Grand Ole Opry

He could be basking in his songwriting accolades, but Jamey Johnson remains a restlessly creative maverick.

"We would get up and do a song. Somebody would hear it and go, 'Man, you don't even know, but that just hit me right where I needed to be hit today.' I got used to that at an early age. That's what music is for. It's to reach people. And I carry that with me today. I honestly don't care about the money," Johnson says.

With Grand Ole Opry star Bill Anderson, Johnson wrote "Give It Away," recorded by George Strait and awarded Song of the Year by the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music in 2007. Trace Adkins, George Jones, and Joe Nichols have also recorded his songs. But instead of sitting at home counting his royalty checks, he recorded more than 40 songs during the past year.

Not content with just providing hits for others, the singer-songwriter has a powerful drive to sing, record, and perform.

"Writing is not enough for me," says this intense artist. "I did not come here to just be a writer. I live to play. I'm not here to take a stab at it. I am going to DO it. Johnson has proven he can do it by releasing the popular single, "In Color," off his album, That Lonesome Song.  "In Color" claimed the Country Music Association's 2009 Song of the Year Award.