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It doesn’t get much better than this Cody Johnson cover of “When I Call Your Name”

With nearly two decades of experience in country music, Cody Johnson proved himself to be a top singer in the genre, releasing songs such as “Wild As You” and “Long Live Cowgirls.” Inspired by singers such as Willie Nelson and George Strait, Johnson released nine studio albums and won numerous awards. Johnson continued to climb the country music charts and once performed on the Grand Ole Opry. But instead of celebrating himself, the country singer decided to honor Vince Gill by covering “When I Call Your Name.”

In July 2022, the Grand Ole Opry decided to host an Opry Loves the 90s event. Coincidentally, Gill released “When I Call Your Name” on the album of the same name in May 1990. Since Gill holds such a special place in music, Johnson dominated the stage as he mastered the song.

Johnson's cover garnered over a million views and fans were thrilled, writing, “Man I hope he's working on a cover album. He covers this, Travelin Soldier and She's Actin Single and I'm dying to put them on Spotify.” Another person insisted, “We need an album of cover songs! She's Actin Single, Traveling Soldier, When I Call Your Name, Wichita Lineman, When Whoever's in New England etc! Cody Johnson is the REAL ONE! He's incredible live and can sing anything! Real country music is alive!!”

Perhaps no one put it better than this TikTok user, who simply said, “Vince Gill would be so proud.” In a world full of cover performances — some good and some not so good — it's always great to see an artist do justice to an original song.

[RELATED: “That’s How It’s Done”: Cody Johnson Absolutely Crushes National Anthem Rendition at MLB All-Star Game]

Cody Johnson talks about the early years of songwriting

In addition to covering hits, Johnson hopes to write a few classics himself. In conversation with Elderberry Of the early years of his career, the singer explained, “I have a book about four inches thick full of terrible country songs. I wrote about everything: the girl I liked, the girl who dumped me, the girl who didn't dump me, growing up, fishing, hunting, and eventually wanting to do rodeo.” He continued, “I played those songs to anyone who would listen. I still have the book.”

Although singers sometimes judge their own work harshly, Johnson added, “I looked at it recently and wondered if there wasn't anything really good in there. There wasn't. But you know, Babe Ruth held two baseball records: most home runs and most strikeouts. That's how I feel about the songs I wrote in the beginning.”

(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)

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