Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America — has already made waves with Season 3 of its popular podcast “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer.” And now, the momentum continues with today’s drop of a new episode featuring award-winning MULTI-PLATINUM Country superstar Cody Johnson. Country Thunder CEO and host Vollhoffer and Johnson get real about bull riding, roping, and throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of a seemingly impossible dream.

Long before such success, the singer and songwriter possessed a passion for music during his childhood in Texas. He bet on himself, followed his ambition full force, and emerged as one of Country music’s most celebrated artists renowned for his intentional songcraft and powerhouse performances. He traces this entire journey during the discussion.

There was never any other option for him though. “Music was always there,” notes Johnson. “I loved performing in front of people from the time I was a little kid, and I just never knew it would take me anywhere. And then I figured out that I could do what I love for a living. From that moment, I said, ‘I don’t have a backup plan. This is what I’m going to do.’ And to this day, I still don’t have a backup.”

Looking back, the reality of the potential risk wasn’t lost on Johnson, making his journey even more relatable and the success even sweeter.

He admits, “But at the time I was scared to death and wondering, ‘How am I going to make this work? Am I going to be able to provide for my wife at home who's pregnant?’ Those are very real emotions that people don't think about.”

 

It’s been a stacked year for “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer,” with Season 3 guests including history-making award-winning band Old Dominion, Tennessee-born singer and songwriter Larry Fleet and GRAMMY® Award-nominated, MULTI-PLATINUM Country star Cole Swindell. Prior, Season 3 launched in September with an episode featuring 23x No. 1 hitmaker Tyler Hubbard. Now, the podcast has steadily emerged as one of the premier Country music podcasts, elevating Vollhoffer as an industry tastemaker and sharp businessman. Over the course of its first two seasons, he sat down for insightful, revealing, and often hilarious interviews with the likes of Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Koe Wetzel, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Marty Stuart, and many more. During Season 1, the podcast notably shook the charts and reached #1 in Music among Apple Podcasts in the U.S. Not to mention, the Dustin Lynch episode debuted in the Top 1% of all podcasts. Following this success, all episodes in Seasons 2 and 3 performed better than 95% of podcasts in their first seven days. Additionally, with the expansion to video in Season 2, Blake Shelton’s episode received over 105K views, with Jordan Davis and Gavin Adcock each gaining over 95K views.

With cameras rolling and tape running, he engages in funny and freewheeling discourse with major Country talent as well as buzzing acts. The episodes are filmed from Vollhoffer’s tour bus and home studio, providing an unfiltered vignette into the lives of artists as they tell stories, recall memories, and share unwavering passion for music.

The podcast stands out as a must-listen for Country aficionados and music fans at large. Boasting an intimate format, exclusive content, and an elite lineup of all-star guests, there’s nothing quite like it.

 

 

ABOUT CODY JOHNSON:
Cody Johnson has established a following of passionately loyal fans who regularly sell out shows across the country. The artist that media has touted “just might be the future of real country music” has skyrocketed success with numerous celebrated albums: Leather Deluxe Edition, Leather, Human The Double Album, A Cody Johnson Christmas, Cody Johnson & The Rockin’ CJB Live, and Ain’t Nothin’ To It plus an award-winning feature-length documentary “Dear Rodeo: The Cody Johnson Story.” Cody has 43 Gold and Platinum certifications, nearly 10 Billion career global streams and four #1 singles. 

Cody’s #1 single “Dirt Cheap,” written by Josh Phillips, was awarded as Storyteller of The Year at the “People’s Choice Country Awards” and “The Painter” was awarded as the NSAI 2024 Song of The Year for writers Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins and Ryan Larkins. Both #1 hits are included on Cody’s current album Leather Deluxe Edition.  

His numerous industry honors include recognition as a CMT Artist of The Year, two ACM Awards, three CMT Music Awards wins, four CMA Awards including Album of The Year (2024) for Leather, and being named “Best New Country Artist” at the iHeart Music and recognized with the Spirit award at the 2025 ACM Honors event. His television appearances have entertained fans on the Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show and the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in addition to outstanding live tv performances at the iHeart Music Awards, the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Music Awards, CMT Giants honoring Vince Gill, and the CMT Artist of the Year Special and more. Cody co-hosted the three-hour “CMA Fest Presented by Sofi” with Ashley McBryde this summer.

Johnson has four nominations for the upcoming “The 59th Annual CMA Awards” including Entertainer of the Year, his first-ever with the CMAs, Male Vocalist of the Year as well as Musical Event and Music Video of the Year with Carrie Underwood for their two-week platinum-selling #1 hit “I’m Gonna Love You.”

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER:
Attracting nearly 625,000+ fans to its seven multi-day events, Country Thunder Music Festivals boast unparalleled reach with a diverse demographic profile spanning the USA and Canada. Featuring top-tier Country artists, Country Thunder Festivals draw diverse crowds, fostering a vibrant atmosphere that celebrates the essence of Country music. The Country Thunder Music Festivals organization has a 22-year history which boasts six other major multi-day events in North America, including Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. 

ABOUT TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer is an American entrepreneur from Nashville, TN and currently serves as the President of Country Thunder Music Festivals, Big Valley Jamboree, and Premier Global Production Company. One of the most beloved festival brands in the world, Country Thunder has seen tremendous success, receiving numerous awards including the ACM Festival of the Year for Country Thunder Arizona, Wisconsin, and most recently, Bristol in 2023. For his transformation of the festival, Vollhoffer was honored with the Academy of Country Music Lifting Lives Award and the Don Romero Talent Buyer of the Year Award at the ACM Honors in 2023. 
 
Vollhoffer played professional ice hockey from 1982-1992 and has served on the boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, ACM and CMA. His dedicated philanthropic commitment was recognized at the 2018 CCMA Awards, where he received the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award.

ABOUT ON THE BUS WITH TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer, owner and founder of Country Thunder Music Festival, invites the biggest Country artists and industry giants to join him for a one-on-one celebrity interview “On the Bus.”  As Troy opens his home, his tour bus, and festival venues to his audience for behind the scenes conversations, he asks exclusive questions, discusses festival do’s and don'ts, and highlights the tracks fans will hear on stage at Country Thunder this summer. Guests include Dustin Lynch, Koe Wetzel, Tigirlily Gold, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde and countless other music industry legends, taking you backstage to share stories of their concerts, their careers, and their entertainment industry journeys. Be ready to be thunderstruck, "On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer."

 

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