Johnson, a native of Montgomery, and friends of music raise funds for the Nikki Mitchell Foundation to help families with pancreatic cancer

After a one-year hiatus, Montgomery is ready to welcome back a boy from his hometown with the heart of heroes.

Country star Jamey Johnson brings his Homecoming concert back to Riverwalk Stadium in downtown Montgomery on Sunday.

“It’s going to be good,” said Johnson, known for songs like “High Cost of Living”, “In Color” and “Give it Away”.

“I hope Montgomery comes out and supports us once again,” Johnson said. “It’s a good tradition. It’s a good cause, and we’re all excited to be doing it again.”

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at jameyjohnson.com. Standing-only field tickets are $ 50 and bowl seats are $ 35.

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“Be careful and expect a good show,” Johnson said. “It’ll be great.”

The first at Riverwalk was in 2019. Due to the pandemic, which Johnson calls a “mass of confusion,” the Homecoming did not take place in person for 2020.

“Because of COVID, we’ve been doing songs online and that sort of thing,” Johnson said of 2020. “The difference between last year and this year is that this year ago. a vaccine… Bring your hand sanitizer or wear your face mask, or whatever you want to do. That’s been the case for most of our shows this year. “

Along with Johnson, Sunday presents a range of Johnson’s pals like actor and singer Dennis Quaid and several others. You never know who might make a surprise appearance, although Johnson has said some of his regulars are finally back on the road and won’t be able to attend.

“A lot of our performers have already booked for other shows this year, but it will always be fun. It will be a good time,” Johnson said.

This is a concert with a cause, raising funds for the Nikki Mitchell Foundation, which helps families facing a difficult journey through pancreatic cancer.

“The foundation is still doing well, but it’s time to put in more money and keep going,” Johnson said. “The foundation spends money every year to take care of pancreatic cancer patients who need the money to cover the cost of fuel to come and go to their treatments. They need it to pay for rent, mortgages, utilities, heat and air conditioning, groceries and all that stuff. “

Johnson said a goal of the foundation is to eventually build a new wing for Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, which would be dedicated to research for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer, by the time you can be diagnosed, you could have had this cancer for 21 years,” Johnson said. “It’s been 21 years since you gave a parasite time to study your eating habits, your lifestyle and devise a way to kill you. So if we had early detection, we would have the ability to spot this. cancer in its early stages and do some treatments to kill it while it is still small. Once it has grown, grown and metastasized, it is a little too late. That is why you hear people saying were diagnosed and died within six weeks. “

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In addition to helping the foundation, the concert will also be a toy collection site for Marine Corps Toys for Tots. Toys can be dropped off at the door of Riverwalk Stadium, Johnson said.

“It’s been our tradition since we started doing tournaments in 2012,” Johnson said. This was around the time the concert took place at the Cottonwood Golf Course, after a golf tournament.

“Even that very first year, we did a Marine Corps Toys for Tots collection,” Johnson said.

Golfer for a cause

Prior to Sunday’s concert there will be a private 2 day golf tournament Saturday and Sunday at Cottonwood which is also a fundraiser for the foundation.

So has Johnson spent some pandemic downtime working on his game?

“No,” he replied. “I might have played two or three times in the last year and a half… I’m constantly on the move so I haven’t had much time for golf. I’m sure that will be reflected. in my game. ”

Brothers in music

Johnson and singer / songwriter Jerrod Niemann (“Drink To That All Night”, “God Made A Woman”, “I Got This”) met almost 20 years ago, and around that time built a relationship more family as a friend.

“We’ve written together over the years. We’ve written songs together over the years. We’ve been singing together ,,, Jerrod is more of a brother than a friend at this point,” Johnson said. “I mean that as sincerely as I can. He’s the kind of guy who’s proven, time and time again, that he supports me.”

Like Johnson, Niemann is a longtime supporter of the Nikki Mitchell Foundation and will be part of Sunday’s lineup at Montgomery, along with fellow singer-songwriter and friend Randy Houser (“Like a Cowboy,” “Runnin ‘). Outta Moonlight “,” How the country feels “).

“I remember when I first met Jerrod I didn’t know what to think of this guy from a small town in Kansas who came to Nashville to sing country music,” Johnson said. “One of the first things I found out about him was that he was a huge Lefty Frizzell fan, and I mean he knows all the Lefty Frizzell songs that have been released.”

Niemann, who is also left-handed, has a tattoo that says “left-handed” on his left forearm.

“I still don’t know if it’s for Lefty Frizzell or if it’s just for Jarrod,” Johnson said. “I have a feeling that maybe one day, when he’s old and senile, he’ll look down on that arm and remember he’s left-handed.”

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Johnson still works with Chris Stapleton

it is obvious that Johnson enjoys working with musician friends. One of them with whom he has worked a lot is Chris Stapleton (“Tennessee Whiskey”, “Nobody to Blame”, “Broken Halos”).

“Yeah, Chris and I have a few more shows to do this year. And those shows are going really well,” Johnson said. “I will tell everyone that if you want to see a great concert, you have to go see a Chris Stapleton concert. The guy is just the best there is. Like everyone else, I fell in love with his voice first. times I’ve heard it. But I’ve heard it with me and he was songwriters and demo singers, you know, in the early 2000s. “

Another big show to come … with Lee Greenwood!

Two days after Sunday’s Homecoming concert in Montgomery, Johnson will be part of another big show in Alabama. October 12 is an All Star Salute to Lee Greenwood in Huntsville at the Von Braun Center. Johnson is one of some 40 participating artists.

Although they haven’t worked together yet and know each other by the way, Johnson is a longtime Greenwood fan.

“So growing up, we had several Lee Greenwood records in the 80s. It’s one of those things that I listened to growing up that got me on the path that I am,” he said. Johnson said. “He was so much more than just ‘God Bless the USA’. It’s a great song. But man, his career was filled with great songs. So I love that Alabama honors him that way. . And I was really proud that he thought enough of me to include me in that. “

Tickets for this 7 p.m. show are available at leegreenwood.com.

Contact reporter Shannon Heupel of Montgomery Advertiser at [email protected]