The first headliner for RODEOHOUSTON has been announced, and it’s Cody Johnson! Johnson will play a RODEOHOUSTON show, taking place on March 22, 2026. Johnson’s performance is a special concert-only event, taking place one day after RODEOHOUSTON ends.
“Every performance at RODEOHOUSTON is a privilege,” Johnson says. “And as a rodeo man at heart, being asked to perform on a special night like this surpasses any of my wildest dreams.”
“Over the years, Cody has become a part of our beloved tradition – from captivating thousands year-after-year to recording RODEOHOUSTON’s official brand anthem,” adds Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo president and CEO, Chris Boleman. “We are thrilled he is just as honored as we are to return in 2026.”
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This will be Johnson’s fourth performance at RODEOHOUSTON. By the time he takes the stage, Johnson will be a father of three. He recently revealed his wife Brandi is pregnant with he couple’s third child, and first boy.
“My girls … you can’t beat my girls,” Johnson tells People. “I love my two girls with all my heart. They’re ten and 8, Clara and Cori, and I think I’m excited to watch them help raise this little boy.”
While Johnson is by now a seasoned parent, he admits his son will have a different upbringing than his daughters did.
“[I’m] a lot better off now as far as career and financially, than I was when we had [my daughters]… He’s gonna get a horse a little quicker than my kids did,” Johnson says. “He’s going to get to do some things a little quicker than my daughters did.”
The Texan recently had a No. 1 hit with his “I’m Gonna Love You” duet with Carrie Underwood. Johnson is back at radio with “The Fall,” from his Leather Deluxe Edition.
“’The Fall’ is one of those songs that I feel like should be on a movie soundtrack,” Johnson says. “It should be on a movie soundtrack because it paints that picture of — you can see the struggle to get to the success. And I think for me, I picture guys like Michael Jordan. You see all the work and all the tired and the angry and the tears and the blood, and you get to the successful moment. And you can even apply that to relationships too, but it has that that overall movie quality about it.”
If there were a movie about Johnson’s life and career, he isn’t sure who he would cast as the lead, but he says it likely wouldn’t be him.
“I don’t know who would play me in a movie of me, because I’m guessing if they made one, I’d probably be too old to play the part. I’m hoping somebody very young and good looking and athletically fit and well spoken and charming and all those things that I wished I was,” he says with a laugh.
Johnson just won an ACM Award for Song of the Year, for “Dirt Cheap.” Find all of Johnson’s music and upcoming shows at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the ACM