The Modern Day Willie: Cody Canada

Willie Nelson is one of one. But, there are rare occasions when echoes of his humanity, vibe and musicality bleed over into other artists and become recognizable. Never in the sense of a one for one replacement because that’s impossible. But in the sense of a leader, a shepherd, a pied piper of sorts who gathers the dreamers and road warriors into a ragtag parade of song. For us, that’s Cody Canada.

Willie famously kicked down doors in the ’70s, refusing to play by Nashville’s rules. He built his own stage on his own terms. Inspired by Mike McClure, grunge, Haggard and Robert Earl Keen, Cody Canada set out to make his own way. He observed, he created, he did his own thing, his own way. He let the audience find him. He didn’t ask for permission; he just plugged in, turned up nd let the music speak (loudly).

Like Willie, Cody’s always been welcoming. He’s never put up walls around who gets to belong in this scene. He’ll share a stage with the legends, the up and comers, the rockers and the poets. If you’re genuine, you’re in. If you’re not, you won’t last long. It’s as simple as that. His circle is wide, but his standards are high.

Cody is also a rule breaker in the best sense. He’ll change the setlist on a dime, stretch a jam an extra five minutes or pull out a deep cut nobody’s heard in years just because that’s what feels right in the moment. He doesn’t chase trends, he creates them. Just like Willie growing his hair long and making Red Headed Stranger when everyone told him it wouldn’t work, Cody followed his gut and redefined what was possible for an Oklahoma band with Texas leanings.

Perhaps the biggest parallel is this: Cody, like Willie, is ours and everyone’s at the same time. He belongs to Stillwater and New Braunfels. One Nike Air Max adorned foot firmly in Oklahoma and a Doc Marten planted in Texas. Hippies and rednecks. Country boys and metal heads. Cody embodies it all. He belongs to the tiny dancehalls and the festival stages. He belongs to the fans who’ve followed him since “Carney Man” and the kids just now discovering him through a Turnpike Troubadours recommended playlist. He belongs to all of us, because he’s never once tried to belong to anyone but himself.

When you walk into a Ragweed or Departed show, you feel that same electricity people must have felt walking into a Willie show in Austin in the mid-70s. That's another parallel. Willie had the Family band. Paul, Mickey, Jody, Sister Bobbie, Bee, et al. Cody leans on Plato, Rags, Grady, Peyton, Hansen, Graycie, Dierks, Willy...whoever wants to jam. It's a loose, free, welcoming vibe. It carries the "we'll just have our own party over here" vibe from the 70's right into 2025 and beyond.

Sometimes that vibe leads to you reuniting and reconnecting with your band and selling out a football stadium multiple times. Anything is possible. Everyone’s welcome. And the rules? They don’t apply here.