Cody Canada Celebrates 45th Birthday, We Celebrate Cody Canada

What was your first Ragweed album? I had burned CDs with songs from Carney and Live & Loud on 'em, but the first album, you know that I actually bought, that'd be Highway 377.

I got it before I joined the Army in September of '02. I couldn't tell you exactly how long before I joined I got it, but I definitely had it when I joined, and I definitely jammed the hell outta "Long Way Home" all the way to Iraq and back. "The President Song," off of their Live at Billy Bob's was another favorite of mine during that time, imagine that.

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When I deployed to Iraq in May of '03 I stuffed my old school CD book into my ruck with all of my TA-50 -- those CDs may be the only thing that kept me sane. Pat Green with Three Days, Charlie Robison's Life of the Party, the Jason Boland & The Stragglers classic Pearl Snaps, I jammed 'em all.

But finding Ragweed's then-latest album while deployed was something special. No, not on the street, the locals weren't peddling bootleg Ragweed albums or anything like that.

It was during a rare visit to this giant oasis of a Post Exchange (PX) at the Baghdad International Airport, or as it was referred to as "BIAP." I about flipped my sh*t when I came across Cross Canadian Ragweed's Soul Gravy. Man, finding a little bit of home like that, way over there, it made everything just a little more bearable.

That entire album was great, still is. But, of course, given my particular circumstances, "Sick and Tired" with Lee Ann Womack hit me hard. I was 22-year-old kid, in a place that no one in their right mind wanted to be, and it helped pull me through. Had that one on repeat. What a great song.

Since then, you know thanks to this bad*ss job I've got, I've been fortunate enough to get to share this story with Cody, and I was stoked to have that opportunity. Not something I'll ever take for granted. But again, thank you, Cody. Your music was a light for me during many dark days. And a very happy birthday to you from all of us here at Radio Texas, LIVE!