Jamey Johnson Awarded Honorary Doctorate, Establishes Music Series, on Campus

12/15/2023

Country star Jamey Johnson, who attended JSU in the 1990s, was awarded an honorary doctorate on Dec. 15. He will be establishing and leading a music series on campus.

by Buffy Lockette

Thirty years after enrolling as a student, country music star Jamey Johnson was awarded an honorary doctorate from Jacksonville State on Dec. 15 during the university's fall commencement. The ceremony is available on YouTube. 

Johnson's visit to campus began on the evening of Dec. 14, when he joined fellow artists and JSU alums Randy Owen, Riley Green and Gordon Mote on the Ward Stage of the university's Stone Center to perform at the ROC On Benefit Concert.

During the sold-out show, which raised funds for scholarships and the forthcoming Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts (The ROC), it was announced that Johnson is establishing a music series on campus.

Led by the artist himself, the Jamey Johnson Music Series will provide cultural and educational opportunities to JSU students – from performances by visiting musical artists, to class talks, songwriting workshops and seminars.

Grand Ole Opry member Jamey Johnson fell in love with music while growing up in Montgomery, Ala., the hometown of country music legend Hank Williams. One of the first songs he learned to play on guitar was Alabama’s “My Home’s in Alabama,” and the band’s June Jam was the first concert he ever attended. He enrolled at JSU in 1993, playing mellophone in the Marching Southerners, before joining the Marines.

In 2000, he moved to Nashville and landed a songwriting contract. After penning hits for other artists, he landed his first record deal in 2005. He’s been nominated for 11 Grammys and is one of the only artists to win two Song of the Year Awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.