Cody Johnson and family celebrate a Texas Cowboy Christmas with a special television program.
CMT Presents: A Cody Johnson Christmas aired tonight (Dec 13) and was the perfect way for country music fans to get in the holiday spirit. Johnson invited his wife Brandi, their daughters Clara and Cori, and his mother Sheila and father Carl to join him for the show. In addition, Johnson brought special guests Kevin Fowler and Roger Creager. Together, they invited viewers to share in their favorite Christmas traditions and songs.
Prior to the special, CMT shared a cheerful video of Cody Johnson answering rapid-fire questions about the holidays while attempting to untangle a string of Christmas lights. In the clip, Johnson was asked what his favorite Christmas song was, to which he answered, “White Christmas.”
Cody Johnson performs “White Christmas” on CMT Presents: A Cody Johnson Christmas
Cody Johnson described the band that accompanied him for the special as the “best band I have ever been in a room with.” During the show, he sang a variety of Christmas favorites from his 2021 album A Cody Johnson Christmas.
It was a special moment when Johnson took the stage to perform “White Christmas.” Accompanied by piano and strings, he paints a somber yet beautiful picture of longing for the magic that the holidays once held.
Prior to his performance, Johnson said he was going to deliver a “classy” set of songs in the style of crooners like Frank Sinatra. “White Christmas” was one of the tunes he included in that set.
“White Christmas” is a song that means a lot to Johnson. Growing up in Texas, his Christmases were warm, not snowy. So as a child, he found himself dreaming of a “White Christmas.”
The story behind “White Christmas”
“White Christmas” was written by Irving Berlin (the same composer behind “God Bless America,” and many more classics), a Russian-born immigrant who did not actually celebrate Christmas, as he was Jewish. He wrote the song after he tragically lost his son on Christmas Day in 1928.
He ended up winning an Academy Award for “White Christmas” after it was featured in the 1942 movie Holiday Inn. In 1954, it was the title track of another Bing Crosby Christmas musical, White Christmas.
Bing Crosby’s rendition of the ballad is arguably the most well-known, with 50 million copies sold. It is the best-selling Christmas song of all time, it’s also the best-selling single ever, according to Guinness World Records.
Hear Cody Johnson perform “White Christmas” from his A Cody Johnson Christmas album below!