Making music with a personal touch

Many aspiring musicians, were they slipped Sodium Pentothal, would say that their main goal is to become rich and famous. Not so with Compton McMurry and Meredith Johnson, the indie-pop husband-wife duo who record and perform as Common Man.

Or at least not primarily so.

“Uh, I don’t think it would hurt anything,” Johnson says, laughing. “But if we never grew past selling out 100-cap venues, I think we would be satisfied. Our vision for our marriage is to build something together that’s sustainable and for us to be able to be working together.”

Only One Common Man

Common Man has just released its second EP, Only One. You can find it on Apple Music and Spotify (with accompanying videos on YouTube). You’ll encounter winsome melodies, thoughtful lyrics, sweet vocals (and vocal harmonies), and ready-for-prime-time production. What you won’t encounter: heavy-handed statements about the couple’s faith in Christ.

“It’s cool when people resonate with the parts of our music that allude to our faith,” says Johnson. “But we don’t have any interest in trying to occupy strictly Christian spaces. We’re making music for everybody.”

The two met three years ago when they were in their early 20s. McMurry, a pastor’s kid, was playing a Memphis show hosted by some of his fans at their home, and his roommate convinced Johnson, a worship leader’s daughter, to be McMurry’s opening act. Fifty-three weeks later to the day, they married.

The Only One song that best captures the emotions accompanying such a rapid onset of lifelong mutual surrender is the tender and eloquent “Giving Up,” a song that—the couple’s lack of interest in occupying strictly Christian spaces notwithstanding—culminates in the couplet “Place your hand in mine when doubt seizes / gaping wounded wide-eyed at Jesus.”

The song’s so nice it’s on the vinyl edition of Only One twice (studio version on Side 1, acoustic live version on Side 2). As of now, however, the only way to get an LP is to attend a Common Man performance. And these days, most of the duo’s gigs take place in fans’ homes.

As it was a house show that brought McMurry and Johnson together in the first place, you could say that they’re dancing with the one that brought ’em.

“Our mission as Common Man is to make really good music and play it for as many people as will share it with us,” says Johnson. “And we’ve found a lot of success with asking people to open their homes and invite all their friends and family. House shows are definitely our lane right now.”