Jamey Johnson Joins Willie Nelson and Others at 2011 Farm Aid Performances.
Even though Jamey Johnson is currently on tour and simultaneously recording a new album, he is still taking the time to perform at the Farm Aid 2011 Saturday, August 13th at the Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City. Johnson is joining a line-up of performers which includes Willie Nelson among others. Farm Aid is a long running benefit concert founded to support American family farmers. The benefit has managed to raise over $39 million to aid family farmers all over the country and help them thrive.
The mission of Farm Aid has a special meaning to Jamey as he grew up on a family farm in Alabama.
“When I was a kid, we had a little bit of land and just about every bit of it was farm…I can’t even name for you everything that we grew from this land. But the fact that we couldn’t make enough money to sustain it meant that we had to eventually move off of it and let it go to someone else.” -Jamey Johnson
Especially considering the current climate in the nation from government to the economy, support systems like Farm Aid are little beacons of hope for American farmers. By focusing on family farmers, Farm Aid helps to promote American grown food which fills plates in American homes for American citizens.
“Farm Aid is not just important to me, it’s important to anybody who eats. Farm Aid is set up to look after the family farmer, the ones that actually take part in the same crops that they produce for other people. They are not just growing food to send down the line; their family eats the same foods that they sell.” -Jamey Johnson
Beyond taking the time to help support American farmers, Jamey Johnson has a lot going on. He recently finished up touring on Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown, and is now traveling all over the country on his own tour. He will be performing at the 5th Annual ACM Honors in Nashville on September 19th (which will also be in part a tribute to his good friend, singer/songwriter Hank Cochran, who passed away in 2010.). Somewhere in the middle of all this, Johnson is also finding time to complete his next album.
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