Meet Cody Johnson: The Man Who Saved Bluegrass Music’s Hallowed Ground

The satisfying sound of live music still has a home at Camp Springs Bluegrass Park thanks to North Carolina’s Coswell County resident Cody Johnson. With a heart full of fond memories and hard work, the park is again a thriving venue for bluegrass music.

“I grew up going to festivals, including Camp Springs, which we happen to live near,” shares Cody, who says a sense of nostalgia drove him to buy the once-famous stomping ground. “My mom and dad went up and down the East Coast to every festival they could go to. I just miss those good old days.”

A retired postal worker who never envisioned himself as a concert promoter, Cody recalls that Camp Springs was in terrible shape when he bought it. “It was really bad, I’m not gonna lie. It was overgrown, and the original stage was falling in on itself.”

He was able to salvage a few things. “We rebuilt the stage and were able to repair the original concession stand along with some other buildings that were left.”

Originally owned by legendary concert promoter Carlton Haney, the site hosted legendary performers including Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, The Osborn Brothers, Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, and JD Crowe. It is where guitarist Tony Rice performed his first show in 1971 with JD Crowe & The New South and his last with the Bluegrass Alliance.

Camp Springs Bluegrass Park was also the subject of a 1971 documentary titled Bluegrass County Soul in which Cody’s dad appears.

“My dad helped Carton Haney with different things like security,” adding, “A lot of guys from the community helped out.

“In 2021, fifty years later, we got to bring the producer of the film back with his wife, along with four musicians who played in the movie. So that was pretty special!”

One of the highlights of Johnson’s festivals is airing the documentary. “I play it every year! I have a big drive-in movie screen. We play that for our campers the night before the festival.”

Cody, who noticed the abandoned property during his travels in Caswell County, had questions. “I did some research and found out who owned it, which was Carlton Haney’s family, and that is who I eventually bought it from.”

Celebrating his 8^th festival since reopening the park in 2019, the proud venue owner says his annual Tony Rice Memorial Day Musicfest differs slightly from their other shows. “He wasn’t just bluegrass. He played a little bit of everything. So, we added a little bit of everything to the show. One year, we had the late 80s country band Exile play at the festival.”

Although crowds are not as big as in the 1970s, Cody says they grow each year. “We average around two thousand people for the whole festival.”

Cody says he’s still learning how to book acts for his festivals. “You can talk directly to a lot of musicians in bluegrass, but with some of the bigger acts, you have to go through a booking agent. I’m not used to that. Honestly, I’d rather go right to the source.”

Continuing, “Younger bands who’ve seen the movie Bluegrass Country Soul are excited to play at Camp Springs. I think that’s a really cool thing!”

Cody hopes that Billy Strings will play one of his festivals. “The year before the last, I got to meet Billy Strings at one of his shows. He announced our first Tony Rice festival from the stage. I would definitely love to have him—I would say he tops the list!”

While praising his wife, Donna, and Brother Chris for their support, Cody owes a great deal to the award-winning radio DJ Cindy Baucom. “She helps out with her knowledge of bluegrass. She has been our MC from the start.”

The festival organizer is excited about upcoming plans. “We have a Camp Springs non-profit organization called The Camp Springs Music and Historical Foundation. Our goal is to build a museum that includes a hall for winter performances. It was always Carlton’s dream to build a museum, and I have so much memorabilia.”

Cody shares that Camp Springs has brought folks together over the years and has been a special place for the local community.

“It’s been a part of this area since 1969, so it means a lot to people. It’s a place where you can find your fix of bluegrass music!”