If you ask Cody Jinks, he’ll tell you “I’m Not the Devil,” which just happens to be the name of an acclaimed album he released last year.
If you ask his wife, she’ll probably tell you he’s a sweetheart.
“I’m Not the Devil” landed the Denton, Texas, musician in the top five on Billboard’s Country Album Charts. It includes the love song “She’s All Mine.”
“It’s the first successful attempt at a love song ever that my wife has actually liked, which I’ve written a lot of them over the years for her,” Jinks told Texas Music Scene TV. “She really loves this one. It’s a straight-up, just old-school kind of country tune, talking about how awesome, you know, she is and how not awesome I’ve been during the 19 years we’ve been together.”
The 2016 album also included a cover of Merle Haggard’s “The Way I Am.” And if that’s not enough, Jinks released a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” in 2017. Pretty sentimental stuff from a good ole country boy.
Perhaps the devil theme dates back to his younger days, when Jinks began his performing career as lead singer in a thrash metal band from Fort Worth, Texas, named Uncheckered Aggression. His dad tried to set Jinks on a proper path as a teenager, teaching him a few country music riffs on the guitar when he was 16. Instead, he put his pedal to the metal for a spell.
After releasing “The Massacre Begins” in 2002, Uncheckered Aggression met an untimely demise within two years. Jinks eventually circled back to country music, and the rest is (recent) history.
On Wednesday, Sept. 13, Jinks will entertain at the Cargo Concert Hall in downtown Reno. Doors open at 7 p.m. and Ward Davis will get the show rolling at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $21.25.
Remember, he’s not the devil — just a country outlaw.
