Jamey Johnson Working on Commercial Pilot License
While you were putting on 40 pounds and watching Tiger King twice during the pandemic, Jamey Johnson was out there working towards earning his commercial pilot license. Apparently the songwriter has been flying to gigs fairly regularly while on tour over the last six years, studying the skill and training with others, logging over 500 hours of flight time, and performing multiple FAA “checkride” examinations in Alabama.
Jamey Johnson eventually earned his private pilot license with instrument ratings on single and multi engine planes. Then he spent much of the downtime during the pandemic studying to take the written portion to earn his commercial pilot license, which he eventually took and passed. At this point, all he has to do is pass another checkride, and he will officially be a commercial pilot.
But don’t expect to see him in the cockpit of your next United Airlines flight. It sounds like his commercial license will be used mostly for recreational purposes. “I may fly myself to vacations and whatever else I want to do. There’s always somewhere to go,” Johnson told AL.com recently. “I keep having this dream of loading up some fishing gear and taking an airplane out to Montana or Alaska or somewhere. Landing on the side of a river, go do some fly fishing or that sort of thing. Who knows? Maybe that dream will come true, too.”
But what many are wondering about is not what Jamey Johnson is doing in the sky, but what he might be doing in the studio. As for writing and recording any new music—especially after his steel guitar player “Cowboy” Eddie Long started some rumors last year that he’d been working on something new, Jamey Johnson answered definitively, “No, I don’t have anything in the works. I’m not doing anything. You know, right now I’m a touring musician. That’s what I do. Yeah, that’s what I enjoy.”
So there’s that. But Johnson continues to collaborate regularly with others. In fact, recently he was featured on a version of Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Need You” by Rachel Bradshaw (see below). Last year he collaborated on a Steel Woods song, and recorded a version of “To All The Girls” with Raul Malo. So Johnson does continue to work on new music. It’s just music for others.
Speaking of “Cowboy” Eddie Long, he tragically and unexpected lost his 25-year-old son Wyatt recently, and folks have been passing the Go Fund Me hat to help pay for final expenses.
And speaking of flying around on tour, Jamey Johnson has also just announced some select tour dates on a second round of acoustic shows with Randy Houser they’re calling the “Country Cadillac” tour (see tour poster below).
January 25, 2022 @ 11:00 am
I thought he could already fly? That’s what his old tailgunner Johnny Magee told me anyway. (Mr. Magee was my high school teacher back in the day)
January 25, 2022 @ 11:15 am
That’s fucking dandy. Release some albums already. My money is waiting for you to take it
January 25, 2022 @ 11:24 am
How about working on an album instead?
January 25, 2022 @ 3:12 pm
I’m sure he’ll see this comment and get right to work since you are clearly his boss😂
January 26, 2022 @ 10:18 am
He would have a booming career if that was the case.
June 1, 2023 @ 8:09 am
He may not want that kind of life. I can’t blame him for that. Touring all over the country would not be for everyone.
January 25, 2022 @ 11:27 am
I think its pretty clear he’s done making new music. That’s ok, songwriting was never his strongest point, his calling seems to be in performing and preserving the music he loves on stage. He does a good job of it.
January 29, 2022 @ 10:09 pm
Yeah, songwriting wasn’t a strength of his. “In Color” would like to have a word with that dumbass statement
January 25, 2022 @ 11:38 am
Johnson is apparently positioning himself to join Iron Maiden as private plane pilot / lead vocalist should Bruce Dickinson ever retire.
January 25, 2022 @ 11:55 am
here hoping he’ll fly to Italy sooner or later.
January 25, 2022 @ 1:15 pm
Nice work, good on him.
Flying is such an amazing thing. If you haven’t been up in a small plane you should try it.
And I know from other comments that there are people on here who couldn’t afford it commercially, but you should try finding a local aeroclub and asking if anyone has a spare seat.
I’m president of my local aeroclub and we often take people up just to share how good it feels
January 25, 2022 @ 3:56 pm
That is WAY COOL.
Think some of us gathered you were a pilot.
My brother has flown UH-1’s (Medevac) C-12 Huron, Kiowa OH-58A, King Air, & the Starship. Currently flies the Dassault Falcon.
At an air show one year, my beautiful 2 year old niece piped up and said, Daddy! It’s the Starship! We taking it to the beach?
That got a lot of laughs.
Love Rachel Bradshaw & Jamey Johnson’s collab.
The video is too heavy handed for my tastes.
But, in just listening to the song – find it pretty sultry
January 25, 2022 @ 1:29 pm
He could release a live from the cockpit acoustic album. Probably hasn’t been done before.
January 25, 2022 @ 1:41 pm
Expectations of new music aside, what keeps Jamey going and still having an audience? His voice and performances. He truly is an outstanding vocalist and just as good live as on a recording, something most entertainers can’t claim.
Marty Stuart said it is all in a song. That is true, and Jamey can sing it. Can’t fault him for that.
The fact that he still merits attention from others when his catalog of charted songs is slim, and he hasn’t put out anything new that is noteworthy in forever, reflects on his ability to stay relevant as a performer. Many artists that charted more songs wish they could say that.
Seems like a less stressful way of making a living for an artist. He seems to be doing just fine.
Hoping for new music eventaully, but if not, he can still sing the phone book well enough for people to listen.
January 25, 2022 @ 3:10 pm
DAC lost his songwriting touch many years ago, but he still had an okay touring career until about 15 years ago.
Too bad, because Jamey’s a fine songwriter and singer.
January 25, 2022 @ 4:41 pm
Love Double J he is a true American and never beant over for the man. I saw him once at a festival he just stood there with his black sunglasses and picked the guitar. I thought he must of been high or something then I realized I was high as kite. He does a remake of set em Joe that’s killer and my favorite song on his albums is that’s why I write songs… He also has a lot of writing credits for many country hits. So anyone saying he can’t write a song must not take the time to appreciate the man who is admired by legends before him and his peers he came up with. As long as he doesn’t start wrecking his plane like Harrison Ford let the guy live his life. At least he isn’t like many fake country artists and Woke celebrities telling us what we should feel or do. To end with, he could of just ever came out with In Color and we should be happy. That’s an ode to the way this country was built.
January 26, 2022 @ 11:38 am
You have my name, brother.
I just go by Chris.
Perhaps I should change it to TN Chris or something like that.
January 27, 2022 @ 12:12 pm
Maybe I’ll just change my nom de guerre to Trig.
January 25, 2022 @ 5:42 pm
“I keep having this dream of loading up some fishing gear and taking an airplane out to Montana or Alaska or somewhere. Landing on the side of a river, go do some fly fishing or that sort of thing.”
Approved.
January 25, 2022 @ 7:21 pm
Hank Jr wrote a song called High and Pressurized. All about the advantages of flying around in a jet vs the tried and proven bus. “It aint very far from nowhere if your high and pressurized, and you’ll do a better show there if your high and pressurized, and the only way to go there is high and pressurized”. Though Bocephus aint a pilot, hes stuck to flying to gigs for decades now. Hey, if you got the means, go for it. (Though JJ has an incredibly sweet tour bus)
On the other subject, yeah I gave up years ago on another JJ record. He’s told us its a no, and thus far has stuck to his guns. Realistically, there isnt any money in doing albums anyhow. Live shows are where the money is at.
January 26, 2022 @ 6:48 am
A wealthy friend once told me that you know you’ve made it when you don’t fly anywhere without two engines and two pilots.
January 26, 2022 @ 12:24 am
You need to start getting your head out of the clouds Jamey, please start recording new music for your fans.!
January 26, 2022 @ 7:12 am
If this doesn’t make a fan of you and give you goose bumps…. go see a Dr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrBSItF1dN0
January 26, 2022 @ 9:10 am
I’;m not a doctor, and I’m not talking shit here. Wouldn’t the head injury that keeps him from writing songs prevent him from getting a license? The military even grounds pilots who claim to have seen a UFO out of mental health precautions.
January 26, 2022 @ 10:29 am
“In Color” is probably the greatest top 3 country songs written in the past 25 years. However what has he done in the past decade that puts him at the top of country acts?
January 26, 2022 @ 1:36 pm
Good for him. It seems particularly impressive considering that he’s been struggling with the long term effects of a head injury. I guess that it’s only damaged his creativity.
But I’ll have you know that I lost 80 pounds and now weigh what I did when I was 20. And I spent the pandemic improving my guitar technique to the point where I can manage hybrid picking now.
I also watched every Billy Strings livestream twice not Tiger King.:)
January 26, 2022 @ 1:48 pm
“But I’ll have you know that I lost 80 pounds and now weigh what I did when I was 20.”
CONGRATS on the weight loss!!!
i start back with organized yoga tonight.
Hope they have enough space for a hellcat gemini.
Feeling rambunctious – Yeah
Am told they do have a glass window, wood burning stove in the studio.
Is that Too Cool, or what?