High praise from one of the best in the business. In an independent country scene filled with the most authentic artists in all of music, few are as open as Cody Jinks. From his transparency with alcoholism and his current sobriety to his well-documented frustration with the Nashville machine, the “Hippies and Cowboys” singer has a long history of speaking honestly with little to no care about any backlash that might come his way. Being a key artist in the minds of many independent or non-mainstream country music fans, one would think that he’d serve up some praise to the likes of Whiskey Myers, Koe Wetzel, 49 Winchester or Ole 60. Instead, however, Jinks shouted out none other than Bailey Zimmerman in a recent interview with Bobby Bones on his podcast, BobbyCast. Though many (including myself) have viewed Zimmerman as nothing more than a safe, modern pop country radio star with little to no depth to his music artistically speaking, Jinks had pretty high praise for the “Rock And A Hard Place” singer. As the story goes, Jinks met Zimmerman backstage during a festival (presumably the first day of Railbird in Lexington, Kentucky, given the two performed that night) and had a 15-20 minute conversation between sets: “I played a festival with Bailey Zimmerman the other day. He’s one of those guys that I met him, and I was like, ‘I could not help but like the guy.’ I spent about 15 or 20 minutes with him. And at the end of the conversation, you know, he’s got faith in the Lord. Jinks then revealed the advice he gave to the 25-year-old singer:  “I said, ‘Just keep putting God first, man.’ I said, ‘Do that and stay true to yourself.'” Referencing Zimmerman’s quick rise to fame over the past three years, Jinks finished by saying: “I was like, ‘I’m gonna be pulling for him, man.’ That guy’s having everything thrown at him… To see somebody on his end of it, what a case of whiplash you must have from that. I’m gonna pull for him. I like the guy. Put the Lord first. Keep doing that, young man.” You can say what you want about his music, but if Zimmerman’s getting such high praise from someone like Cody Jinks, he has to be a pretty decent guy off the stage. Still not sure if I’m willing to let “All The Way” with BigXthaPlug slide, though. @thebobbycast Cody Jinks & Bailey Zimmerman? #bobbycast #bobbybones #codyjinks #baileyzimmerman ♬ original sound – TheBobbyCast Cody Jinks Tour Dates: August 8, 2025–Philadelphia, PA– The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark# August 9, 2025–Baltimore, MD–Pier Six Pavilion* August 11, 2025–Virginia Beach, VA–The Dome# August 13, 2025–New York, NY–The Rooftop at Pier 17# August 15, 2025–Bridgeport, CT–Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater* August 16, 2025–Boston, MA–Leader Bank Pavilion* August 17, 2025–Syracuse, NY–Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview* September 10, 2025–Pryor, OK–Born and Raised Festival September 13, 2025–Temple, TX–Tanglefoot Festival September 18, 2025–Des Moines, IA–Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park* September 19, 2025–Indianapolis, IN–Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park* September 20, 2025–Youngstown, OH–Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre* December 12, 2025–Las Vegas, NV–The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas^ December 13, 2025–Las Vegas, NV–The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas^ *with Tanner Usrey ^with Ward Davis #with Shane Smith & The SaintsThe post “Keep Putting God First” – Cody Jinks Details The Advice He Gave To Bailey Zimmerman first appeared on Whiskey Riff.