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 01/18/26 thru 01/24/26. Hold Your Horses   by Anne Wilson Released 10/17/25 Intro by Gene Johns   Anne Wilson is a bit of an anomaly for Essie Country. Anne has achieved notable success with her Southern twang-style voice, but not in country music. She is an American Christian singer with a Grammy nomination, as well as a two-time GMA Dove Award winner and a three-time K-Love Fan Award winner.    Her Christian singles have performed well on the Christian charts, including a number five hit, “Sunday Sermons,” a number four hit, “Strong,” and a chart-topping single, “My Jesus.” She has six other singles that made it into the Top 50 of Christian charts.    This twenty-three-year-old Lexington, Kentucky-born artist hasn’t produced many country songs. She caught my attention when I discovered ...

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 01/11/26 thru 01/17/26. All a Man Needs by Brian Callihan Released 11/27/2020 Intro by Gene Johns In just 3 minutes and 28 seconds, Brian Callihan makes a case that it doesn’t take a lot to be happy and content because he has all a man needs. And you know, I can relate to his philosophy.  Compared to many, I don’t have much. But I’m relatively debt free (I still owe on my POV), and I have a big screen tv with one of those little gadgets that changes the channel for me. I have unlimited access to real country music. I have a laptop computer that is virus free, and a good woman by my side. So Brian, I hear you. I have all a man needs. What does catching overpopulated wild hogs on the weekend and Brian Callihan have in common? That’s easy. He bought his first guitar from the extra money he earned catching those wild hogs...

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 01/04/26 thru 01/10/26 Far From Good by Triston Marez Released 10/18/2019 Intro by Gene John’s Way back in July and August of 2024, Triston Marez became the first and only artist whose songs Essie Country selected for two consecutive weeks as Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Song of the Week. Those two exceptional country songs were “Until I Found You” and “Where Rivers Are Red and Cowboys Are Blue.”   It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since we selected a song by Triston Marez for our song of the week. Triston is one of the best 21st-century real country music artists in America today. His song library would complement anyone’s collection of real country music.    Marez, a Houston, Texas native, was born into a musical family from Oklahoma. Triston began playing the guitar at age six, a...

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 12/28/25 thru 01/03/26 Happy Nashville New Year by Charles Esten Released 12/30/2016 Intro by Gene Johns   There aren’t many country songs with a New Year’s Eve theme. If there are, I didn’t find them. But I was fortunate to discover an entertaining New Year’s Eve-themed song, “Happy Nashville New Year,” written and performed by Charles Esten.   It’s a slightly jazzed-up country song with a hint of old “rock and roll,” while still keeping it country! It’s a good song and an energetic performance by sixty-year-old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native Charles Esten.   Who is Charles Esten? Wikipedia lists his occupations as actor, musician, singer, songwriter, and comedian. According to Wikipedia, “Charles Esten played the role of country singer Deacon Claybourne on the drama Nashville from 2012 to 2018, which sub...

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 12/20/25 thru 12/27/25 It’s Christmas Y’all by Scotty Inman Released 11/01/2025 Intro by Gene Johns   Bluegrass and Southern Gospel music are closely associated with traditional country music, so it isn’t unusual for a singer from one of those two genres to migrate to country music.    For example, Zach Top, a rising country music star, has a strong bluegrass background. Scotty Inman, this week’s artist featured in our real country music song of the week, “It’s Christmas Y’all,” has spent the last two decades as a member of the Southern Gospel group, the Triumphant Quartet.    Forty-three-year-old Scotty Inman is an American singer and songwriter based in Nashville, TN. He left the Triumphant Quartet in 2023 to focus on his solo career. Today, Scotty’s solo career blends Southern Gospel with a coun...

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 12/14/25 thru 12/20/25 Even the Snow is Falling  by Ryan Hinkle Released 11/14/2017 Intro by Gene Johns I couldn’t find much information about Ryan Hinkle, the artist performing this week's Essie Country’s 21st Century Real Country Music Christmas Song of the Week, “Even the Snow is Falling.”    His Facebook page is inactive, and his page listing tour dates shows no upcoming shows. It’s like he has disappeared from the face of the Earth. I found some information about legal troubles he had, but since I couldn’t verify that information, I won’t say what those problems were.    While there isn’t any information about the artist Ryan Hinkle, I do know one thing: his style and artistry earned him and his song a spot in this year's Essie Country’s Celebration of Christmas.    This Christmas ...