Jamey Johnson Finds “High Cost Of Living” Pays Off
Jamey Johnson photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.
Mercury Records released Jamey Johnson’s “High Cost Of Living” to radio stations exactly one year ago today, knowing all along that it would be a real battle to get it onto the airwaves. It had a rough-and-tumble, throwback sound that owed a huge debt to Waylon Jennings’ late-‘70s records. But even more daunting were its lyrics, which found the singer in jail after going off the deep end with drugs, alcohol and a prostitute.
It did not become a hit, but it did earn the respect of Jamey’s fellow artists and musicians. “High Cost Of Living” is nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Male Vocal at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards. The CD, That Lonesome Song, competed for country’s Album of the Year honors in last year’s Grammys, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards, and “High Cost” was a key part of the project.
