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), 60 (2001-2012), and 50 (since October 20, 2012).

Please note that this article does not count a number-one hit toward each artist that participated on the song "Forever Country". The song debuted at the top of the Hot Country Songs for the week of October 8, 2016, but is attributed to the group "Artists of Then, Now, & Forever."^[1]

Artist achievements

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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
• 98 — George Strait
• 93 — Merle Haggard

Most Top 10 singles

• 92 — Eddy Arnold
• 86 — 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
• 26 — Tim McGraw
• 25— Reba McEntire
• 25 — Dolly Parton

Most No. 1 hits - Female

• 25 - Reba McEntire^[10]
• 25 - Dolly Parton
• 20 - Tammy Wynette
• 19 - Crystal Gayle
• 16 - Loretta Lynn
• 14 - Carrie Underwood
• 14 - The Judds
• 11 - Rosanne Cash

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 years charting a number-one single

Number of years	Artist	First number-one hit and week	Final number-one hit and final week
19	George Strait	"Fool Hearted Memory" (August 28, 1982)	"The Best Day" (May 6, 2000)
16	Ronnie Milsap	"Pure Love" (June 8, 1974)	"A Woman in Love" (December 23, 1989)
14	Alan Jackson	"I'd Love You All Over Again" (March 9, 1991)	"Remember When" (February 14, 2004)
	Alabama	"Tennessee River" (August 16, 1980)	"Reckless" (November 27, 1993)

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)
15	Buck Owens	"Act Naturally" (June 1963)	"Your Tender Loving Care" (September 1967)	"It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)" (No. 2 in January 1968)

Note: Billboard and statistician Joel Whitburn disregard all non-No. 1 duets, B-side releases that chart on their own 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), and Owens had several B-sided songs (plus a Christmas single) that made the chart but failed to reach the No. 1 position.

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)
2014	Luke Bryan	"This Is How We Roll" (duet with Florida Georgia Line, 6 weeks)	"Play It Again" (9 weeks)

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
7 decades
George Jones	1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s	1955–2013
6 decades
Dolly Parton	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s	1967–2016
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
Glen Campbell	1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s	1962–2014
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	1978–2015
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 978-0-8230-8291-9).

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?" (an eventual No. 2 hit).
• 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." When solo acts are considered, Hunter Hayes was the youngest at 21 years old in September 2012 when he reached No. 1 with "Wanted."

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." When the entire chart is considered, Eddy Arnold is the oldest, at age 89, when he peaked at No. 49 in 2008 with "To Life."
• 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 12 years, 38 days old (to become the youngest solo female vocalist) when she hit with "Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You?", which peaked at #37 in 2003.^[11] Overall, the honor goes to Tina Denise Byrd, who was 8 or 9 years old when her duet with stepfather George Jones "The Telephone Call" (credited as "Tina and Daddy") peaked at No. 25 in the spring of 1974.
• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Marie Osmond, who was 14 years, 28 days old when she hit with "Paper Roses" on November 10, 1973.

Oldest Female

• Artist with a No. 1 hit — Dolly Parton, who was 60 years, 44 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. Reba McEntire has the distinction of being the oldest female to have a solo #1, being 55 years, 279 days old when "Turn On the Radio" went #1 on January 1, 2011. Reba also became the oldest female artist with a top 40 hit when her song "Just Like Them Horses" debuted at #37 for the week of February 13, 2016^[12] when she was 60 years, 10 months, and 14 days old. Dolly was 59 years, 8 months, and 27 days old when "When I Get Where I'm Going" cracked the Top 40 for the week of October 15, 2005.^[13]

Other selected achievements

• The record for the longest wait from an artist's Hot Country Songs debut entry to its first No. 1 belongs to Jimmy Buffett, with 30 years the first time he entered the chart with "The Great Filling Station Holdup" on May 12, 1973, to his first No. 1 song with "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" (a duet with Alan Jackson) on August 9, 2003, a period of 30 years and 3 months. Also, at age 56 years and 7 months, Buffett became the oldest artist to have his first No. 1 song with "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere."
• At approximately 63 years, Eddy Arnold has the longest overall span of singles on the Hot Country Songs chart – from first to most recent – by a living artist. He first hit the charts in 1945 with "Each Night Seems Like a Million Years," while his last hit, "To Life," was on the charts shortly before his death in 2008.
• The artist having the longest gap between two No. 1 songs on the Hot Country Singles chart was Elvis Presley. On December 2, 1957, Presley reached No. 1 for the seventh time with "Jailhouse Rock." He did not have his eighth No. 1 hit on the country chart until February 19, 1977, with "Moody Blue," a span of 19 years, two months and two weeks.

The songs

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Most weeks at No. 1*

Overall

Weeks	Song	Artist	Year
24	"Cruise"	Florida Georgia Line	2013
21	"I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)"	Eddy Arnold	1947
21	"I'm Movin' On"	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	1950
21	"In the Jailhouse Now"	Webb Pierce	1955
20	"I Don't Hurt Anymore"	Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys	1954
20	"Crazy Arms"	Ray Price	1956
19	"Bouquet of Roses"	Eddy Arnold	1948
19	"Walk On By"	Leroy Van Dyke	1961
18	"H.O.L.Y."	Florida Georgia Line	2016
17	"Slippin' Around"	Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely	1949
17	"Slowly"	Webb Pierce	1954
17	"Heartbreak Hotel"	Elvis Presley	1956
17	"Die a Happy Man"	Thomas Rhett	2015-2016

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

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
2010s	"Cruise"	Florida Georgia Line	24	2013

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
10	"Cruise"	Florida Georgia Line	2012
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)
8	"Remember When"	Alan Jackson	2004
8	"Dirt"	Florida Georgia Line	2014
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)
7	"Wagon Wheel"	Darius Rucker	2013
7	"Boys 'Round Here"	Blake Shelton	2013	Cruise (Florida Georgia Line)

Most total charted weeks

Weeks	Song	Artist	Years
66	"Cruise"	Florida Georgia Line	2012–2013
56	"Love Like Crazy"	Lee Brice	2009–2010
56	"Wanted"	Hunter Hayes	2012–2013
54	"Bouquet of Roses"	Eddy Arnold	1948–1949
53	"Voices"	Chris Young	2008, 2010–2011
52	"Fräulein"	Bobby Helms	1957–1958
51	"Let It Rain"	David Nail featuring Sarah Buxton	2011–2012

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 is 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 all-genre 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)).^[14][15][16]

Song	Artist	Date topped country chart/weeks at No. 1*	Date topped all-genre 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)
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"	Taylor Swift	October 20, 2012 (10 weeks)	September 1, 2012 (3 weeks)

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

The charts

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Most and fewest No. 1s in a given year

• Most: (tie) 1985 and 1986, when 51 different No. 1 songs peaked in each year.^*
• Fewest: 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.^[17]

^* 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.

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

1973 to inception of BDS in 1990

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

BDS-era (1990-2012)

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

Digital era (2012-present)

• 42 to 1 - "Burnin' It Down" -- Jason Aldean (August 9, 2014)

Biggest fall from No. 1

Billboard Country Charts (1944-present)

• 1 to off the chart (tie)
  • "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" -- Gene Autry (January 14, 1950).
  • "Blue Christmas" -- Ernest Tubb (January 14, 1950).

Prior to inception of BDS in 1990

• 1 to 43 (tie)
  • "Feels So Right" — Alabama (August 1, 1981)^[18]
  • "Tight Fittin' Jeans" — Conway Twitty (October 3, 1981)^[19]
• 1 to 47
  • "You Don't Know Me" - Mickey Gilley Billboard (Sept. 26, 1981)^[20]

BDS era (1990-2012)

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

Digital era (2012-present)

• * 1 to off the chart: "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" -- Craig Wayne Boyd (January 10, 2015).

Quickest climb to No. 1

Airplay/sales hybrid era (1958-1990)

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

Airplay-only era (1990-2012)

• 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.

Airplay/sales/streaming hybrid era (2012-present)

• 2 weeks - "Dirt" by Florida Georgia Line (July 26, 2014)
• 2 weeks - "Burnin' It Down" by Jason Aldean (August 9, 2014)
• 3 weeks - "That's My Kind of Night" by Luke Bryan (August 31, 2013)

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

Overall

• 1 - "More Than a Memory" - Garth Brooks (September 15, 2007)
• 1 - "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" - Craig Wayne Boyd (January 3, 2015)
• 1 - "Forever Country" - Artists of Then, Now & Forever (October 8, 2016)
• 2 - "Red" - Taylor Swift (October 20, 2012)
• 2 - "Vice" - Miranda Lambert (August 6, 2016)

Male artists

• 1 - "More Than a Memory" - Garth Brooks (September 15, 2007)
• 1 - "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" - Craig Wayne Boyd (January 3, 2015)
• 13 - "Feel Like a Rock Star" - Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw (April 21, 2012)
• 13 - "Highway Don't Care" - Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift (February 23, 2013)
• 16 - "Don't Blink" - Kenny Chesney (September 8, 2007)

Female artists

• 2 - "Red" - Taylor Swift (October 20, 2012)
• 2 - "Vice" - Miranda Lambert (August 6, 2016)
• 3 - "Over You" - Cassadee Pope (December 8, 2012)
• 4 - "Stupid Boy" - Cassadee Pope (December 29, 2012)

Group artists

• 9 - "Better Dig Two" - The Band Perry (November 17, 2012)
• 22 - "Day Drinking" - Little Big Town (June 21, 2014)
• 24 - "Take Me There" - Rascal Flatts (July 21, 2007)

Duo artists

• 24 - "That's Why I Pray" - Big & Rich (June 9, 2012)
• 27 - "All I Want to Do" - Sugarland (June 7, 2008)
• 30 - "My Maria" - Brooks & Dunn (April 6, 1996)

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)

— Florida Georgia Line (2013, 2014)

— 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)

Other selected achievements

• On the chart for November 4, 1957, the Nos. 1 and 2 songs on the country, Billboard Hot 100, and R&B charts are identical: Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" and the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie." In addition, the No. 6 hit on the Hot 100 and R&B charts — Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb" — is also climbing the country chart.^[21]
• On the chart for the week of April 19, 1980, for the only time in history, the top 5 positions of the Hot Country Singles chart were held by female singers (or in one case, a female as part of a duet pairing). The Top 5 from that week was:

1. "It's Like We Never Said Goodbye" by Crystal Gayle
2. "A Lesson in Leavin'" by Dottie West
3. "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again" by Debby Boone
4. "Beneath Still Waters" by Emmylou Harris
5. "Two Story House" by Tammy Wynette (duet with George Jones)^[22]

The albums

Most songs from an album

From Come on Over by Shania Twain^[23]

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)

From Red by Taylor Swift

1. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (#1)
2. "Begin Again" (#10)
3. "Red" (#2)
4. "I Almost Do" (#13)
5. "All Too Well" (#17)
6. "Stay Stay Stay" (#24)
7. "Treacherous" (#26)
8. "Starlight" (#28)
9. "Holy Ground" (#32)
10. "The Lucky One" (#33)
11. "Sad Beautiful Tragic" (#37)

From Here's to the Good Times by Florida Georgia Line

1. "Cruise" (#1)
2. "Get Your Shine On" (#5)
3. "Here's to the Good Times" (#33)
4. "Round Here" (#3)
5. "Stay" (#1)
6. "Dayum, Baby" (#49)
7. "This Is How We Roll" (#1)
8. "Take It Out on Me" (#32)
9. "Hands on You" (#33)
10. "Headphones" (#39)
11. "People Back Home" (#42)

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)

— Taylor Swift (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013)^*

• 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)^*

— Randy Travis (1987, 1988)

— Carrie Underwood (2006, 2007)^*

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

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones

References and sources

References

1. "Making Music With Their Friends: 'Forever Country' Debuts at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 215. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 32. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 86. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 408. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 317. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
7. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
8. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 467. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
9. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 175. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
10. Coyne, Kevin John (2010-07-29). "Carrie Underwood and Female Country Artists: A Historical Perspective". Country Universe. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
11. CMT.com : Ashley Gearing : HOT TALK: Newcomer Ashley Gearing Revs Up
12. http://www.billboard.com/artist/364742/reba-mcentire/chart?sort=date&f=357
13. https://books.google.com/books?id=5BUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60&dq=billboard+country+top+50+October+15,+2005&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi92JGzlOzLAhXKrB4KHYE2DCUQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=billboard%20country%20top%2050%20October%2015%2C%202005&f=false
14. • Whitburn, Joel. "Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music," Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1986 (ISBN 0-89820-083-0)
15. Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2006.
16. Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles 1955-2006." 2007.
17. Joel Whitburn "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits" 2nd ed. (ISBN 978-0-8230-8291-9).
18. Billboard magazine — August 1, 1981 issue
19. Billboard magazine — October 3, 1981 issue
20. Billboard magazine — September 26, 1981 issue
21. Rolling Stone Rock Almanac: The Chronicles of Rock & Roll," Collier Books, MacMillan Publishing Co., New York and London, 1983, p. 33. ISBN 0-02-081320-1
22. Billboard magazine — April 19, 1980 issue.
23. Eggar, Robin (2005). Shania Twain: The Biography. CMT Books.

Sources

• Bronson, Fred, "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits" 5th ed. Billboard Publications, New York, 2003. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
• 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.