COWBOY JOHNSON: A Grain of Sand

Cowboy Johnson

A Grain of Sand

© 2004 Cowboy Johnson (750532931722)

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Soulful country, blues and gospel music from the pen of Mickey Newbury

notes

Kent Johnson's parents didn't give him the name "Cowboy", but it has been tattooed on his chest for 30 years now. So yes, that's his real name.

He was born in Lancashire, England while his dad was in the Air Force, but the family moved back to the states and he spent most of his childhood in California. Like many of the great singers, he sang gospel music in the church choir as a child before the Johnsons moved to Minnesota when Kent was 15. By 1969, at the age of 16, he was on his own and ended up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he spent the 70's working the mines, playing music and living hard. It was there that a disgruntled neighbor, whose mailbox Kent had shot full of holes one drunken afternoon, declared to the community "we gotta do something about this damn cowboy".

The name stuck, but the alcoholism and addiction he had been struggling with for years did not. Sober now for 24 years, Cowboy sings songs of pain, loss, regret and redemption. His voice betrays the truth that he has actually lived these songs. He has danced with his demons and you can hear them in the soulful honesty of his voice.

Cowboy shares his hard won wisdom as a certified co-leader of the worldwide "New Warrior" training for men. A journeyman carpenter and former member of the steel workers' and painters' unions, he has made his living with his hands for close to four decades.

Through four marriages and divorces, the births of three children, the challenges of recovery and the loss of both of his parents, music has been his foundation. Cowboy Johnson knows thousands of songs and writes his own when the spirit moves him. Mostly he is a singer of great songs and he doesn't care where they come from. He moved to Austin, Texas in 1996 and began to tap into a goldmine of songs by Texas writers, expanding his already extensive repertoire.

He first heard Mickey Newbury's music in 1970 and has been a fan ever since. Cowboy's voice and Mickey's songs are a musical marriage made in heaven. After Mickey's death in 2002, Cowboy became determined to carry on his legacy by recording an entire album of Newbury's songs.

The stars lined up in late 2003 and he recorded the first CD of his career with his old friend from South Dakota, Chris Gage, in the producer's seat. Gage has been a believer in Cowboy's talent since the 70's and the two carefully created "Cowboy Johnson - A Grain of Sand", a CD that beautifully showcases Cowboy's voice and Mickey's songs. Gage's record label (with his musical partner and wife Christine Albert), MoonHouse Records, has licensed the project and is promoting its release.

Cowboy Johnson, currently living in Austin, Texas, recently filmed a "Songwriters in the Round" television show for The Austin Music Network and has been steadily building a loyal following with regular regional performances. He is happily trading the hammer for the guitar.

reviews

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  • Very good
    author: Denny Wheatley

    Cowboy does a great job capturing the emotion of Mickey Newbury's writing. This is, to me, the way these songs should me done. A tremendous tribute to a great songwriter!

  • It's a great and good music that I love ...............
    author: Astrid de Mol

    Just great music that I love and the lyrics are great. It gives me a good feeling to listen to this music. Just in one word,Just Terrific music that you can listen often to it.:-)

  • Could be, should be a great hit!!!
    author: Wideload

    In another era, when great songs and records were played on radio because of quality, this CD could have, should have, would have been a top hit. Although probably not a "high dollar" production, the effort, skill, and talent is obvious throughout. I still remember real radio and real disc jockies, and those were the days. Where is Paul Berlin, Biff Colley, Arch Yancey, Bill Mack, Ralph Emery, Tater Pete Hunter???

  • If you like classic country buy this CD
    author: Clifforde E. Easden

    I have heard these songs sung by many artists but none match the feeling this artist has put into this CD. Cowboy knows how to sing classic country

  • author: CD Baby

    A gorgeously colored, carefully crafted male country album that engages the listener to a point where, without thinking about it, one can catch himself sighing and breathing more deeply. Slightly reminiscent of Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Mickey Newbury, his perfect match of rugged edge with nuance, ache with spunk, makes this an album every country fan needs to experience.

  • Cowboy sings heartsongs of love lost & love gained
    author: Andrew W Polk

    Cowboy sings "heartsongs" of love lost & loved gained...all penned by Mickey Newbury. Being a fan of Mr Newbury, I have heard all these songs many times before...however, Cowboy brings new meaning, and a fresh voice to these great songs...well done Cowboy...Mick would be/is proud of your tribute to him through his songs. A wonderful cd...do yourself a favor...if you only buy one cd this year...buy this one...

  • CD Baby front page review
    author: CD Baby

    A gorgeously colored, carefully crafted male country album that engages the listener to a point where, without thinking about it, one can catch himself sighing and breathing more deeply. Slightly reminiscent of Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Mickey Newbury, his perfect match of rugged edge with nuance, ache with spunk, makes this an album every country fan needs to experience.

  • A wonderful, moving, respectful tribute to Mickey Newbury
    author: Hank Beukema AKA Rev Buckman

    Cowboy Johnson has taken songs that have been covered before and brought a fresh, inciteful reading to them... The genius of multi-instrumentalist Chris Gage and background vocals of Christine Albert are evident throughout in setting the perfect "bed" for Johnson's clear and plaintive vocals... If only radio paid attention, She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye, would be a big hit one more time... If you are a Mickey Newbury fan, nothing should stop you from hearing this cd... If you are not,then this is a good place to start to see what you have been missing.

  • Great tribute, beautifully done
    author: Doug Lang

    Cowboy Johnson's appreciation for Mickey Newbury's songs is evident on every cut here, and you know Mick is smiling. Cowboy manages to add his own shades of character to these gems. Mickey Newbury (1940-2002) remains one of the more oft-covered American songwriters and, while many artists tend to overdress his songs, Cowboy Johnson delivers them simply and beautifully, sending them straight to the heart. A winning debut.

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