Johnny 99 would rather burn out than fade away on his spry, twangy new single and video I Wanna Go With My Boots On — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
On his second single of 2025, Johnny 99 follows in the philosophical footsteps of forebears from Neil (Hey Hey, My My) Young to Pete (“Hope I die before I get old”) Townshend and takes a stand against aging gracefully — instead urging listeners to kick up their heels while they can and enjoy every minute of vitality. Musically, I Wanna Go With My Boots On lives up to that promise in a different way, offering another dose of hardcore honky-tonk for fans of his previous single Just Like You.
“I Wanna Go With My Boots On came from a conversation I had with my uncle, where he expressed that he didn’t want to grow old,” Johnny explains. “He didn’t want to lose his wits and ability. Rather, he said, he wanted to leave this earth while he still had it all — while he could still put in an honest day’s work and come home to do everything he loved. In a world obsessed with living forever and terrified of death, I thought it a refreshing perspective: Enjoy it all while you can but leave before the decline and becoming a burden to those that love you. I imagine living this way would make you savour each moment just a bit more.”
Johnny 99 certainly knows how to make the most of his time — he’s been living a double life for years. The singer-songwriter is actually the alter-ego of John Sponarski, guitarist in Dallas Green’s City And Colour. But as Johnny 99, Sponarski has been carrying the torch (and twang) for classic country for many years. He made that clear with his 2021 debut album Words Left Unsaid. His long-overdue followup is slated for later in 2025, and I Wanna Go With My Boots On provides another rousing preview with a sound that seems to come directly from The Gilded Palace Of Sin.
Once again, City And Colour fans might be surprised to hear how naturally Johnny, multi-instrumentalist Matt Kelly, bassist Erik Nielsen and drummer Leon Power immerse themselves in vintage country, with icing on the cake added by fiddler Kendal Carson and Georgia Harmer on backing vocals.
The evolution of Johnny 99 began after Sponarski earned his degree in music and spent years touring as one half of the acclaimed duo Portage and Main, who left a recorded legacy of two albums brimming with heartfelt roots-rock. After that project’s dissolution, John began building 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.
Johnny 99 made his debut in 2016 with a four-song EP that showcased the first glimpses of his timeless songwriting, which fully bloomed on Words Left Unsaid. At about the same time, he was invited to play on City And Colour’s The Love Still Held Me Near, and has been touring with the band ever since.
While performing with Green nightly has fulfilled one of Sponarski’s primary ambitions, Johnny 99 has allowed him 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, and right now, few artists in Canada are doing it better.
Watch the video for I Wanna Go With My Boots On above, hear more from Johnny 99 below and scoot over to his website and Instagram.
