Latest preview of forthcoming album by John Sponarski’s alter ego offers hot licks and memorable lines
With every single he’s released in 2025 leading up to the arrival of his new album in late November – more on that soon! – Johnny 99 has demonstrated his deep love and knowledge of nearly every style of classic country music.
There’s the hard core honky tonk of “Just Like You,” the Bakersfield shuffle of “I Wanna Go With My Boots On,” the laid back Laurel Canyon groove of “Getting Over You,” and even a Christmas tear-jerker.
Now, Johnny 99 delivers his “road song,” “Lay Down The Hammer,” another hard-driving track that combines hot licks with memorable lines like “the worse it gets, the better the song.”
Johnny 99 is the alter ego of John Sponarski, guitarist in City and Colour, but as Johnny 99 he has been carrying the torch for classic country music for many years, as heard on the 2021 Johnny 99 debut album Words Left Unsaid. The long-overdue follow-up is sure to leave City and Colour fans gobsmacked to hear how naturally Johnny, multi-instrumentalist Matt Kelly, bassist Erik Nielsen and drummer Leon Power immerse themselves in vintage country.
Although there is a clear nod to heroes such as Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, John Prine and Willie Nelson, Johnny 99’s songs fit firmly in the here and now, with lyrics penned straight from a heart worn on his sleeve.
The evolution of Johnny 99 began after Sponarski earned his Bachelor’s Degree in music and spent the ensuing years touring as one half of the acclaimed duo Portage and Main, whose legacy is two albums of heartfelt roots rock.
After that project’s dissolution, John began establishing his reputation as one of Vancouver’s in-demand session guitarists, working on countless records and backing up artists such as Aaron Pritchett, Ben Rogers, and Elliot C. Way. Since relocating to Toronto, Sponarski has been building a new community through his regular “Hippie Honky Tonk” nights at the Bell and Beacon on Queen Street West.
Johnny 99 made his debut in 2016 with a four-song EP as part of Light Organ Records’ Railtown Sessions. It showcased the first glimpses of his timeless songwriting, which fully bloomed when he recorded Words Left Unsaid for North Country Collective. At about the same time in 2021, John was invited to play on City and Colour’s The Love Still Held Me Near, and has been a touring member of the band ever since.
While getting to perform with Dallas Green on a nightly basis has fulfilled one of his primary ambitions, it is under the guise of Johnny 99 that Sponarski has been able to forge his own musical identity. It’s country music that was made to dance to, whilst shedding a few tears as well. In short, it’s honky tonk music in its purest form, and right now few artists in Canada are doing it better than Johnny 99.