Cody Johnson Captivates With Cover Of Don Williams Classic, “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”
on Jul 29, 2026
Once in a while, Cody Johnson treats his fans to a tribute performance that stops everyone in their tracks. Over the years, he’s either recorded or performed covers of beloved songs such as “Whoever’s In New England,” “Travelin’ Soldier,” “If We Make It Through December,” and “The Chair.”
Another song that Johnson has been singing for years is the late Don Williams‘ classic hit, “If Hollywood Don’t Need You (Honey I Still Do).” The track was written by the esteemed songwriter Bob McDill and released by Williams in November 1982.
“If Hollywood Don’t Need You” became the 13th chart-topping hit of Williams’ career. It remained popular in the year after its release, and ranked at #23 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs year-end chart for 1983.
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A quick search online turns up videos of Johnson singing “If Hollywood Don’t Need You” as far back as 8 years ago. More recently, the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year sat down with his band to share an acoustic cover of the song.
Johnson posted his latest cover of “If Hollywood Don’t Need You” on Tuesday, July 28th. The video, filmed by his frequent photographer and videographer, JT Colston, has already captivated over 400,000 fans on Instagram alone, and counting.
“Always loved this old Don Williams tune. Written by Bob McDill,” Johnson captioned the clip he shared.
His deep admiration for fellow Texans Williams and McDill shines through in his moving performance of their song. That personal connection, and of course, his powerful voice, make his cover one of the best that country fans have ever heard.
Many were begging Johnson to record the track and other covers in the studio, with some of the comments being:
“So when do we get an album of stripped down covers like this?”
“Cody can we please get a full album of these old covers! This was amazing btw.”
“When I win the Powerball and Mega Millions I’m paying for a @codyjohnson acoustic concert at my house!!”
“You need to record this and drop it.”
“Any chance of you recording this??? Please please please!”
“Yeah record that and bring it back alive again! You nailed it!!”
You can also enjoy Cody Johnson’s rendition of “If Hollywood Don’t Need You” in the video below.
Cody Johnson Released A New Album In June
On June 26th, 2026, Cody Johnson dropped his tenth studio album, Banks of the Trinity. Although the album doesn’t contain any classic country covers, it features some brand-new collaborations with Luke Combs and Brothers Osborne.
The album also includes the songs “Horseback,” “I Want You,” “Kissing a Married Woman,” and “Bible for a Boy (for Jaycee),” among others.
Banks of the Trinity is named after the Trinity River in Texas. Johnson grew up in Sebastopol, which is located in Trinity County.
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He used a photo of Lawrence’s Grocery Store for the album’s cover, since he often visited the store as a child.
“As a kid, I used to ride my bike two miles down an old dirt road just to get a cream soda and a Blue Bell ice cream bar. I’d sit there and listen to the old men talk for a while before heading back home with a basket of groceries,” Johnson recalled.
He added, “This record is my way of going back to those dirt roads.”
Listen to the album’s title track in the video below.
