Essie Country’s Song of the Week

Greetings to fans of real country   music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song  of the Week for the week of  09/28/25 thru 10/04/25 It Does by Jesse Daniels  Released 09/20/2024 Intro by Gene Johns The story behind this week’s selection for Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week, “It Does” by Jesse Daniels, has a unique personal twist.  I came across “It Does” when searching for new legitimate country music songs on Spotify. When I tried finding out about the artist, Jesse Daniels, I found very little information on the internet. I ended up on his Facebook page, and I contacted the artist for information. I was pleasantly surprised that he responded almost immediately. What I learned from Jesse is that he  is an independent country music artist from Myakka City, Florida. Myakka City is a small unincorporated community just east of Sarasota, Florida. He is only about two hours away f...

Greetings to fans of real country   music, and welcome to this week’s   Essie Country’s 21st Century Real  Country Music Song   of the Week for the week of   09/21/25 thru 09/27/25. Pray Written & Performed by Erin Viancourt Released 07/21/23 Intro by Gene Johns One of the elements of the country music genre is that, over the years, there have been a multitude of songs about faith and God. They were sandwiched in among the nucleus of traditional country music, which includes stories of heartache, cheating, and drinking. Talk about walking into a lion’s den!  Because of country music’s rich history of songs about faith and God, it would be negligent of me not to include, from time to time, a genuine country song about faith and God in Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week series.  Our first tip of the hat to a country music song about faith and God was “Cowboy Church” by Megan Barker and Zane Williams, back in March of thi...

An Essie Country Special Edition Song of the Week for 09/14/25 thru 09/20/25 Still America  Performed by Thomas Mac Released 09/06/2024 Intro by Gene Johns  Because of a recent tragic event, I specifically selected a song for Essie Country’s Song of the Week to honor a great American Patriot who became a victim of a political assassination.  As you have heard, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated by a coward on September 10, 2025, on the campus of Utah Vally University. Charlie was a loving husband and dad of two young children. His senseless assassination breaks my heart.  Robert Thier, a German historian and an award-winning author, once said, “Life is not about living the safer option. Life is about living a life worth living."  Charlie Kirk devoted his life, with great enthusiasm, to engage in peaceful civil discourse on potentially hostile college campuses about traditional American values and ideas. Why? Because he believed it was impor...

On Top of the World  Greetings to fans of real country  music, and welcome to this week’s  Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week for the week of 09/08/25 thru 09/14/25. On Top of the World Cowritten & Performed  by Brian Callihan Released February 3, 2023 Intro by Gene Johns  Thirty-nine-year-old Brian Callihan was only eleven-years-old when he realized he wanted to be a country music singer. He came to that realization after he got Country Music Hall of Fame member Keith Whitley’s    Greatest Hits album. Whitley’s music inspired Brian to start song writing and to teach himself how to play the guitar.  Brian, who was actively involved in sports growing up on a small farm in Southern Georgia, put down his baseball glove and football helmet to start performing two-hour sessions at local bars at the age of fifteen. That experience reinforced his desire to become a country music artist and songwriter which led him to mov...