And the nominees are ...

In my column last week readers were asked to help determine the second best country music song of all time. I did not know what kind of response to expect, but after a seven-day barrage of e-mails, faxes and phone calls, let me say this .... ENOUGH!
Seriously, thanks for the great response.
I’m not the only who loves country music, as the thoughtfulness shown in many of your suggestions demonstrated.
I was very happy to see that almost all of the nominees were country “classics,” not popish modern day fluff by the likes of Prissy McBlonde and Buck Handsome. One caller did make a case for the Toby Keith tune “Beer for My Horses,” though surely he was pulling my leg.
I knew most of the nominated songs, but a few had me scratching my head. Somehow I had lived 47 years without hearing “The Blizzard” by Jim Reeves. A caller was so passionate about the song I tracked it down on YouTube and enjoyed it immensely. They just don’t write songs about brave horses anymore.
Another mystery was “Fussin’ Mama” by Cliff Carlisle. That one had me Googling and YouTubing for awhile before I determined that Mr. Carlisle was a contemporary of the Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers.
This column gave me a great excuse to rummage through my old records and hunt down tunes on the Internet, which was a reward in itself. For instance, listening to Ray Price’s flawless rendition of “For the Good Times” reminds how sophisticated country music can be in terms of singing and lyrics.
On the flip side of that, it’s also fun to crank up the Kentucky Head-hunters “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine.”
Here’s a list of suggestions made by readers. It should be complete, but if your pick is missing, it was by mistake. Determining the second best country song is a near impossible task, so everyone’s input was valued.
Here are some the results:
Songs receiving multiple nominations:
“Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty (four votes, including one from my big brother, Greg.)
“Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Johnny Cash (three votes)
“Crazy” by Patsy Cline (three votes).
“For the Good Times” by Ray Price (three votes).
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken” by various artists (three votes).
“Chiseled in Stone” by Verne Gosdin (two votes)
“Help Me Make It Through the Night” by Kris Kristofferson (two votes).
Songs receiving one nomination:
“Fussin’ Mama” by Cliff Carlisle, “Beer for my Horses” by Toby Keith, “Thank God and Greyhound She’s Gone” by Roy Clark, “The Gambler,” and “Coward of the County” by Kenny Rogers, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” by Loretta Lynn, “I Was Almost There” by Craig Morgan, “Give My Love to Rose” by Johnny Cash (great pick!), “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash.
And, “500 Miles” by Bobby Bare (great pick!), “All I Have to Offer You is Me” by Charley Pride, “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline, “I’ll Go to my Grave Loving You” by the Statler Brothers, “I’ll Fly Away, Are the Good Times Really Over” by Merle Haggard, “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” by Freddie Fender.
And, “Golden Rings” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette, “Rose Colored Glasses” by Jon Conley, “Faded Love,” “Luckenback Texas” by Waylon Jennings, “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard, “You Ain’t Woman Enough” by Loretta Lynn, “Fighting Side of Me” by Merle Haggard, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”
And, “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Gene Autry, “If Loving You is Wrong” by Barbara Mandrell, “Orange Blossom Special,” “Can’t Stop Loving You” by Don Gibson, “We Can’t Make It Here Anymore” by James McMurtry (great pick!), “She Thinks I Still Care”, “Third Rate Romance” by The Amazing Rhythm Aces, “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks, “Almost Home” by Craig Morgan and “El Paso” by Marty Robbins.
Shew!
That should be all the nominations.
I will announce the winner in a special column on Wednesday and also include 20 or so of my favorites.
Thanks to everyone who pitched in their two cents.
It’s been fun.

Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen.