Jamey Johnson to Perform Patriotic Single ’21 Guns’ at PBS Memorial Day Concert

Published: May 17, 2024

Jamey Johnson to Perform Patriotic Single ’21 Guns’ at PBS Memorial Day Concert

By Movieguide® Contributor

Country music artist Jamey Johnson is preparing to debut a patriotic new single “21 Guns” on PBS’ upcoming National Memorial Day Concert.

“I have performed the song live quite a bit for the past year or so,” he told PEOPLE. “We just went into the studio recently to record it. It timed out perfectly to put it out there on display. It will be in new music we are releasing this year. I am happy ‘21 Guns’ found a home.”

Johnson also shared that he’s excited for “21 Guns” to be part of PBS’ Memorial Day celebration because of the song’s theme — a tribute to fallen servicemen and women. The topic hits especially close to home for the singer; he formerly served as a Marine.

“It was something I’ve always known I was going to do from the time I was a kid,” he said of his service. “There was a fulfillment of an agreement, in a way, that I made with myself when I was young. I was proud of it.”

However, his time in the Marines also meant losing friends.

“I can tell you I have been to a lot of funerals for Marines that I served with,” he shared. “Some of them that died in combat, and some of them that have passed away since. It is always heavy and there is always this realization that your friend is always going to be young. They stop growing at that age, and they will always be that age in your mind.”

Johnson continued, “[‘21 Guns’] was written from knowing what I was thinking sitting there at the funeral and knowing what had to be on the minds of their family. But it is also my perspective, that I have known these guys since they were young, too.”

The Grammy-nominated singer said that Memorial Day was the perfect time for him to debut the single and honor our troops.

“When I was asked to do a song for the Memorial Day concert, this was the first song that came into my mind because it is literally about Memorial Day,” Johnson said in a statement about the performance. “I think this show is well worth doing.”

He added, “I love the fact that they gather that many people out there to celebrate the men and women who died to make our country what it is today. We do owe them a debt of gratitude and should stop what we are doing to be thankful for what they have given us. I am proud I get to be a part of it.”

After the PBS Memorial Day Concert, Johnson will hit the road for his upcoming summer tour.

“It will be fun,” he shared. “We will do a lot of the old stuff and a lot of the new stuff. I love the connection with the audience. There’s a camaraderie there that we have had for a really long time. It’s the connection with people who share country music as a passion.”