‘Montgomery is deep in my blood’: Jamey Johnson returns home for star-studded concert
October 4, 2019MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - This weekend, Montgomery native Jamey Johnson returns to his hometown for his annual homecoming concert. Tickets:http://smarturl.it/JJ_Homecoming2018
“I love Montgomery. I’ve always loved Montgomery. It’s a great place to grow up. I went to school at Jeff Davis, I went to school at Floyd, and before that I went to school at Peter Crump Elementary, and we went to church at Calgary Baptist,” said Johnson. “Montgomery is deep in my blood and to get to come home every year and do this golf tournament and raise this money for the Nikki Mitchell Foundation means the world to me.”
Johnson, a part-owner of the Cottonwood Golf Club, says he tries to come home as often as he can. This year, coming home means seeing family and old pals.
“I get to see all my old friends when I come home. I get to see church family, I get to see friends I went to school with, I got some family that still lives down around Troy and that’s why we named it, ‘Homecoming.’ For me it literally is my homecoming of me coming back home to Montgomery, but it’s also homecoming the same time of the year that all of the high schools and universities are having their homecomings," he said glowingly.
The eighth annual Jamey Johnson Homecoming concert raises money every year for the Nikki Mitchell Foundation to help fight pancreatic cancer. Johnson says this is something he loves doing and loves getting his fellow contemporaries involved in as well.
“I drag every famous friend I’ve got down here to get involved and to do that concert,” said Johnson.
Giving back is something Johnson does without giving even a second thought.
“It means everything. It’s very important to do that. It’s very important to give back. It’s very important to raise money for the patients with pancreatic cancer like we do. When folks get diagnosed, the first thing you have to do is quit your job to focus on your health. But then out go all your health benefits and then ain’t very long 'til all your savings are depleted, and so first you’re trying to get better but then you’re trying not to die and then you’re trying not to go broke at the same time," said Johnson. "And so what the foundation does is kinda helps alleviate some of that stress and some of that pressure off of some of these people so they can focus on getting better.”
Another goal of the foundation is to raise money to support efforts to detect the disease earlier.
Donations for toys will also be taken at the gate. The donations will go towards the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots.
“I was in the Marine Corps reserves here in Montgomery for eight years and before that I was in Marine ROTC at Jeff Davis in high school and so I have memories of delivering toys wearing my dress blues and having kids look at us like we’re Santa Claus’ helpers or something like that, so the Toys for Tots program also means a lot to me to support that,” he said.
Guest artists include Dennis Quaid, Toby Keith, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and most recently announced Kid Rock.
The concert is Sunday at 7 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium.
To purchase tickets, visit this link or buy them in person at the Montgomery Biscuits box office.