Cody Jinks | Sam Houston Race Park, Houston, TX
Story by: Andrew Quinn
Photos by: Maribelle Hernandez
Many have worried about who will carry on the Country music torch with honest songwriting and performances that don’t rely on pop beats, pyrotechnics, and laser light shows to get them through. While some would argue that it’s just evolution, others are vehemently against the turn towards Pop music that Country seems to have taken. After Cody Jinks’ October 11th release of “After the Fire”, his first of two album releases this month, there should be no doubt or worry for the future of true Country music. This past weekend on Saturday, October 12th, our own Maribelle Hernandez had the opportunity to photograph Cody and his band of Tonedeaf Hippies at the Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas, and witnessed first-hand, one of the torch bearers show a packed house what true Country music really is.
Before Cody even hit the stage on Saturday night, there were two amazing supporting acts including Ward Davis and The Toadies. Davis, who is a frequent co-writer for Jinks, and co-wrote the title track on Cody’s 2016 album, “I’m Not The Devil”, kicked off the show. After Davis, Fort Worth’s own, The Toadies hit the stage, making a stop in Houston, on their 25th Anniversary Tour for the Release of their 1994 breakout album, “Rubberneck.” These two openers by themselves are such amazing acts but when you put them in the mix with CJinks, it almost becomes too good to be true.
After the Toadies played, the stage was set for Jinks. The crowd was ready and chanted his name during the entire changeover. If you’ve ever been to a Cody Jinks show, you know that he has some of the most loyal and music-loving fans in the entire business. Known as “Flockers”, these fans expect a show to remember and Jinks always delivers. Cody and his band opened the show with a song that hasn’t even been released yet on an album, called “Same Kind of Crazy as Me.” He continued to play crowd favorites such as “Lifers”, “Holy Water”, “Rock and Roll”, and so many more. One of the most notable moments from the night is when Cody’s mom got on stage to sing, Cody’s hit, “Mamma Song”, with him. Ward Davis also made his way up to the stage to sing “I’m Not the Devil,” which he co-wrote with Jinks. Most people that love this brand of Texas Country Music know the Jinks tunes that his fans would consider classics. The ones that stood out the most were the songs from his brand new album, “After the Fire”. The fourth song in the set, “Tell ‘Em What It’s Like” chronicles the hard life that the spouses and families of musicians have to endure while their significant others are making money on the road. Another song from the set-off of the new album is “Ain’t a Train”. This song has a huge punch with a fiddle solo to kill all fiddle solos, mimicking a train horn and giving the rush of an actual train coming right through the speakers.
With his whole family in tow, Jinks brought down the house in Houston. In his home state, on a new tour, and with a brand new album, that fans were already singing back to him, Cody Jinks showed why Country Music is in good hands. Jinks is scheduled to release a second album not just within this year, but this week. On Friday, October 18th, we will get a second brand new Cody Jinks album, the second in two weeks. This album will feature songs that are already fan favorites such as, “Same Kind of Crazy as Me,” “The Wanting,” and “Which One I Feed.” The potential for Cody Jinks is endless at this point. He is selling out venues all across the country with his Flocker fan club demanding that he come to every city represented within their group. We at Texas Music Photographers want to congratulate Cody, his band, his management, and every fan that shares this love for real country music, on their amazing feat of making this album debut at number one on the iTunes country charts. We are so excited to hear the second album when it drops on Friday and we can’t wait to get out to another Cody Jinks show very soon.
For more information about where Cody Jinks will be on tour, checkout codyjinks.com