\n\tWhen the Cadillac Three<\/a> walked offstage at the Born and Raised Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, on Sept. 13, 2024, fans of the Southern rock band didn\u2019t realize they\u2019d just witnessed the trio\u2019s last public performance. A week later, the Nashville band announced they were canceling the remainder of the year\u2019s gigs so that singer-guitarist Jaren Johnston<\/a> could prioritize his health. The group has yet to return to the road.<\/p>\n \n\tJohnston, a songwriter<\/a> behind radio hits like Tim McGraw\u2019s \u201cMeanwhile Back at Mama\u2019s\u201d and Keith Urban\u2019s \u201cYou Gonna Fly,\u201d had been through the wringer. His father, the musician Jerry Ray Johnston, died at 65 in 2022, and the Cadillac Three\u2019s busy touring schedule didn\u2019t allow the frontman time to heal. The future of the group, known for hard-hitting songs like \u201cTennessee Mojo\u201d and \u201cWhite Lightning,\u201d was in doubt. Drummer Neil Mason pivoted to songwriting and artist management<\/a>; lap-steel player\/bassist Kelby Ray played guitar in the house band for Taylor Sheridan\u2019s country-music series The Road<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tThis Friday, Johnston will resurface with his debut solo album, The Guest Room<\/em>, a collection of 13 songs written and recorded in the spare room of his home.<\/p>\n \n\tSo, where does that leave the Cadillac Three? Johnston tells Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2019s Nashville Now<\/em> podcast the band members are slowly starting to pick up the pieces.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe three of us just want the best for the three of us, each one of us. When I had to come off the road, they understood,\u201d he says. \u201cObviously [they were] not happy about not being able to play shows and not being able to explain to everybody why. But they probably saw it coming, a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJohnston says he, Mason, and Ray met at a local Mexican restaurant in Nashville recently to reconnect. \u201cAll we did was sit and laugh for an hour and a half,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can\u2019t mess that whole thing up.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Nashville](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nashville-now-mobile.jpg\")
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