MUSIC

Blanco's Bar & Grill presents Jody Booth.

Texas has produced some of country music’s biggest legends, and Jody Booth could well be the next member to join that near-cosmic lineup. With a gritty edge that defies convention and a lyrical vulnerability startling in its honesty, this intense guitar-playing singer/songwriter from the tiny town of Livingston, Texas is hovering on the borderline between regional acclaim and national fame – and he’s reaching out for the “big time.”

“I’d be happy enough to sing for free, just for the camaraderie with the band and the audience’s energy,” Jody says. “But to make a living and provide for my family, I’ve got to take a chance and believe that this new CD will take things further along.”

The youngest of five children, Jody joined his first band while he was still in high school. “Getting up on stage wasn’t any different than singin’ at the family gatherings,” Jody recalls. “The crowds never intimidated me. Heck, I’ve been playing live since I was 14.”

Now, Jody’s playing an average of 15 shows a month, both acoustic sets and with full-band. He’s made a name for himself across Texas, playing honky-tonks, festivals and fairs and, while he doesn’t like to “drop names,” he modestly admits to opening for the likes of Willie Nelson, Tracy Lawrence, Jack Ingram and Roger Creager. Jody’s enjoying his first #1 as a songwriter with Creager’s recent hit, “I Love Being Lonesome,” a song he wrote with Roger, Allen Huff and John Slaughter. Booth just wrapped up his first-ever video shoot for “Gold Digger,” and when he’s not writing, he’s playing golf or poker and getting ready for hunting season.