Overview: In this conversation, I talk with singer-songwriter and musician Joe Johnson, a storyteller that learned at the sides of homegrown orators on the porches of Southern Mississippi. The most common themes of his music — death, loss and isolation — have been with him his entire life. He’ll share why. We find plenty of laughter in our conversation, too. We explore truth in fiction. There’s plenty of music, drugs and friction with the law, and then a rainbow that led to a new foothold far, far away. And … just a lot more really good stuff in this episode of the Humanitou Podcast.


In this episode of the Humanitou Podcast series, I talk with singer-songwriter and musician Joe Johnson, a storyteller that learned at the sides of homegrown orators on the porches of Southern Mississippi. 

This conversation is loaded with stories of raw and deeply human stuff. Like Joe says, the most common themes of his music — death, loss and isolation — have been with him his entire life. He’ll share why. But we find plenty of laughter in our conversation, too.

We get into Joe’s history in Mississippi, where he grew up in a boogie-woogie gospel music family, and within easy thumbing distance of New Orleans and the famed Jazz Fest.

We talk about Joe’s grandfather, BJ “The DJ” Johnson, an unsung, integral piece of the foundations of country music in Nashville, and why Joe resists his music being labeled “outlaw country” — or anything really — even if the outlaw part, for a time, rang pretty damn true.

There’s fun and candor in these stories. We explore truth in fiction. And there’s plenty of music, drugs and friction with the law, and then a rainbow that led to a new foothold far, far away. 

And there’s quite a bit more, really. Like I said, this conversation is chock full. It’s got heart and humanity, maybe some jaw-droppers and … just some really good stuff.

Ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Joe Johnson.


Episode 86 Show Notes

Connect with Joe Johnson:

Website: joejohnsonsings.com/

Instagram: @joejohnsonmusician

Joe Johnson Music on Facebook

Listen on Spotify (Albums): New West Sound | Morgantown | A Time to Dance

Listen on Website (Singles): joejohnsonsings.com/music 

Connect with Adam Williams / Humanitou:

Instagram: @humanitou

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Intro/Outro Music

“Tupac Lives” by John Bartmann | freemusicarchive.org

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