Jamey Johnson's "Education" Helps Land Him Three Grammy Nominations

 Still somewhat of a newcomer to the Country Music industry, Jamey Johnson got an early lesson in entertainment politics in 2006 when his record contract with BNA Records was dropped. His first single with BNA, “The Dollar,” enjoyed modest success, ultimately peaking on Billboard's Hot Country Songs at No. 14. When his second single, “Rebelicious,” did not enter the charts, BNA dropped Johnsons’ contract.Mercury released Johnson’s latest album, That Lonesome Song, in August 2008, but not before he released the album on the Internet by himself.  "It was just an education," he told The Washington Post. "It was learnin' how the music industry works, how sometimes you're granted an opportunity and how sometimes opportunity is taken away. That one was taken away. When I was dropped, music became about me reaching an audience. And this day and time, you don't necessarily need a label to achieve that." Johnson released his album online, only thinking of the fans that had stuck with him through his troubled times. “We made this album for our crowd, the people we thought liked our music,” Johnson said. “That’s the only people we considered.”Working straight from the heart and not for a record label seemed to work for Johnson as he has just received three Grammy nominations for Best Country Album, Best Male Country Vocal and Best Country Song for “In Color.”