Month: July 2026

Essie Country’s
Real Country Music
Song of the Week
July 5-11, 2026

Rodeo Man
By Brandi Behlen 
Released March 13, 2020
(Source: Spotify)

Intro by Gene Johns 

Traditional country music has always told great stories, and Rodeo Man is a perfect example. This heartfelt ballad captures the loneliness, love, and sacrifice that come with loving a rodeo cowboy.

At 4 minutes and 41 seconds, this country ballad is considerably longer than today’s average country song. Yet, listening to Brandi Behlen tell this story is like watching a good Hallmark movie—you don’t want it to end.

Rodeo Man doesn’t rely on a catchy hook or an infectious beat to grab your attention. What it has is a believable story, traditional country music sound, and a warm, wonderful vocal performance you’ll remember long after the song ends.

This song has something else that much of today’s mainstream country music doesn’t have—it undeniably and unapologetically sounds like country music. A teacher by trade, this Texas artist gives Nashville a remedial lesson in what country music is supposed to sound like.

If you want to hear country music done right, just listen to Brandi Behlen sing Rodeo Man. Nashville, are you listening?

Rodeo Man 
by Brandi Behlen 
       ⬇️
https://youtu.be/sOmDp4GBSRU?is=V-IDBf4NfNu3P7aT

Essie Country — promoting real country music, the way it’s supposed to sound.