About Jamie Johnson,
I love the guy and all his music but you have to ask yourself what "doing well" is. He is on constant tour playing small venues and state fairs with the occasional casino performance. Yes he is doing his own thing and staying true to his core persona but its still nowhere near what acts like Jason Aldean and those guys are doing.
So to me the "hes still keeping traditional country alive" argument isnt valid. I saw him last year here in OKC at a very small dance hall. It was packed at maybe 500 people. His entourage was a tour bus, a small trailer, and two vans to carry the crew. ALthough he has had HUGE success at times he is still playing the same circuit that small acts are playing just to make ends meet.
If he is happy then that is all that matters. It seems like a hard life to me and is one reason I gave up the "Gigging band" thing years ago. Its one thing to pay your dues and work your way up but to have as big a name as he does and still be living on the road seems like the antithesis of what he should be doing.
With his stature as a writer, he could spend his days working with new acts and writing for labels. Maybe he loves the small tours. Who knows but traditional country is still and will remain on the back burner as long as young people drive record sales.
MH