Cody Jinks

Evoking classic styles from outlaw country to Southern rock, Cody Jinks is a Texas-based singer/songwriter whose unique career has shifted from thrash metal to becoming a successful country rebel. He issued several well-received indie releases in the early 2010s before breaking into the mainstream with his self-released sixth album, 2016's I'm Not the Devil, which reached number four on the Billboard country charts. With his smooth baritone and lonesome, dark-hued country songs, the prolific Jinks parlayed his newfound success into a deal with Rounder Records, making his label debut with 2018's Lifers. He went the independent route the following year with After the Fire and The Wanting, then kept the streak alive with Mercy in 2021 and Change the Game in 2024. Jinks took a detour into classic country traditionalism with 2025's Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell and returned later that year with a In My Blood, a new album of originals. A native of Haltom City, Texas, Jinks spent the early part of his career fronting the Fort Worth-based thrash metal outfit Unchecked Aggression before returning to his country roots and recasting himself as a honky tonk balladeer in the late 2000s. Beginning with 2010's Less Wise, Jinks issued a handful of independent releases, touring heavily with his backing band, the Tone Deaf Hippies. His first chart success came with 2015's Adobe Sessions, which was named after the Adobe Room at Tornillo, Texas' Sonic Ranch studio where it was recorded. The album peaked at number two on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, bringing Jinks into wider mainstream exposure. Returning to Sonic Ranch, he recorded his follow-up, the self-released I'm Not the Devil, which jumped to number four on the Billboard Country Albums chart upon its release in August 2016. While Jinks worked on his next record, Less Wise (Modified) -- a remixed and remastered version of his 2010 debut -- was reissued in 2017 to fill the gap. In the spring of 2018 it was announced that he had signed a deal with Rounder Records and that Thirty Tigers would be reissuing his entire back catalog. Led by the single "Must Be the Whiskey," Jinks' Rounder debut, Lifers, appeared in June of that year. Lifers debuted at 11 on Billboard's Top 200, and number two on their country charts.Jinks returned in October 2019 with a pair of new albums: After the Fire and The Wanting, both released on his own imprint, Cody Jinks Music. In 2021, he revisited 2015's Adobe Sessions with the all-acoustic Adobe Sessions Unplugged. That was just a warm-up up for Mercy, the official sequel to the twin albums After the Fire and The Wanting. Mercy arrived in November 2021, released simultaneously with None the Wiser, an album by Jinks' metal band Caned by Nod. Two days after he turned 43, Jinks decided he needed to make changes in his life, and he stopped drinking, went into therapy, and parted ways with his managers in favor of guiding his own career. Jinks' new focus was reflected on his 2024 album Change the Game, which included songs like "Sober Thing" and "Take This Bottle." Once again released by his own Late August label, the album rose to number 27 on the Country charts. In 2024, Jinks also released Backside of 30, an expanded and remastered edition of 30, first released in 2012. In early 2025, Jinks took a break from his own songwriting to make Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell, covering nine songs made famous by the great honky tonk hero in semi-acoustic arrangements. A few months later he returned to original music with In My Blood, a deeply personal set about resilience and working-class struggles which he described as a spiritual sequel to 2024's Change the Game.
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