Cody Johnson paid tribute to late legend Merle Haggard with a cover of a late 1970s classic. Johnson released his rendition of “Footlights” on Monday (April 6,) a decade after Haggard’s passing on April 6, 2016, in Palo Cedro, California. He died on his 79th birthday.
“Merle Haggard’s music has been the soundtrack of my life,” Johnson wrote in a caption on Instagram on Monday morning. “I couldn’t think of a better way to honor him on his birthday than by sharing our version of ‘Footlights.’ It’s out now. Hope we did it justice.”
The Texas-born country star, hailed “an avid Haggard fan,” has previously spotlighted the late legend as a significant influence, per a press release announcing Johnson’s cover of “Footlights.” The 2025 Academy of Country Music Spirit Award recipient, which is awarded to an artist who continues Haggard’s legacy in country music, said in a quote in the release, “Merle was a poet. When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m frustrated, and everything in between, he has sung the soundtrack of my life.” Haggard released “Footlights” in 1979. Throughout his decades-long career, he was also known for “Okie from Muskogee,” “Mama Tried,” “Working Man Blues,” and more.
Listen to Johnson’s version of the Haggard classic here:
