CJ Cain
By Rebecca Frazier
CJ Cain has worn many hats in his two-decade bluegrass and Americana music career. From festival picker to sideman guitarist, songwriter to bandleader and co-founder of the Wooks, and now Tyler Childers’ right hand man on acoustic and electric guitar—CJ has had a strong work ethic and charismatic creativity that continue to enrich his field of opportunities. What inspired CJ to evolve on his successful journey, and what inspires him today? How have CJ’s dreams shaped his current reality?
CJ is a humble and likable musician. He also didn’t really plan all of this success, per se. “I mean, for most of my career I’ve done what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. And sometimes that’s caused me to fall short. I’m not a virtuoso player, but I’ve also enjoyed everything I’ve ever done. For the most part, there are ups and downs, but I’ve never been burnt out on things. So maybe that’s a positive,” he muses. CJ’s easygoing nature and amicable personality, combined with an uncanny talent for unique songwriting and a commanding rhythm guitar style, create an irresistible charm that attracts the attention of high-profile co-writers, bandleaders, peers, and mentors.
Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, CJ wasn’t interested in bluegrass until he was 16 and attended a local festival with his father. “I was blown away right off the bat,” he says, remembering the experience of seeing guitarist Chris Eldridge onstage with the Seldom Scene. “It was cool to see a kid dressed like me, maybe five years older—someone young, but also, he was still learning at that point. He was taking chances.” CJ had been studying the electric guitar with a local blues guitar teacher up until that point, but soon began to take bluegrass lessons from the local “bluegrass guru,” Ken Holbrook.
CJ honed his bluegrass guitar chops during his decade-long tenure with the Kati Penn Band based in Lexington. “I truthfully wasn’t really good enough for the gig at first, but Kati saw some potential in me and gave me an opportunity. At first, I was just trying to keep my head above water, but eventually she let me go out and seek the material for the band. Eventually we became business partners with NewTown,” CJ remembers.
Writing songs came naturally for CJ, though his writing style has evolved over the years. His first recording with Kati Penn included six of his original songs. CJ says that during that time, he would write in a way that he thought others in Nashville were writing. He says, “I was probably thinking, ‘OK, here’s a topic, I’m going to write this song.’” Four of his songs from that record charted in bluegrass radio, and one of them reached #1. This success surprised CJ. He marvels that in his career, he’s had moments that have made him ask, “How did this happen?” even when he had just been telling himself, “I don’t know what I’m doing!”
Once he departed Kati Penn Band and co-founded the Wooks with songwriter Arthur Hancock, CJ’s songwriting evolved into a more stream-of-consciousness process. He would go with an idea or phrase that came to mind and then figure out later what the song was supposed to mean, as he crafted it. “Now I try to just let songs find me a little more,” he says, using the Wooks’ ‘The Other Side’ as an example. “I was coping with the loss of a really close friend. Then I thought of the phrase ‘Then came the thunder, and they dealt the cards around.’ That doesn’t make sense on its own, and I really wasn’t thinking about my friend that I’d lost, but it dawned on me—this could be about that, pretty easily. And I was able to finish the song through that. And that was how several of the tunes played out for me on that record. I was trying to write like Robert Hunter on that particular song.”
The Wooks’ successful touring career culminated with their third acclaimed studio album, “Flyin’ High.” After the band went on hiatus in 2022, CJ says he was planning to find a traditional job or put his finance degree to use. But his longtime friend and fellow musician, Tyler Childers, called him 17 days before the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and invited him to play guitar for Childers’ set. “That was the most stressful venue that it could possibly be for me because that’s the mecca for a bluegrass guitar player,” he says. “The second show was Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic in a stadium, which was way bigger than Telluride. But after I got through my first gig at Telluride, I was like, OK, I can do this.”
Initially, CJ’s work with Childers was playing mainly acoustic guitar, but within a few rehearsals CJ began playing electric guitar and branching out to mandolin from there. He says he has been writing songs with Childers, and he’s learned a lot during this process. “There’s no corners cut, no lazy lines with him, every single word counts,” he relates. “There’s no ‘Oh that’s OK.’ And that’s a good lesson for me, because I have written some lazy songs—you know, the first thing that comes out is what I keep. Though sometimes that first thing is good.”
Writing just for the sake of writing is a new skill for CJ, as he’s always written for an upcoming album in the past. “Tyler has a bazillion songs; he doesn’t need me to help him write an album. So I’ve got to learn how to write to just to be writing, instead of writing just to make sure the album’s done in time. That pressure was always something that motivated me to finish the song,” he says.
As for keeping up his guitar chops while holding down a day job and touring with Tyler Childers, CJ says that he’s tried to rearrange his daily priorities to make room for practicing guitar. “Since joining Tyler, I’ve tried to have more of a practice regimen instead of just playing when I feel like it, like get some extra minutes on something I’m trying to learn in a little more of a strategic manner. And also, I have time to do that more now, because I don’t have to worry about who’s booking the hotel rooms or getting the van worked on, or doing the books, or any of that. So much is off of my shoulders, business-wise, playing with Tyler,” he remarks.
Though busy, CJ leads a fulfilling and creative life. He remains inspired by his favorite songwriters like John Prine and Townes Van Zandt. “I’ve been lucky to have good music in my life and be exposed to it. The best thing about listening to music is that if I’m having a bad day, and I put on John Prine, my day usually gets a little better,” he comments. “That’s like magic to me. I don’t know how that works, but that’s the coolest thing about it. So hopefully I occasionally do that for other people.”
Originally published in Americana Rhythm Music Magazine
