A reminder of his childhood in Texas. It’s safe to say it’s been nothing short of a wild six months for Cody Johnson. If you recall, back in October, the Texas native suffered a huge blow when he blew out his eardrum. Just a month later, however, the “Dirt Cheap” singer would shock the country music world by taking home his first-ever CMA Male Vocalist of the Year award, snapping Chris Stapleton’s four-year winning streak. Couple that with breaking George Strait’s Rodeo Houston’s concert-only attendance record in March with a crowd of 80,203, snagging four nominations at the upcoming ACM Awards (Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year for “The Fall” and Visual Media for “The Fall”) and headlining Stagecoach, the largest country festival in the U.S., you have yourself one of the best six-month stretches you can ask for. The lingering question that has been surrounding Johnson, despite all the success, is just when he’s going to announce his next album, which has been nearly three years in the making at this point. After a long wait, last Thursday, April 16th, the “Dirt Cheap” singer would officially kick off the next chapter, announcing that he will be releasing his tenth studio album, Banks Of The Trinity, on Friday, June 26th. View this post on Instagram In the Instagram post announcing the record, Johnson would note that the album is a reflection of his roots back home in Sebastopol, Texas. Particularly, he’d note that hearing the title track for the first time kick-started the concept for Banks Of The Trinity. “When I heard the song “Banks Of The Trinity” for the first time, it was like a portrait flashed in my head of memories I thought I’d forgotten. It took me straight back home to Sebastopol, Texas, where I grew up on the river. That’s why I chose a photo of Lawrence’s Grocery Store for the album cover. As a kid, I used to ride my bike two miles down an old dirt road just to get a cream soda and a Blue Bell ice cream bar. I’d sit there and listen to the old men talk for a while before heading back home with a basket of groceries. This record is my way of going back to those dirt roads. I can’t wait for you to come with me on that journey back.” There’s no doubt that there’s a tangible amount of excitement in the air surrounding the album, whether its fans who have been dying to hear a new project from the Texas star or those (like myself) who are curious to see the next step in Johnson’s evolution as an artist. Following the album’s announcement last week, Johnson stopped by Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast to discuss the album, his major ACM nominations and more with hosts, Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson. Midway though the interview, the 38-year-old singer/songwriter would dive deep into the title track and why hearing it for the first time brought him to tears. As Johnson describes it, “Banks of the Trinity” simply took him back home and reminded him of where he came from, despite not writing the track itself. Additionally, he’d explain that it sort of clears up any common misconceptions about him NOT growing up on a ranch and instead growing up in a hard-working, middle class family. “I head this song, ‘Banks of the Trinity,’ and I kind of had tears in my eyes. It just took me back home, like I started having flashbacks of memories that I had forgotten — of how I grew up and where I grew up. Everybody always assumes like, ‘Oh, Cody grew up on a ranch and had cows and horses.’ No, we were not poor, but we were not the rich kids either. Mom and dad worked hard for everything we had, and when you got off of work, you went to do a second job. Deer season was not about trophies. It was about, ‘We need to put a deer in the fridge just because that’s one less thing that you have to cross off the grocery list.'” Diving more into the title track and the album itself, he’d note how it also represents growing up and swimming on the titular river with friends, also highlighting the fact that its changed for the worse over the years. “But then [it’s also about] just going with your buddies on the boat and swimming in the Trinity River. Nowadays, I look back at the Trinity River, and I’m like, ‘God, we swam in that?’ Isn’t that crazy? There’s a syringe floating by…” Though Johnson has yet to tease the title track in any form, it looks like we’re in for an incredibly raw, personal story when it drops with the rest of the album on June 26th. Before you go, fire up the lead single from the album, “I Want You.” Cody Johnson Tour Dates April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach May 2 – Clemson, South Carolina – Death Valley (Clemson Stadium) May 9 – Des Moines, Iowa – Casey’s Corner May 30 – Rosemont, Illinois – Allstate Center July 11 – Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – Cavendish Beach Music Festival July 17 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena July 18 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena July 25 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena August 8 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center August 22 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Food City Center August 29 – Saint Paul, Minnesota – Grand Casinoa Arena September 12 – Tacoma, Washington – Tacoma Dome The post “Had Tears In My Eyes”: Cody Johnson On How The Title Track Of His Upcoming Album, ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ Inspired Him first appeared on Whiskey Riff.