Cody Johnson rejected record deal to keep wearing cowboy hat

Nashville reportedly asked Cody Johnson to remove his cowboy hat before offering him a path to country music fame. The Texas-born artist stated he turned down the record deal after executives told him to wear a baseball cap instead. He saw that request as an order to change his identity just to get in the door of the industry.

"They wanted a baseball cap, which I have nothing against, but it was the approach," Johnson told CBS Mornings. "It was the 'you're great, but once we change you, you'll make it.' And it pissed me off." He tipped his hat and walked away saying, "Thank you for your time."

That choice could easily have ended his chances at stardom. Instead, Johnson spent the next decade building a career on his own terms. He played bars and honky-tonks before becoming one of country music's biggest stars. During that interview, he spoke openly about the years of labor behind his success.

Long before filling arenas or earning industry respect, the singer was a small-town Texas kid who dreamed of being a rodeo star. He eventually swapped bull riding for music after injuries and setbacks hit him hard. He sold CDs in rodeo parking lots while trying to find an audience. The country star also fought with self-doubt about whether his goals were realistic.

"Truthfully, in my core, I didn't feel I was capable of attaining a goal that big," Johnson said regarding the dream of being a huge star and owning a cattle ranch. After rejecting that label offer, he spent years playing small venues while struggling financially. He often missed family time to keep his career alive.

"The pressure of knowing that you don't know how to pay your water bill, and you've just been on the road for a month and haven't seen your wife or your child, and you have nothing to show for it," he explained. "That's that's tough to look in the mirror." He added, "I think that I just had decided at that point that no matter what, no matter how hard, no matter how high the mountain, I will not back down. I will not quit."

After ten years of grinding as an independent artist, record labels returned with a new offer. This time, he said, they did not demand he change his image. "I just get to be myself and be authentic," Johnson noted. He has built a national following, sold out arenas, and earned a spot among country music's top performers while keeping the cowboy look he refused to drop.

He and his wife, Brandi, have been married for more than a decade. They have three children: two daughters and a son.