CMT has announced a new television Christmas special featuring Cody Johnson and his family.
Country music fans are getting a treat this year as many of the genre’s biggest stars are performing some of their favorite holiday hits for television specials this season. From Christmas At Graceland, Christmas At The Opry and more, country stars are out in full force to help ring in the holiday.
One such artist is Cody Johnson who has the honor of having his own full-length television special set to air on CMT. The network announced Friday (December 1) that CMT Presents: A Cody Johnson Christmas will air December 13th.
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A press release states that the “‘Til You Can’t” singer and his family will be sharing their Texas cowboy traditions, favorite holiday memories and performances of timeless Christmas songs on the show that was named after his 2021 Christmas album.
In a 2021 interview, Johnson shared what he and his wife, Brandi, do to make Christmas special for their daughters. He told Holler, “Every year, Brandi and I try to do something a little different. One year we did Mexican. Another year we did Italian. Three years ago, I did some wild game – squirrel, rabbit, duck and deer. It’s just something to break up the monotony of it being the same every year.”
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The singer reminisced about his own childhood and shared that the songs his parents listened to around the holidays influenced the songs he chose to record on his own Christmas album. He remembers his mother listening to the likes of the Gaither Vocal Band, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby.
“The one cassette we rewound and played constantly was Once Upon a Christmas by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. My mom and dad wore that thing out,” he shared.
As for the music played in his home now, his family prefers the old-school sound of vinyl records.
“We have a record player in our kitchen, so we collect as much Christmas vinyl as we can. It doesn’t matter who the artist is. Every time we see a store, we stop in and look. It might be Hank Snow or some guy you’ve never heard of. That’s our thing; we put a record on, and when it hits the end, turn it over and drop the needle back on and keep it going in the background,” he said.
His own Christmas album, A Cody Johnson Christmas, includes vintage hits from Elvis, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Bing Crosby along with classics like “Away In A Manger” and “Silent Night.” It’s likely that fans will hear most of these during his tv special.
Tune into CMT on December 13 at 9/8 CST to watch CMT Presents: A Cody Johnson Christmas! While you wait, watch the video below to see Cody and his wife Brandi sing “Silent Night” with daughters Cori and Clara.