Among Johnson's first cuts as a songwriter was " Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", which Adkins released from his 2005 album Songs About Me. Johnson had also made connections with producer and songwriter Buddy Cannon, who helped him land a songwriting contract. with Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Van Zant). Songs for which Johnson sang demos include "Songs About Me" (cut by Trace Adkins) and "That's How They Do It in Dixie" (cut by Hank Williams, Jr. Perkins invited Johnson to sing as a duet partner with Gretchen Wilson on a demo tape. One of his first connections was with Greg Perkins, a fiddler who had played for Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, and other artists. By 2000, Johnson had moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in country music. While in the Marines, he began playing country music in various bars in the Montgomery area one of his first gigs was opening for David Allan Coe. Johnson quit college after two years and served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve for four years. During his time at Jacksonville State University, he was a member of the Marching Southerners. After graduating from Jefferson Davis High School, Johnson attended Jacksonville State University, the same university from which Alabama lead singer Randy Owen graduated. From an early age, he was influenced by country acts such as Alabama and Alan Jackson, the latter of whom was the first act that he saw in concert.
Johnson was born on July 14, 1975, in Enterprise, Alabama, and raised in Montgomery, Alabama.