’t until his senior year in high school that he became serious about his art.  Impassioned by such country greats as George Strait, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, Cody Joe wrote his first song, “Daddy’s Dream”, his freshman year in the dorms at Texas A&M University. 

Not long after graduating from Texas A&M in 2006, Cody Joe took off to Nashville, where he was lucky enough to find a place to stay with the late, great Johnny Paycheck’s steel guitar player, Jay Andrews.   Jay was kind enough to help Cody Joe get a job working on Broadway.  After his stay in Nashville, he decided to move back to Texas and join the Army. While in the Army, (duty station, Fort Carson), he was playing music on a street corner in Colorado Springs with a homeless man, when he was discovered by an Army affiliate.   He was then asked to audition for the group "Harmony in Motion," a vocal ensemble based out of Fort Carson, Colorado.  After auditioning, they extended an offer to join them, and Cody Joe began traveling across America playing for large entertainment venues. 

Upon discharge, his dad had a talk with him about a career in the power line business as a lineman. This sounded like something exciting and also a great opportunity to draw upon for songwriting, so he joined the energy field in 2010.  At the same time, he started a band with the help of his buddy Dan Kuciemba, and a couple of students from Texas A&M.  Calling themselves “The Linemen”, they came out with their first album as a band in 2012. Due to quality, the album received limited airplay.

 In the spring of 2013, he decided to focus on his music and see what plans GOD had for him.  It has been a blessing thus far, with his first recording contract being signed in Dec. ’13, and great things on the horizon.

Cody Joe Hodges’s music has been described as "outlaw country", with a large influence of the country greats and performers who started the genre in the late 70’s and 80’s. Cody Joe's voice ranges from silky smooth to raspy seduction.  He and his band always thrill, putting on a high-energy performance at every show. It is rare that you will find someone that reaches across the aisle to both the old and new generations, but Cody Joe Hodges does it every time.  With a steel guitar, fiddle, stand-up bass, guitar and drums, Cody Joe’s sound is something out of the past, and his writing style of the here and now.

So a big thank you to Cody for a great song, and for 'keeping it country'!