Rayne Johnson is a country music artist whose vocal style adds a touch of soul to songs that offer a fresh perspective on down-home themes. After years of paying his dues with live performances and singing competitions, Rayne’s smooth but expressive tenor started winning a larger audience in 2019 when his first two releases—the playful “Laid Back” and the heartfelt “Front Seat”—began making noise on streaming and radio.
Born and raised in Southern Ohio, Rayne’s parents were country music fans who regularly played Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard around the house. Coming from a family of frequent churchgoers, Rayne first began singing at Sunday services, later crediting his exposure to gospel music for inspiring the soulful side of his delivery. When he became a teenager, the music ministers at his church began taking notice of his talents and he joined the choir. There, he eventually overcame his stage fright by singing solos which led to him fronting a handful of local groups throughout his high school years.
Later on, while working his day gig on the railroad, he spent his nights building a regional following, playing honky-tonks as a headliner and opening larger shows for Hunter Hayes, Kelly Pickler, Riley Green, and Randy Houser, among others. As a sideline, Rayne also sang on publishing demos for songwriters promoting their material. His work in that field led to him getting noticed by an independent producer who instantly recognized his talent a nd undeniable star quality.
As a result, in late 2018, Rayne released “Laid Back”. A fun-loving tune in which the narrator tells his ex how good things have been for him since they split, “Laid Back” gained some attention on streaming services, racking up over 1,700,000 plays in its first few months. The reception to Rayne and “Laid Back” was so strong that Boston radio began playing his debut radio single “Front Seat” before it was officially released!
“Front Seat” responded as one of the most talked about and reactive songs of 2020 by being the only Indie record to crack the National Country top 40 in over 5 years, and garnering over 24 million cumulative streams!
Based on the success of “Front Seat”, Rayne was signed to Mountain Road Records in the summer of 2020. Label president Mark Liggett said, “We are very fortunate to find an artist the caliber of Rayne Johnson who checks every box needed to be a star in the country format.”
Rayne’s debut release on Mountain Road Records, “Real Dang Good” was released October 2020. “Sometimes we all have those tough weeks and need someone or something to pick us up! What better than that girl you didn’t even know you were lookin’ for? That’s what ‘Real Dang Good’ is!!”
In his spare time—which there isn’t too much of these days—Rayne’s special interests include family, waterfowl hunting, hiking, camping, and college football.
