LOCAL EVENT NEWS — What a difference a week makes.

Last Wednesday, Lynchburg Music Fest officials received some bummer news. Their Saturday night headliner, Cody Johnson, couldn’t perform. At his longtime doctor’s urging, Johnson announced he was coming off the road for three weeks of vocal rest leaving our local music festival in an awkward spot.

By the following day, LMF organizers announced that 40 year old outlaw country singer Cody Jinks would replace Johnson in the line up — a move that immediately generated both buzz and tickets sales.

Country chords and dead honest lyrics

Jinks found his way to Nashville via Haltom City, Texas where he learned country chords from his father when he was just 16. In the beginning, his musical interested leaned into heavy metal. By 2005, Jinks blended those early chords and thrash metal attitude with influences like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings to develop his own sound. By 2015, Jinks and his back up band, The Tone Deaf Hippies, were opening for acts like Sturgill Simpson.

At times, listening to Jinks brings the listener back to the easy going country chords and dead honest singers like Jennings and George Jones. At times, his clear discontent and grit shine through.

On Saturday, he’ll perform in Mulberry as the headliner for the Lynchburg Music Fest where he’s sure to change the lyrics of his 2018 hit It Must Be the Whiskey to, “I’ve been drinkin’ to remember and drinkin’ to forget / I got I love you, on my mind, I got Jack Daniel’s on my breath” in a nod to one of the festival “benevolent” sponsors.

Fans of traditional country might also get treated to Jink’s cover of Merle Haggard’s The Way I Am. Jinks released his two latest albums one week apart in October 2019.

The Lynchburg performance is a bit of a coup for local organizers. Jinks is currently on tour with sold out performances in New Orleans and Las Vegas in the headlights. If you miss him on July 10 in Lynchburg, the closest he’ll get in the future will be Bristol on August 17-18.

The Lynchburg Music Fest kicks off on Thursday. Single day passes for all three nights as well as weekend passes were still available at press time. Other performers include One Beer singer Hardy, Parmalee, and Jameson Rodgers. Festivalgoers will also get to do there best Fancy Like dance with Walker Hayes. For tickets, click here. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}