List of Billboard Hot Country Songs chart achievements

This article highlights significant milestones and achievements based upon Billboard magazine's Hot Country Songs (and its titled predecessors) chart, and accomplishments on the Hot Country Albums chart. This list spans from the issue dated January 8, 1944 to the present. Billboard magazine began tracking the popularity of country music songs at that time, and it is widely considered to be the standard music popularity chart in the United States.

From 1944-1948, Billboard used just one chart to track songs' popularity - "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records." There was no standard chart length; a given week had anywhere from two to eight positions. A "Best Sellers" chart (first titled "Best Selling Retail Folk Records") was added with the May 15, 1948 issue, while a "Jockeys" (first known as "Country & Western Records Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys") first appeared on December 10, 1949. From 1949-1957, there were three charts that measured the popularity of country music songs; the Jukebox chart was dropped after the June 17, 1957 chart, while the final Best Sellers and Jockeys charts ended with the October 13, 1958 issue.

Starting October 20, 1958, there was one all-encompassing chart, combining both retail sales and radio airplay. First known as "Hot C&W Sides," the chart name changed to "Hot Country Singles" on November 3, 1962; "Hot Country Singles & Tracks" on January 20, 1990; and "Hot Country Songs" on April 30, 2005. The chart length varied through the years: 30 (1958–1964), 50 (1964–1966), 75 (1966–1973), 100 (1973–1990), 75 (1990–2000) and 60 (since January 6, 2001).^[1]

Contents 1 Artist achievements 1.1 Most chart entries 1.2 Most Top 40 hits 1.3 Most Top 10 singles 1.4 Most No. 1 hits 1.5 Most No. 1 hits in a calendar year 1.6 Most consecutive No. 1 hits 1.7 Most weeks at No. 1 1.8 Self-replacement at No. 1 1.9 Longest span between first and most recent No. 1 hits 1.10 Artists who have appeared in the Top 40 in at least five different decades 1.11 Artists who have hit No. 1 posthumously 1.12 Age records 1.12.1 Youngest Male 1.12.2 Oldest male 1.12.3 Youngest Female 1.12.4 Oldest Female 1.13 First artist born in a decade to have a No. 1 hit 2 The songs 2.1 Most weeks at No. 1* 2.1.1 Overall 2.1.2 By decade* 2.2 Most weeks at No. 2 2.3 Most total charted weeks 2.4 Songs that have hit No. 1 by multiple artists 2.4.1 Three times 2.4.2 Two times 2.4.3 In addition 2.5 Songs that reached No. 1 on both the country and pop charts 3 The charts 3.1 Most and fewest No. 1s in a given year 3.2 Biggest jump to No. 1 3.2.1 Early Billboard Country Charts (1944-1958) 3.2.2 Early Hot Country Singles era (1958-1973) 3.2.3 1973 to inception of BDS in 1990 3.2.4 BDS-era (1990-present) 3.3 Biggest fall from No. 1 3.3.1 Prior to inception of BDS in 1990 3.3.2 After inception of BDS in 1990 3.4 Quickest climb to No. 1 3.4.1 Since the introduction of the 100-position chart in 1973 3.4.1.1 Prior to inception of BDS in 1990 3.4.1.2 After inception of BDS in 1990 3.5 Slowest climb to No. 1 3.6 Highest chart debut 3.6.1 Since the introduction of the 100-position chart in 1973 3.6.1.1 Male artists 3.6.1.2 Female artists 3.7 Most year-end No. 1 songs of the year 4 The albums 4.1 Most singles from an album 4.2 Most number one songs from an album 4.2.1 Male 4.2.2 Female 4.2.3 Group 4.2.4 Duo 4.3 Most year-end No. 1 albums 5 See also 6 References and sources 6.1 References 6.2 Sources

Artist achievements

Most chart entries

• 168 — George Jones^[2]
• 146 — Eddy Arnold^[3]
• 135 — Johnny Cash^[4]
• 114 — George Strait^[5]
• 111 — Dolly Parton^[6]
• 109 — Ray Price^[7]
• 108 — Hank Williams, Jr.^[8]
• 105 — Merle Haggard^[9]

Most Top 40 hits

• 145 — George Jones
• 128 — Eddy Arnold
• 105 — Johnny Cash
• 93 — Merle Haggard
• 93 — George Strait

Most Top 10 singles

• 92 — Eddy Arnold
• 84 — George Strait
• 78 — George Jones
• 75 — Conway Twitty
• 71 — Merle Haggard

Most No. 1 hits

• 44 — George Strait (last #1 on April 18, 2009)
• 40 — Conway Twitty (last #1 on September 6, 1986)
• 38 — Merle Haggard (last #1 on February 20, 1988)
• 35 — Ronnie Milsap (last #1 on December 23, 1989)
• 33 — Alabama (last #1 on June 4, 2011)
• 29 — Charley Pride (last #1 on September 17, 1983)
• 28 — Eddy Arnold (last #1 on October 19, 1968)
• 26 — Alan Jackson (last #1 on November 20, 2010)
• 25 — Reba McEntire (last #1 on January 1, 2011)
• 25 — Dolly Parton (last #1 on March 4, 2006)

Most No. 1 hits in a calendar year

• 5 — tie between two artists:
  • Eddy Arnold, 1948 with "Anytime," "Bouquet of Roses," "Texarkana Baby," "Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long, Long Way)" and "A Heart Full of Love (For a Handful of Kisses)."
  • Charlie Rich, 1974 with "There Won't Be Anymore," "A Very Special Love Song," "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore," "I Love My Friend" and "She Called Me Baby."

Note: Eddy Arnold's feat does not count "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Til I Can Hold You In My Arms)," which began its 21-week run at No. 1 in November 1947 and remained there well into 1948.

Most consecutive No. 1 hits

Streak	Artist	First No. 1 and year	Last No. 1 and year	Streak-breaking song
21	Alabama	"Tennessee River" (August 1980)	"'You've Got' The Touch" (April 1987)	"Tar Top" (No. 7 in November 1987)
16	Earl Thomas Conley	"Your Love's on the Line" (August 1983)	"Love Out Loud" (June 1989)	"You Must Not Be Drinking Enough" (No. 26 in October 1989)
16	Sonny James	"Need You" (May 1967)	"Here Comes Honey Again" (November 1971)	"Only Love Can Break a Heart" (No. 2 in March 1972)

Note: Billboard and statistician Joel Whitburn disregard all non-No. 1 duets and Christmas releases in determining No. 1 streaks. If Christmas songs and duets were to be included in No. 1 streaks, however, Sonny James would continue to hold the standard with 16; Alabama's streak would be eight and 13 (with the 1982 Christmas song "Christmas in Dixie" splitting the pair of streaks) and Conley's streak split into nine and seven (broken up by the 1986 duet "Too Many Times" with Anita Pointer).

Most weeks at No. 1

• 145 — Eddy Arnold
• 111 — Webb Pierce
• 84 — George Strait
• 82 — Buck Owens
• 82 — Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys

Self-replacement at No. 1

Eddy Arnold holds the record, scoring five straight No. 1 songs in 1947-1948 without being replaced by another artist. The songs were:

• "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)" (21 weeks)
• "Anytime" (9 weeks)
• "Bouquet of Roses" (18 weeks Jukebox, 19 weeks Best Seller)
• "Texarkana Baby" (3 weeks Jukebox, 1 week Best Seller)
• "Just A Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long, Long Way)" (8 weeks Jukebox, 4 weeks Best Seller).

Year	Artist	No. 1 song	Replaced by
1944	Al Dexter	"So Long Pal" (13 weeks)	"Too Late To Worry, Too Blue to Cry" (2 weeks)
1949	Jimmy Wakely	"One Has My Name" (11 weeks Best Seller)	"I Love You So Much It Hurts" (3 weeks Best Seller)
1950	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	"I'm Moving On" (21 weeks Best Seller)	"The Golden Rocket" (2 weeks Best Seller)
1952	Carl Smith	"Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" (6 weeks Best Seller)	"When You Feel Like You're In Love (Don't Just Stand There)" (5 weeks Best Seller)
1953	Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys	"Kaw-Liga" (13 weeks best seller, 8 weeks Jockey and juke boxes)	"Your Cheatin' Heart" (6 weeks Jockey, 2 weeks Jukebox)
1954	Webb Pierce	"There Stands The Glass" (12 weeks Best Seller)	"Slowly" (17 weeks Best Seller)
1955	Webb Pierce	"In The Jailhouse Now" (20 weeks Best Seller)	"I Don't Care" (12 weeks Best Seller)
1956	Elvis Presley	"I Forgot To Remember to Forget" (5 weeks Jukebox, 2 weeks Best Seller)	"Heartbreak Hotel" (17 weeks Best Seller, 13 weeks Jukebox, 12 weeks Jockey)
1956	Elvis Presley	"Heartbreak Hotel" (17 weeks Best Seller)	"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (2 weeks Best Seller)
1964	Buck Owens	"My Heart Skips a Beat" (7 weeks)	"Together Again" (2 weeks)
1982	Willie Nelson	"Always on My Mind" (2 weeks)	"Just to Satisfy You" (duet with Waylon Jennings, 2 weeks)
2002	Tim McGraw	"The Cowboy in Me" (1 week)	"Bring On the Rain" (duet with Jo Dee Messina, 1 week)

Longest span between first and most recent No. 1 hits

Span	Artist	First No. 1 song and date	Most recent No. 1 song and date
35 years, 1 month	Dolly Parton	"Joshua" (February 1971)	"When I Get Where I'm Going" (March 2006, duet with Brad Paisley)
30 years, 9 months	Alabama	"Tennessee River" (August 1980)	"Old Alabama" (June 2011, duet with Brad Paisley)
29 years, 1 month	Johnny Cash	"I Walk the Line" (July 1956)	"Highwayman" (August 1985, as part of The Highwaymen)
28 years	Reba McEntire	"Can't Even Get the Blues" (January 1983)	"Turn On the Radio" (January 2011)
27 years, 9 months	Willie Nelson	"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (October 1975)	"Beer for My Horses" (June 2003, duet with Toby Keith)
26 years, 7 months	George Strait	"Fool Hearted Memory" (August 1982)	"River of Love" (April 2009)

Artists who have appeared in the Top 40 in at least five different decades

Artists	Decades	Years
6 decades
George Jones	1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s	1955–2005
5 decades
Eddy Arnold	1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s	1945–1982
Hank Thompson	1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s	1948–1980
Ernest Tubb*	1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s	1944–1983
Johnny Cash	1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s	1955–1990
Elvis Presley	1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 2000s	1955–2009
Willie Nelson	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s	1962–2003
Dolly Parton	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s	1967–2006
Kenny Rogers	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s	1969–2006
Hank Williams Jr.	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s	1964–2006
Reba McEntire	1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s	1978–2011
Alabama	1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s	1979–2011

Note: Ernest Tubb was not credited on the Billboard chart in 1983 when he appeared as one of two guest vocalists on Hank Williams Jr.'s 1983 Top 10 hit, "Leave Them Boys Alone." However, the song appears as the last chart entry under Tubb's listing (and thus, is given credit) in Joel Whitburn's book "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits" 2nd ed. (ISBN 0832082911).

Artists who have hit No. 1 posthumously

• Hank Williams^A (d. January 1, 1953) — with His Drifting Cowboys, scored four of his 11 career No. 1 songs after his death: "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," "Kaw-Liga," "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Take These Chains From My Heart," all 1953; "Kaw-Liga" was the No. 1 song of 1953
• Betty Jack Davis (d. August 2, 1953) — As a member of The Davis Sisters, went to No. 1 with "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in late 1953.
• Johnny Horton (d. November 5, 1960) — "North to Alaska" (1961).
• Hawkshaw Hawkins (d. March 5, 1963) — "Lonesome 7-7203" (1963).
• Jim Reeves^A (d. July 31, 1964) — Had six No. 1 songs after his death: "I Guess I'm Crazy" (1964); "This Is It" and "Is It Really Over" (1965); "Distant Drums" and "Blue Side of Lonesome" (1966); and "I Won't Come In While He's Here" (1967).
• Elvis Presley^{A, B} (d. August 16, 1977) — "Guitar Man" (1981).
• Keith Whitley^A (d. May 9, 1989) — "I Wonder Do You Think of Me" (1989) and "It Ain't Nothin'" (1990).

^ANote: In addition to their No. 1 hits, each of the artists have scored a number of Top 10 hits after their deaths.

^BPresley's "Way Down" charted at No. 1 the week of his death.

Age records

Youngest Male

• Artist with a top 40 hit — The youngest solo artist was Billy Gilman, who was 12 years, 3 months in September 2000 when he reached No. 20 with "One Voice." Overall, the youngest artist is Bobby Bare, Jr., who was 7 years, 6 months old in December 1973 when he charted with his father, Bobby Bare, on "Daddy What If?"
• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Phil Everly, who was 18 years, 6 months in July 1957 when, as a member of the Everly Brothers, reached the top with "Bye Bye Love."

Oldest male

• Artist with a top 40 hit — George Burns, who was 84 years old in March 1980 when he peaked in the Top 15 with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."
• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Willie Nelson, who was 70 years, 1 month and 2 weeks when he hit No. 1 with "Beer for My Horses", a duet with 41-year-old Toby Keith on June 14, 2003.

Youngest Female

• Artist with a top 40 hit — Ashley Gearing, who was &1000000000000001200000012 years, &1000000000000003800000038 days old when she hit with "Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You?", which peaked at #37 in 2003.^[10]
• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Marie Osmond, who was &1000000000000001400000014 years, &1000000000000002800000028 days old when she hit with "Paper Roses" on November 10, 1973.

Oldest Female

• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Dolly Parton, who was &1000000000000006000000060 years, &1000000000000004400000044 days old when she hit with "When I Get Where I'm Going". a duet with then-33-year-old Brad Paisley, on March 4, 2006. She also holds the distinction of being the oldest female artist with a top 40 hit. Reba McEntire has the distinction of being the oldest female to have a solo #1, being &1000000000000005500000055 years, &10000000000000279000000279 days old when "Turn On the Radio" went #1 on January 1, 2011.

First artist born in a decade to have a No. 1 hit

Decade of birth	Artist	Birthdate	No. 1 song	Year
1890s	Jimmie Davis	September 11, 1899	"There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder"	1945
1900s	Bing Crosby	May 3, 1903	"Pistol Packin' Mama" (with The Andrews Sisters)	1944
1910s	LaVerne Andrews Maxene Andrews Patricia Andrews	July 6, 1911 January 3, 1916 February 16, 1918	"Pistol Packin' Mama" (as The Andrews Sisters)	1944
1920s	George Morgan	June 28, 1924	"Candy Kisses"	1949
1930s	Goldie Hill	January 11, 1933	"I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes"	1953
1940s	Connie Smith	August 14, 1941	"Once a Day"	1964
1950s	Tanya Tucker	October 10, 1958	"What's Your Mama's Name"	1973
1960s	Wynonna Judd	May 30, 1964	"Mama He's Crazy" (as part of The Judds)	1984
1970s	Bryan White	February 17, 1974	"Someone Else's Star"	1995
1980s	LeAnn Rimes	August 28, 1982	"One Way Ticket (Because I Can)"	1996
1990s	Neil Perry	1990	"If I Die Young" (as a member of The Band Perry)	2010

The songs

Most weeks at No. 1*

Overall

Rank	Song	Artist	Weeks	Year
1	"I'm Movin' On"A	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	21	1950
2	"I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)"	Eddy Arnold	21	1947
3	"In the Jailhouse Now"	Webb Pierce	21	1955
4	"Crazy Arms"	Ray Price	20	1956
5	"I Don't Hurt Anymore"	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	20	1954
6	"Bouquet of Roses"	Eddy Arnold	19	1948
7	"Walk On By"	Leroy Van Dyke	19	1961
8	"Slowly"	Webb Pierce	17	1954
9	"Slippin' Around"	Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely	17	1949
10	"Heartbreak Hotel"	Elvis Presley	17	1956

^* In years where there were multiple charts, the most weeks spent on a particular chart is considered.

^A Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" breaks the tie among the three 21-week chart toppers (most weeks in the Top 10, at 44) and has been given Billboard's No. 1 honor; "I'll Hold You In My Heart" spent 41 weeks in the Top 10, "In the Jailhouse Now" 34 weeks.

By decade*

Decade	Song	Artist	Weeks	Year
1940s	"I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)"	Eddy Arnold	21	1947
1950s	"I'm Movin' On"	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	21	1950
	"In the Jailhouse Now"	Webb Pierce	21	1955
1960s	"Walk On By"	Leroy Van Dyke	19	1961
1970s	"My Hang-Up Is You"	Freddie Hart	6	1972
	"Convoy"	C.W. McCall	6	1976
	"Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)"	Waylon Jennings	6	1977
1980s	"Coward of the County"	Kenny Rogers	3	1980
	"My Heart"	Ronnie Milsap	3	1980
	"Lookin' for Love"	Johnny Lee	3	1980
	"Forever and Ever, Amen"	Randy Travis	3	1987
1990s	"Amazed"	Lonestar	8	1999
2000s	"It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"	Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett	8	2003

Most weeks at No. 2

Weeks	Song	Artist	Year	Blocked To #1 By
15	"Making Believe"	Kitty Wells	1955	In the Jailhouse Now (Webb Pierce)
11	"Temptation (Tim-Tayshun)"	Red Ingle and His Magnificent Seven	1947
9	"Sioux City Sue"	Zeke Manners	1946
9	"I Ain't Never"	Webb Pierce	1959	The Three Bells (The Browns)
8	"Never Trust a Woman"	Tex Williams and His Western Caravan	1948	I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) (Eddy Arnold)
8	"One More Time"	Ray Price	1960	He'll Have to Go (Jim Reeves)
8	"Foolin' Around"	Buck Owens	1961	North to Alaska (Johnny Horton)
7	"Just Call Me Lonesome"	Eddy Arnold	1955	I Don't Care (Webb Pierce)
7	"Yes, I Know Why"	Webb Pierce	1956	Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
7	"Lesson in Leavin'"	Jo Dee Messina	1999	Amazed (Lonestar)
7	"I Go Back"	Kenny Chesney	2004	Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw)

Most total charted weeks

Weeks	Song	Artist	Years
56	"Love Like Crazy"	Lee Brice	2009–2010
54	"Bouquet of Roses"	Eddy Arnold	1948–1949
53	"Voices"	Chris Young	2008, 2010-2011
52	"Fräulein"	Bobby Helms	1957–1958

Songs that have hit No. 1 by multiple artists

Three times

• "She (He) Thinks I Still Care" - George Jones (1962), Anne Murray (1974) and Elvis Presley (1977, flip side to "Moody Blue")

Two times

• "Pistol Packin' Mama" - Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters, and Al Dexter (both 1944)
• "Smoke On The Water" - Red Foley (1944) and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1945)
• "Shame on You" - Spade Cooley, and Lawrence Welk Orchestra with Red Foley (both 1945)
• "Slippin' Around" - Ernest Tubb, and Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely (both 1949)
• "Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes" - Slim Willet and Skeets McDonald (both 1952)
• "I Don't Care" - Webb Pierce (1955) and Ricky Skaggs (1982)
• "Why Baby Why" - Webb Pierce and Red Sovine (1956), and Charley Pride (1983)
• "Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley (1956), and Willie Nelson and Leon Russell (1979)
• "City Lights" - Ray Price (1958) and Mickey Gilley (1975)
• "She's Got You" - Patsy Cline (1962) and Loretta Lynn (1977)
• "Together Again" - Buck Owens (1964) and Emmylou Harris (1976)
• "It's Just a Matter of Time" - Sonny James (1970) and Randy Travis (1989)
• "(Lost Her/His Love On Our) Last Date" - Conway Twitty (1972) and Emmylou Harris (1983)
• "That's the Way Love Goes" - Johnny Rodriguez (1974) and Merle Haggard (1984)
• "It Must Be Love" - Don Williams (1979) and Alan Jackson (2000)

In addition

Dolly Parton was the only artist to have a No. 1 song with two different recorded versions of the same song. Her original recording of "I Will Always Love You" went to No. 1 in 1974. A re-recording of the song, for the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, reached No. 1 in 1982. A second re-recording with Vince Gill also charted at #15 in 1995.

Songs that reached No. 1 on both the country and pop charts

This section is a listing of all songs which reached No. 1 on the Billboard country - or prior to 1958, at least one of the component charts (best sellers, jukebox and/or jockey) - and Billboard Hot 100 (or, before 1958, one of the component charts (best sellers, jukebox, jockey and/or Top 100)).^[11][12][13]

Song	Artist	Date topped country chart/weeks at No. 1*	Date topped pop chart/weeks at No. 1*
"Pistol Packin' Mama"	Al Dexter	February 5, 1944 (3 weeks)	October 30, 1943 (8 weeks)
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)"	Tex Williams and His Western Caravan	July 19, 1947 (16 weeks)	August 9, 1947 (6 weeks)
"Slippin' Around"	Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely	October 8, 1949 (17 weeks)	November 12, 1949 (3 weeks)
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"	Gene Autry	January 7, 1950 (1 week)	January 7, 1950 (1 week)
"Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy"	Red Foley	January 20, 1950 (12 weeks)	February 16, 1950 (4 weeks)
"Slow Poke"	Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys (feat. Redd Stewart)	November 3, 1951 (15 weeks)	January 5, 1952 (3 weeks)
"Sixteen Tons"	Tennessee Ernie Ford	December 17, 1955 (10 weeks)	November 26, 1955 (8 weeks)
"Heartbreak Hotel"/"I Was The One"	Elvis Presley	March 17, 1956 (17 weeks)	April 21, 1956 (8 weeks)
"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"/"My Baby Left Me"	Elvis Presley	July 14, 1956 (2 weeks)	July 28, 1956 (1 week)
"Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog"	Elvis Presley	September 15, 1956 (10 weeks)	August 18, 1956 (11 weeks)
"Young Love"	Sonny James	February 2, 1957 (9 weeks)	February 16, 1957 (1 week)
"All Shook Up"	Elvis Presley	May 13, 1957 (1 week)	April 13, 1957 (9 weeks)
"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear"	Elvis Presley	August 5, 1957 (1 week)	July 8, 1957 (7 weeks)
"Wake Up Little Susie"	Everly Brothers	October 14, 1957 (7 weeks)	October 14, 1957 (4 weeks)
"Jailhouse Rock"/"Treat Me Nice"	Elvis Presley	December 2, 1957 (1 week)	October 21, 1957 (7 weeks)
"All I Have to Do Is Dream"/"Claudette"	Everly Brothers	June 2, 1958 (3 weeks)	May 12, 1958 (4 weeks)
"Bird Dog/"Devoted To You"	Everly Brothers	September 8, 1958 (6 weeks)	August 25, 1958 (1 week)
"The Battle of New Orleans"	Johnny Horton	May 18, 1959 (10 weeks)	June 1, 1959 (6 weeks)
"The Three Bells (Les Trois Cloches)"	The Browns	August 31, 1959 (10 weeks)	August 24, 1959 (4 weeks)
"El Paso"	Marty Robbins	December 21, 1959 (7 weeks)	January 4, 1960 (2 weeks)
"Big Bad John"	Jimmy Dean	November 20, 1961 (2 weeks)	November 6, 1961 (5 weeks)
"Honey"	Bobby Goldsboro	May 25, 1968 (3 weeks)	April 13, 1968 (5 weeks)
"Harper Valley PTA"	Jeannie C. Riley	September 28, 1968 (3 weeks)	September 21, 1968 (1 week)
"The Most Beautiful Girl"	Charlie Rich	November 24, 1973 (3 weeks)	December 15, 1973 (2 weeks)
"I Can Help"	Billy Swan	December 14, 1974 (2 weeks)	November 23, 1974 (2 weeks)
"(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song"	B.J. Thomas	May 17, 1975 (1 week)	April 26, 1975 (1 week)
"Before the Next Teardrop Falls"	Freddy Fender	March 15, 1975 (2 weeks)	May 31, 1975 (1 week)
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"	John Denver	May 31, 1975 (1 week)	June 7, 1975 (1 week)
"Rhinestone Cowboy"	Glen Campbell	August 23, 1975 (3 weeks)	September 6, 1975 (2 weeks)
"I'm Sorry"	John Denver	November 8, 1975 (1 week)	September 27, 1975 (1 week)
"Convoy"	C.W. McCall	December 20, 1975 (6 weeks)	January 10, 1976 (1 week)
"Southern Nights"	Glen Campbell	March 19, 1977 (2 weeks)	April 30, 1977 (1 week)
"Lady"	Kenny Rogers	November 22, 1980 (1 week)	November 15, 1980 (6 weeks)
"I Love a Rainy Night"	Eddie Rabbitt	January 17, 1981 (1 week)	February 28, 1981 (2 weeks)
"9 to 5"	Dolly Parton	January 24, 1981 (1 week)	February 21, 1981 (2 weeks)
"Islands in the Stream"	Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton	October 29, 1983 (2 weeks)	October 29, 1983 (2 weeks)
"Amazed"	Lonestar	July 17, 1999 (8 weeks)	March 4, 2000 (2 weeks)

*Note: For pre-1958 songs, the most weeks spent atop any one of the component charts is considered

The charts

Most and fewest No. 1s in a given year

• Most: (tie) 1985 and 1986, when 51 different No. 1 songs peaked in each year.^*
• Least: 1960, when just four different songs (five, if "El Paso" by Marty Robbins is counted) topped the chart. Each of the new No. 1 songs that year spent 10 or more weeks atop the chart.^[14]

^* Note: In 1985 and 1986, the No. 1 hit for the last week of December of each year spent two weeks in that position, in part due to the second week being a "frozen" week. This was at a time when Billboard "froze" the charts during the final week of the year due to its publication of the year-end issue. In addition, one song in 1985 — Ronnie Milsap's "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)" — spent two weeks at No. 1 that October.^[15]

Biggest jump to No. 1

Early Billboard Country Charts (1944-1958)

• "Guitar Polka" - Al Dexter -- (1946) -- debuted at #1
• "Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy" – Red Foley -- (1950) -- debuted at #1
• "Kaw Liga" - Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys -- (1953) -- debuted at #1

Early Hot Country Singles era (1958-1973)

1973 to inception of BDS in 1990

• 12 to 1 — "Convoy" -- C.W. McCall (December 20, 1975)

BDS-era (1990-present)

• 9 to 1 - "Keep It Between the Lines" -- Ricky Van Shelton (October 12, 1991)

Biggest fall from No. 1

Prior to inception of BDS in 1990

• 1 to 43 (tie)

• "Feels So Right" — Alabama (August 1, 1981)^[16]
• "Tight Fittin' Jeans" — Conway Twitty (October 3, 1981)^[17]

• 1 to 47

• "You Don't Know Me" - Mickey Gilley Billboard Sept. 26, 1981^[18]

After inception of BDS in 1990

• 1 to 16 - "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)" - Pam Tillis (February 18, 1995)

Quickest climb to No. 1

Since the introduction of the 100-position chart in 1973

Prior to inception of BDS in 1990

• 4 weeks — "Convoy" by C.W. McCall (December 20, 1975)

After inception of BDS in 1990

• 5 weeks (tie):

• "Shameless" by Garth Brooks (November 16, 1991)
• "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (June 7, 1997)
• "Have You Forgotten?" by Darryl Worley (April 5, 2003)

Note: These exclude Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory" (see below), which debuted at #1.

Slowest climb to No. 1

• 51 weeks — "Voices" by Chris Young (February 19, 2011)

Highest chart debut

Since the introduction of the 100-position chart in 1973

All six of these songs set their records after the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990.

Male artists

Note: These three songs also hold the record for the top three highest debuts overall.

• 1 - "More Than a Memory" - Garth Brooks (September 15, 2007)
• 16 - "Don't Blink" - Kenny Chesney (September 8, 2007)
• 17 - "Once in a Lifetime" — Keith Urban (September 2, 2006)^[19]

Female artists

• 20 - "So Small" -- Carrie Underwood (August 18, 2007)
• 21 - "All Jacked Up" -- Gretchen Wilson (August 13, 2005)
• 24 - "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" -- Shania Twain (October 19, 2002)

Most year-end No. 1 songs of the year

See Billboard Year-End for more information.

• 3 — Tim McGraw (1997, 1998, 2004)

— Willie Nelson (1978, 1982, 1984)

— Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys (1949, 1951, 1953)

• 2 — Bill Anderson (1963, 1969)

— Rodney Atkins (2006, 2007)

— Clint Black (1989, 1990)

— Brooks & Dunn (1996, 2001)

— Freddie Hart (1971, 1972)

— Alan Jackson (1991, 1993)

— Waylon Jennings (1977, 1978)

— Lonestar (1999, 2003)

— Ronnie Milsap (1980, 1985)

— John Michael Montgomery (1994, 1995)

— Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys (1950, 1954)

— Conway Twitty (1970, 1973)

The albums

Most singles from an album

From Come on Over by Shania Twain^[20]

1. "Love Gets Me Every Time" (#1)
2. "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" (#6)
3. "You're Still the One" (#1)
4. "From This Moment On" (#6)
5. "Honey, I'm Home" (#1)
6. "That Don't Impress Me Much" (#8)
7. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (#4)
8. "You've Got a Way" (#13)
9. "Come on Over" (#6)
10. "Rock This Country!" (#30)
11. "I'm Holdin' on to Love (to Save My Life)" (#17)

Most number one songs from an album

Male

From Diamonds & Dirt by Rodney Crowell

1. "It's Such a Small World" (duet with Rosanne Cash)
2. "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried"
3. "She's Crazy for Leavin'"
4. "After All This Time"
5. "Above and Beyond"

From 5th Gear by Brad Paisley

1. "Ticks"
2. "Online"
3. "Letter to Me"
4. "I'm Still a Guy"
5. "Waitin' on a Woman" (on re-release only)

Female

From King's Record Shop by Rosanne Cash

1. "The Way We Make a Broken Heart"
2. "If You Change Your Mind"
3. "Tennessee Flat Top Box"
4. "Runaway Train"

From The Woman in Me by Shania Twain

1. "Any Man of Mine"
2. "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!"
3. "You Win My Love"
4. "No One Needs to Know"

From Carnival Ride by Carrie Underwood

1. "So Small"
2. "All-American Girl"
3. "Last Name"
4. "Just a Dream"

Group

From Roll On by Alabama:

1. "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)"
2. "When We Make Love"
3. "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)"
4. "(There's A) Fire in the Night"

From Southern Star by Alabama:

1. "Song of the South"
2. "If I Had You"
3. "High Cotton"
4. "Southern Star"

From Lonely Grill by Lonestar:

1. "Amazed"
2. "Smile"
3. "What About Now"
4. "Tell Her"

From The Foundation by Zac Brown Band:

1. "Chicken Fried"
2. "Toes"
3. "Highway 20 Ride"
4. "Free"

From You Get What You Give by Zac Brown Band:

1. "As She's Walking Away" (duet with Alan Jackson)
2. "Colder Weather"
3. "Knee Deep" (duet with Jimmy Buffett)
4. "Keep Me in Mind"

Duo

From Why Not Me by The Judds:

1. "Mama He's Crazy"
2. "Why Not Me"
3. "Girls' Night Out"
4. "Love Is Alive"

From Rockin' with the Rhythm by The Judds:

1. "Have Mercy"
2. "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)"
3. "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain"
4. "Cry Myself to Sleep"

From Brand New Man by Brooks & Dunn

1. "Brand New Man"
2. "My Next Broken Heart"
3. "Neon Moon"
4. "Boot Scootin' Boogie"

Most year-end No. 1 albums

See Billboard Year-End for more information.

• 4 — Garth Brooks (1991, 1992, 1995, 1998)

— Shania Twain (1996, 1999, 2003, 2005)

• 3 — Willie Nelson (1976, 1978, 1982)
• 2 — Alabama (1983, 1985)

— Glen Campbell (1968, 1969)

— Tim McGraw (1994, 2001)

— Charley Pride (1970, 1972)

— Charlie Rich (1973, 1974)^*

— Kenny Rogers (1979, 1980)^*

— Taylor Swift (2009, 2011)

— Randy Travis (1987, 1988)

— Carrie Underwood (2006, 2007)^*

^*Note: Accomplished feat with the same album (Rich's Behind Closed Doors, Rogers' The Gambler and Underwood's Some Hearts).

See also

• List of Hot 100 (U.S.) chart achievements and trivia

References and sources

References

Sources

• Bronson, Fred, "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits" 5th ed. Billboard Publications, New York, 2003. ISBN 0823076776.
• Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits," Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.

• Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard magazine's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.

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