For decades, country music has been able to provide a playlist for any situation, including the holidays. Some of the best songs are by country artists, including these four songs, which are among the best country Christmas songs of all time, and all came out in the 90s. Sadly, although they are really good, hardly anyone remembers them anymore.
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“O Holy Night” by Martina McBride
In 1998, Martina McBride released her White Christmas album. The record includes several holiday favorites, such as “The Christmas Song”, “Silver Bells”, “Away In A Manger”, and more. But nothing sounds quite like McBride’s soaring “O Holy Night”. The song, released by McBride for three consecutive years, from 1997 to 1999, likely helped make White Christmas a multi-platinum project for her.
McBride performed the songs more recently for several years on her The Joy of Christmas Tour. She remains of fan of “O Holy Night”, as well as other holiday favorites.
“Christmas songs just set a mood,” she tells The State Journal-Register. “Because they’re so specific to a specific time of year when people are connecting with each other, and there’s usually a hustle and a bustle. And then with all the decorations and bringing a tree into your house. The songs are so closely associated with all those things that they instantly put you in a certain type of mood,”
“Mary, Did You Know” by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd
Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene are the writers of “Mary, Did You Know”. One of the most popular modern Christmas songs of all time, numerous artists have recorded the song since it first came out in 1991. But few have attained the magic that Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd did with their duet version.
Rogers is joined by Judd for the song on his 1996 My Gift record. The project also includes “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, “‘Til The Season Comes Around Again”, and more. Rogers and Judd’s version is the only song from the record that was released as a single on the radio.
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson includes “A Holly Jolly Christmas” on his Honky Tonk Christmas album. Out in 1997, the record is Jackson’s fourth record, and his first one of holiday tunes.
Other songs on Honky Tonk Christmas include “There’s A New Kid In Town”, “If We Make It Through December”, and more. Honky Tonk Christmas also includes “It Wasn’t His Child“, Jackson’s duet with the late Keith Whitley.
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” first came out in 1964. Written by Johnny Marks, Burl Ives’ version remains among the most popular. Other artists have also recorded the holiday classic, including Lady A and Michael Bublé.
“Sleigh Ride” by Garth Brooks
In 1999, Garth Brooks released Garth Brooks & The Magic Of Christmas. The record features several holiday favorites that Brooks released that year, including “Sleigh Ride”. A holiday classic, first released in 1948, Brooks puts his own country spin on “Sleigh Ride”, making it one of the more memorable country Christmas songs of the decade.
Brooks has released several other Christmas albums since it remains his favorite time of the year.
“I love Christmas,” Brooks says on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I can’t have enough Christmas. To me, ornaments are cool, but they’ve got to have meaning to them. We always decorate with the three girls because we’ve done that since we’ve known each other. So, the three girls have three bells and that’s the first thing that has to go on the tree.”
Photo by SGranitz/WireImage
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