COUNTRY CHARTBEAT (Read 15,032 times)

[countrychartnut]

1. SWINDELL'S HERE AT #1: Cole Swindell collects his third #1 hit this week with You Should Be Here. It is the title track to his second album. He starts this one just one better than his 2014 self-titled debut. Chillin' It peaked at #2 that year.
2. 50 WEEKS: Chase Bryant is spending his 50th week on the chart as Little Bit Of You is at #5 this week. It becomes the eighth single to spend at least that much time on the chart. The others:
1. 56 weeks-Love Like Crazy-Lee Brice-2010
2. 54 weeks-Bouquet Of Roses-Eddy Arnold-1948
3. 52 weeks-Fraulein-Bobby Helms-1957
4. 52 weeks-Voices-Chris Young-2011
5. 51 weeks-Let It Rain-David Nail-2012
6. 50 weeks-Love You Like That-Canaan Smith-2015
7. 50 weeks-Gonna Wanna Tonight-Chase Rice-2015
8. 50 weeks-Little Bit Of You-Chase Bryant-2016
3. A LOT OF NOISE: Blasting his way to #21 this week is Kenny Chesney and Noise. It is the lead single to an upcoming album. Chesney is no stranger to high debuts. His highest is the #13 debut he had in 2012 with Feel Like A Rock Star with Tim McGraw. He debuted at #16 in 2007 with Don't Blink. The Boys Of Fall in 2010 started at #17.
4. A TIE: We have two songs taking four point jumps for fastest climbers of the week. They are:
1. Girl Next Door-Brandy Clark-#46 to #42
2. Sleep Without You-Brett Young-#59 to #55
5. HE CHARTS, TOO: Bobby Bones, host of his Bobby Bones Show makes his chart debut at #60 with Fishin' With My Dad. It is from his The Critics Give It Five Stars album.
6. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have four albums making their debut on the country albums chart this week. They are:
1. Chapter 1 EP-Kane Brown-#3 with 22,000 sold
2. Critics Give It Five Stars-Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots-#4 with 12,000 sold
3. Southern Family-Various Artists-#5 with 11,000 sold
4. Then Sings My Soul: Songs For My Mother-Wade Bowen-#18 with 3000 sold
7. A 60S LOOK: These were the chart topping hits during the last week of March during the 1960s:
1960: He'll Have To Go-Jim Reeves-RCA
1961: Don't Worry-Marty Robbins-Columbia
1962: She's Got You-Patsy Cline-Decca
1963: Don't Let Me Cross Over-Carl Butler and Pearl-Columbia
1964: Saginaw, Michigan-Lefty Frizzell-Columbia
1965: King Of The Road-Roger Miller-Smash
1966: Waitin' In Your Welfare Line-Buck Owens-Capitol
1967: Walk Through This World With Me-George Jones-Musicor
1968: A World Of Our Own-Sonny James-Capitol
1969: Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass-Buck Owens-Capitol
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: If it weren't for vocal collaborations, Emmylou Harris would not have had any hits during the second half of the 1980s. She came back on her own to score two major hits in 1989. Heartbreak Hill became her last top ten hit. The #8 peaking song graced our top ten 27 years ago this week.
In 1984, Harris released Profile II: The Best Of Emmylou Harris. A new song became a top 40 hit in 1985: Someone Like You (#26). She went to work on a classic album (come to think of it, aren't ALL Harris albums classics?) called The Ballad Of Sally Rose. Lead single, White Line was released in March and proceeded to a #14 peak. That would be the last time Harris would see a solo single peak in the top twenty for the next four years. Two other singles failed to dent the top 40: Rhythm Guitar (#44) and Timberline (#55). During this time, her label signed a new group by the name of Southern Pacific. Their self-titled debut album of 1985 started with a bomb: the #60 peaking Someone's Gonna Love Me Tonight. They rebounded quite nicely with the second single, the Tom Petty tune called Thing About You. The excellent duet with Harris peaked at #15, becoming the first of eight top twenty hits for the group. Southern Pacific would honor Harris with their 1986 single, A Girl Like Emmylou (#17). Getting back to Harris, She released her thirteenth studio album called Thirteen (how clever) in 1986. She remained hitless as a solo artist when two singles did not see the top 40 portion of the chart: I Had My Heart Set On You (#60) and Today I Started Loving You Again (#43).
Well, after a near decade of talking about recording an album together, Harris finally got together with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for their Trio album. The recording for that album started on Parton's 40th birthday (in January, 1986). The mountain-tinged album was a resounding success, reaching #1 on the country albums chart for five weeks and even #6 on the top 200 chart. The platinum selling disc yielded four top ten country hits. They are:
1. To Know Him Is To Love Him-1987-#1
2. Telling Me Lies-1987-#3
3. Those Memories Of You-1987-#5
4. Wildflowers-1988-#6
The album won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. The A.C.M. named it Album of the Year while the C.M.A. gave it Vocal Event of the Year (the first in that category). Harris' 1987 album, Angel Band yielded just one single, the #60 peaking Someday My Ship Will Sail. She released a single from the Planes, Trains, And Automobiles soundtrack called Back In Baby's Arms (#53). Harris' next big hit came via a duet with Earl Thomas Conley called We Believe In Happy Endings. That was a remake of the Johnny Rodriguez hit of 1978 (#7). Conley had reservations with singing with Harris. He wasn't sure if their voices would blend together. Well, they did. We Believe In Happy Endings was the second single to his The Heart Of It All album. It hit the top in September 1988, becoming the last of seven #1 hits for Harris. With the success of that duet, she went to work on her Bluebird album. Lead single, Heartbreak Hill was released in December, 1988. It climbed all the way to #8 in April 1989, becoming her first solo top ten hit since 1984's Pledging My Love (#9). It was her 27th and final top ten. Second single, Heaven Only Knows peaked at #16. That became her 39th and final top 40 hit. Her final single of the 1980s was a remake. That was I Still Miss Someone and that peaked at #51 for Harris. It had previously hit #38 for Don King in 1981.
In 1990, Harris released a unique album called Duets. A single from the CD was released called Gulf Coast Highway with Willie Nelson. It did not chart. Another duet was released, but it was off the George Jones CD, Friends In High Places. That was All Fall Down and like Gulf Coast Highway, it did not chart. Check out her excellent duet with Gram Parsons on Love Hurts. As a solo artist, Harris' next two albums yielded her final chart appearances. They are:
1. Brand New Dance
a. Wheel Of Love-#71 in 1990
2. Cowgirl's Prayer
a. High Powered Love-#63 in 1993
b. Thanks To You-#65 in 1994
The most complete set of Harris' music you can find is the three CD box set called Portraits from 1996. Her final chart appearance was a vocal collaboration (surprise?) between Keni Thomas and Vince Gill called Not Me (#47 in 2005). She was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Her current CD is called The Traveling Kind with Rodney Crowell, a one time member of Harris' Hot Band. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING APRIL 1, 1989:
1. Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye-George Strait-MCA
2. I'm No Stranger To The Rain-Keith Whitley-RCA
3. From The Word Go-Michael Martin Murphey-Warner Bros.
4. Who You Gonna Blame It On This Time-Vern Gosdin-Columbia
5. Big Love-Bellamy Brothers-MCA
6. Old Coyote Town-Don Williams-Capitol
7. The Church On Cumberland Road-Shenandoah-Columbia
8. HEARTBREAK HILL-EMMYLOU HARRIS-REPRISE
9. New Fool At An Old Game-Reba McEntire-MCA
10. There's A Tear In My Beer-Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams, Sr.-Warner Bros.

[countrychartnut]

1. SWINDELL'S BIGGEST: Cole Swindell continues to top the chart with You Should Be Here. It becomes his first multi week #1 at two weeks, thus becoming his biggest hit so far.
2. A.C.M. CHART: This year's winners on this week's chart:
3. Confession-Florida Georgia Line-Vocal Duo of the Year
6. Snapback-Old Dominion-New Group of the Year
8. Somewhere On A Beach-Dierks Bentley-A.C.M. Host
14. Nobody To Blame-Chris Stapleton-Male Vocalist, New Male Vocalist, Album, and Song of the Year
15. T-Shirt-Thomas Rhett-Single of the Year
16. Huntin', Fishin', And Lovin' Every Day-Luke Bryan-A.C.M. Host
22. Record Year-Eric Church-Video of the Year
29. Lights Come On-Jason Aldean-Entertainer of the Year
39. Southern Boy-Jordan Rager and Jason Aldean-Entertainer for Aldean
41. Peter Pan-Kelsea Ballerini-New Female Vocalist of the Year
3. THEIR BIGGEST IN FOUR YEARS: Rascal Flatts eases up one to #2 with I Like The Sound Of That. It becomes their biggest hit in four years since they last topped the chart in 2012 with Banjo. They have done well in the interim, collecting these hits:
1. Come Wake Me Up-2012-#4
2. Changed-2013-#20
3. Rewind-2014-#3
4. Payback-2014-#21
5. Riot-2015-#20
4. URBAN HIGH: Keith Urban blasts his way onto the chart at #20 with the third Ripcord single, Wasted Time. It is his second highest debut following the #17 start for 2006's Once In A Lifetime.
5. BALLERINI IS FAST: Kelsea Ballerini has the fastest climbing song of the week as Peter Pan flies up ten to #41.
6. GOING FOR FOUR: The Zac Brown Band debuts at #55 with Castaway. It is the fourth single from their Jekyll + Hyde CD. If it tops the chart, it will be the fourth single to do so. It will follow Homegrown and Loving You Easy from last year and Beautiful Drug from this year. Furthermore, the Jekyll + Hyde CD will be their third to contain a quartet of chart toppers following:
1. The Foundation
a. Chicken Fried
b. Toes-2009
c. Highway 20 Ride-2010
d. Free-2010
2. You Get What You Give
a. As She's Walking Away-with Alan Jackson-2010
b. Colder Weather-2011
c. Knee Deep-with Jimmy Buffett-2011
d. Keep Me In Mind-2011-chart wise, their biggest hit
7. PRICE DEBUTS: Margo Price debuts on the country albums chart this week at #10 with Midwest Farmer's Daughter. 4000 copies were sold last week.
8. CONGRATULATIONS: I would like to extend congratulations to Charlie Daniels, Randy Travis, and Fred Foster for making it to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
9. A 60S LOOK PART II: These were the top selling albums during the first week of April during the 1960s:
1964: Ring Of Fire: The Best Of Johnny Cash-Johnny Cash-Columbia
1965: I've Got A Tiger By The Tail-Buck Owens-Capitol
1966: Roll Out The Red Carpet For Buck Owens And His Buckaroos-Buck Owens-Capitol
1967: There Goes My Everything-Jack Greene-Decca
1968: The Everlovin' World Of Eddy Arnold-Eddy Arnold-RCA
1969: Wichita Lineman-Glen Campbell-Capitol
10. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: This section is taking a week off. Will be back next week.

[countrychartnut]

1. MERLE HAGGARD (1937-2016): Thank you for the many songs and memories you have provided us over the course of many years. R.I.P..
2. STILL HERE: Cole Swindell tops the chart for a third week with You Should Be Here, the lead single and title track to his upcoming album.
3. A YEAR'S WORTH OF BRYANT: Celebrating his first anniversary on the chart with the same single is Chase Bryant with Little Bit Of You at #4. Other songs to spend at least a year on the charts are:
1. 56 weeks-Love Like Crazy-Lee Brice-2010
2. 54 weeks-Bouquet Of Roses-Eddy Arnold-1948
3. 52 weeks-Fraulein-Bobby Helms-1957
4. 52 weeks-Voices-Chris Young-2011
5. 52 weeks-Little Bit Of You-Chase Bryant-2016
4. BRICE ARRIVES: Speaking of Lee Brice, his That Don't Sound Like You reaches the top ten at #10 in its 44th week. It is the follow up to his #2 hit, Drinking Class which was named top country single of 2015.
5. TUCKER FAST: Tucker Beathard has the fastest climbing song of the week as Rock On rolls up sixteen to #30.
6. A KRAMER FOLLOW UP: Grabbing the Hot Shot Debut of the week is Jana Kramer's third Thirty One single, Said No One Ever at #58. It is the follow up to her second top ten from last year, I Got The Boy (#6).
7. NOT WAITING: Old Dominion debuts at #59 with Beer Can In A Truck Bed. They are still climbing at #5 with Snapback.
8. JOEY + RORY DEBUT: Joey + Rory debut at #10 on the country albums chart with The Album Collection.  4000 were sold last week.
9. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping songs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Colder Weather-Zac Brown Band-Atlantic
2006: What Hurts The Most-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2001: Who I Am-Jessica Andrews-DreamWorks
1996: No News-Lonestar-BNA
1991: Down Home-Alabama-RCA
10. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Earl Thomas Conley charted for the first time in 1975 with I Have Loved You, Girl But Not Like This Before (#87). Little did he know at the time he would rerecord the song seven years later for a major label. When he did, it became the first of three #2 hits. It was our runner up song 33 years ago this week.
He was on the GRT label at the time where he met Nelson Larkin. Larkin would produce Conley between 1975-1987. Conley would follow I Have Loved You, Girl with another #87 single, It's The Bible Against The Bottle For Daddy's Soul. Two more singles would be released, both in 1976: High And Wild (#67) and Queen Of New Orleans (#77). It should be noted that Conley would have great success as a writer, hitting the top twenty when Mel Street took Smokey Mountain Memories to #13 in 1975 and the top when Conway Twitty took This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me to #1 in 1976. Conley went without releasing any singles for a year as he transferred from GRT to his first major label, Warner Bros.. He reached the top 40 for the first time with Dreamin's All I Do (#32 in 1979). He was billed as Earl Conley. He nearly reached it again with Middle Age Madness (#41). His second top 40 hit had it billed as the E.T.C. Band, Stranded On A Dead End Street (#26). His stint at Warner Bros. came to an end and he signed to the Sunbird label in 1980. Finally, an album was released called Blue Pearl. Lead single, Silent Treatment was released just before the year ended. It peaked at #7 in early 1981, giving Conley and Sunbird their first top ten. Next came Fire And Smoke and the became the first of eighteen chart toppers for Conley in July. Billboard named it the top single of the year. Waiting on the sidelines was RCA who purchased Conley's contract from Sunbird and the rights to the Blue Pearl album. They rereleased the album with different songs on it (Silent Treatment and Fire And Smoke repeated here). Their first single together, Tell Me Why kicked off 1982 on a #10 note. The double-sided After The Love Slips Away/Smokey Mountain Memories hit #16.
Well, RCA would kick Conley's career in higher gear with the Somewhere Between Right And Wrong album of 1982. Heavenly Bodies, the first single hit #8. They released Conley's most uptempo record to date with the title track. That would be Conley's second #1 in December. In January 1983, I Have Loved You, Girl was released. It certainly looked like Conley would reel in his third chart topper, but was stopped at #2 for the first week by the duet pairing of Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton with We've Got Tonight. Looking for a second chance to top the chart, Conley's labelmates, Alabama jumped him to claim a #1 with Dixieland Delight. With the success of their first full album together, Conley and RCA were on the cusp of history with the second, Don't Make It Easy For Me. From the rest of 1983 until 1989 ended, ONLY two singles failed to top the chart. Four singles were pulled from Don't Make It Easy For Me and all hit the top between 1983-1984. They are:
1. Your Love's On The Line-1983
2. Holding Her And Loving You-1983
3. Don't Make It Easy For Me-1984
4. Angel In Disguise-1984
After Angel In Disguise peaked, RCA threw a party for Conley to celebrate the fact that he became the first artist to pull four chart toppers from an album. The Treadin' Water album almost matched Don't Make It Easy For Me in chart toppers. This time, a trio of #1s were produced in:
1. Chance Of Lovin' You-1984
2. Honor Bound-1985
3. Love Don't Care Whose Heart It Breaks-1985
During this time, Conley would score a top ten hit with Gus Hardin called All Tangled Up In Love (#8 in 1985). That was off her album called Wall Of Tears. It was time for a greatest hits album and two new songs added to Conley's chart topping streak: Nobody Falls Like A Fool (1985-chart wise, his biggest hit) and Once In A Blue Moon (1986). It was time to release another album and Conley did so with Too Many Times. Lead single, the title track was a duet with Anita Pointer. That was released in July, 1986 and broke Conley's streak of nine chart toppers when it peaked at #2 (Exile was tops with It'll Be Me). Conley then started a new string of #1s. The other singles from the album topped the chart in 1987: I Can't Win For Losin' You, That Was A Close One, and Right From The Start. RCA decided to break up the professional relationship of Larkin and Conley at this time. Conley released The Heart Of It All in 1988. The album was produced by Emory Gordy, Jr. and Randy Scruggs. For the second time in his career, a quartet of chart topping hits were produced. They are:
1. What She Is Is A Woman In Love-1988
2. We Believe In Happy Endings-with Emmylou Harris-1988
3. What I'd Say-1989-check it out for the number of times 'go to hell' is said
4. Love Out Loud-1989
A fifth single, You Must Not Be Drinking Enough broke his second chart topping streak at seven when it peaked at #26. It was originally recorded by Don Henley as You're Not Drinking Enough. It should be noted that Conley would NEVER have a #1 again. It didn't stop him from releasing another greatest hits album in 1990. Again, two new songs gave him chart appearances that year with Bring Back Your Love To Me (#11) and Who's Gonna Tell Her Goodbye (#61). Yours Truly was the last CD Conley would release on RCA. Four singles were produced. They are:
1. Shadow Of A Doubt-1991-#8
2. Brotherly Love-with Keith Whitley-1991-#2-also on Whitley's Kentucky Bluebird CD-BOTH artists' last top ten hit
3. Hard Days And Honky Tonk Nights-1992-#36-Conley's last top 40 hit
4. If Only Your Eyes Could Lie-1992-#74-Conley's last chart appearance
After a decade at RCA, Conley went without a label for six years. A variety of reasons is given for this hiatus like fatigue and politics. He came back in 1998 to release Perpetual Emotion on Intersound Records. It features five new songs and five rerecordings of his hits. Minus greatest hits albums and live albums, this was his last musical statement. Ironically, while Conley's first major successes were in songwriting, so was his last. He wrote All Over Me which Blake Shelton took to #18 in 2002. The most complete collection of Conley's hits in 2015's The Essential Earl Thomas Conley. You'll find I Have Loved You, Girl But Not Like This Before present. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BONUS: 1975 version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LghQ5e-k7hM

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING APRIL 16, 1983:
1. Dixieland Delight-Alabama-RCA
2. I HAVE LOVED YOU, GIRL BUT NOT LIKE THIS BEFORE-EARL THOMAS CONLEY-RCA
3. American Made-Oak Ridge Boys-MCA
4. Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight-Hank Williams, Jr.-Elektra
5. You're The First Time I've Thought About Leaving-Reba McEntire-Mercury
6. My First Taste Of Texas-Ed Bruce-MCA
7. Sounds Like Love-Johnny Lee-Full Moon
8. Jose Cuervo-Shelly West-Warner Bros.
9. Amarillo By Morning-George Strait-MCA
10. Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love-B.J. Thomas-Columbia

[ozbest1]

Thanks for the Merle tribute, along with all the other great readings and chart stats. So glad you do this for us!

[countrychartnut]

1. THEY LIKE #1: For the thirteenth time in their career, Rascal Flatts have the #1 song in country with I Like The Sound Of That. It is the fourth single from their current album, Rewind. The others are:
1. Rewind-2014-#3
2. Payback-2014-#21
3. Riot-2015-#20
They are enjoying some star power on this one as I Like The Sound Of That was written by Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay and Meghan Trainor, known for her #1 pop hit, All About That Bass from 2014. Jesse Frasure also wrote the song. He is a deejay, record producer, music publisher, and songwriter. Furthermore, Rascal Flatts keep a perfect streak of having a #1 from their first three Big Machine albums. The albums and songs are:
1. Nothing Like This-Why Wait-2010
2. Changed-Banjo-2012
3. Rewind-I Like The Sound Of That-2016
2. THIRD PLACE: At 53 weeks on, Chase Bryant's Little Bit Of You (#7) has now spent the third most time on the charts. Only Eddy Arnold, at 54 weeks with Bouquet Of Roses (1948) and Love Like Crazy by Lee Brice (2010) at 56 weeks have lasted longer.
3. COME FAST: Jason Aldean has the fastest climbing song of the week as Lights Come On goes up seven to #21.
4. CAMPBELL'S SECOND: Grabbing the Hot Shot Debut of the week is Craig Campbell at #56 with Outskirts Of Heaven. It is his second Red Bow single as the first, Tomorrow Tonight peaked at #39 last year.
5. THE HAGGARD EFFECT: Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson return to the top ten on the country albums chart at #9 with their 2015 album, Django & Jimmie. It had debuted at #1 that year. It was the #29 selling country album last week. 4300 were sold last week. Haggard recently passed away on his 79th birthday (4-6).
6. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: My Kinda Party-Jason Aldean-Broken Bow
2006: Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2001: O Brother, Where Art Thou-Soundtrack-Lost Highway
1996: The Woman In Me-Shania Twain-Mercury
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
7. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: With the success of her first chart hit, I'm A Honky Tonk Girl (#14 in 1960 on Zero Records), Loretta Lynn signed a contract with Decca Records in 1961. There, she met Patsy Cline, the #1 female at the label and they struck up a friendship. That only lasted two years as Cline perished in a plane crash in 1963. Cline left an indelible mark on Lynn (who became the #1 female at Decca after Cline's passing). Fourteen years later, Lynn released a tribute album to Cline and took her biggest hit, She's Got You to the top. That was our #1 song 39 years ago this week.
The track listing to I Remember Patsy is as follows:
1. She's Got You-1977-#1
2. Walkin' After Midnight
3. Why Can't He Be You-1977-#7
4. Faded Love
5. I Fall To Pieces
6. Crazy
7. Sweet Dreams
8. Back In Baby's Arms
9. Leavin' On Your Mind
10. I Remember Patsy
She's Got You was written by Hank Cochran. Cline released her version in February, 1962. It became her second and final chart topping hit in March and April for four weeks. Billy Walker interrupted her run at the top with Charlie's Shoes, chart wise, his biggest hit. Cline returned to the top in May for a fifth and final week. She's Got You became a crossover hit, reaching #14 pop and #3 adult contemporary. That was the only single to chart from her Sentimentally Yours album. Heartaches was released but did not chart. It should be noted that Lynn was charting at this time with her first top ten for Decca called Success (#6). Cline charted for the last time while alive with Leavin' On Your Mind (#8 in 1963). After the plane crash, she collected major hits with the following:
1. Sweet Dreams Of You-1963-#5
2. Faded Love-1963-#7
3. Always-1980-#18
4. Have You Ever Been Lonely Have You Ever Been Blue-with Jim Reeves-1982-#5
During the bicentennial year, Lynn, one of the biggest names in country music decided to record an album of Cline's songs. Lynn decided on releasing She's Got You as the lead single. Released exactly fifteen years after Cline's version, it rang the bell at #1 in April. While no one is going to replace Cline anytime soon, Lynn turns in an excellent version of She's Got You. Another single, Why Can't He Be You was featured on the Greatest Hits album by Cline in 1967. That, too was written by Cochran. That was the b-side to Heartaches. Even though it wasn't a hit for Cline, Lynn took it to #7 in the fall. In between those two records, Lynn charted with Conway Twitty with their biggest #2 hit, I Can't Love You Enough. The tribute album reached #2 on the country chart. It should be noted that Lynn was NOT the only one to resurrect Cline songs on the chart during the 1970s. Emmylou Harris recorded her version of Sweet Dreams and made that a #1 hit in 1976. Reba McEntire also recorded Sweet Dreams and took that to #19 in 1979.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Lynn had major hits with the following:
1. Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed-1978-#1-with this, Lynn owns the record for female artists to top the chart for the most consecutive years-twelve (1967-1978)
2. Spring Fever-1978-#12
3. From Seven Till Ten/You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly-with Twitty-1978-#6
4. We've Come A Long Way, Baby-1978-#10
5. I Can't Feel You Anymore-1979-#3
6. I've Got A Picture of Us On My Mind-1979-#5
Both Cline (1973) and Lynn (1988) are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Lynn Won the Artist of the Decade from the A.C.M. in 1979. Lynn's last chart appearance came in 2010 when Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow remade Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter fro a tribute CD to Lynn. Lynn's version reached the top in 1970 while the vocal collaboration peaked at #55. Lynn just released an album on Legacy Records called Full Circle. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING APRIL 23, 1977:
1. SHE'S GOT YOU-LORETTA LYNN-MCA
2. She's Pulling Me Back Again-Mickey Gilley-Playboy
3. Paper Rosie-Gene Watson-Capitol
4. Play, Guitar Play-Conway Twitty-MCA
5. It Couldn't Have Been Any Better-Johnny Duncan-Columbia
6. You Never Can Tell C'est La Vie-Emmylou Harris-Warner Bros.
7. Slide Off Of Your Satin Sheets-Johnny Paycheck-Epic
8. Some Broken Hearts Never Mend-Don Williams-ABC/Dot
9. The Rains Came/Sugar Coated Love-Freddy Fender-ABC/Dot
10. I'm Sorry For You, My Friend-Moe Bandy-Columbia

[ozbest1]

Another interesting chart update and chart history lesson. Love these. Thanks, CCNut!

[countrychartnut]

Apr 13, 2016 17:56:02 GMT -4 ozbest1 said:
Thanks for the Merle tribute, along with all the other great readings and chart stats. So glad you do this for us!

Apr 19, 2016 15:56:56 GMT -4 ozbest1 said:
Another interesting chart update and chart history lesson. Love these. Thanks, CCNut!

Thank you for the comments.  If there's something you want covered, please let me know.  I want to meet and/or exceed your expectations.

[countrychartnut]

1. THEY CONFESS-THEY'RE #1: Florida Georgia Line tops the chart for the eighth time with Confession. This is the fifth single and fourth chart topper from their current album, Anything Goes. The #1s off of Anything Goes are:
1. Dirt-2014
2. Sun Daze-2015
3. Sippin' On Fire-2015
4. Confession-2016
Another release, the title track peaked at #3 in 2015. Anything Goes matches the success of Here's To The Good Times in producing #1 hits. The quartet off of their debut album are:
1. Cruise-2012
2. Get Your Shine On-2013
3. Round Here-2013
4. Stay-2014-chart wise, their biggest hit
Furthermore, Anything Goes is the 38th album in country music history to contain a quartet of #1 hits. Here's a link to those albums and hits:
country-discussion.proboards.com/thread/726/1-hits
2. CASTAWAY FAST: The Zac Brown Band have the fastest climbing song of the week as Castaway zooms up eleven to #38.
3. ANOTHER GENERATION CHARTS: Tara Thompson makes her debut on the chart as Someone To Take Your Place lands at #60 this week. She is a relative of Loretta Lynn. Lynn has seen her sister, Crystal Gayle and cousin, Patty Loveless chart between the 1970s to 2000s.
4. SIMPSON'S #1: Sturgill Simpson lands his first #1 country album as A Sailor's Guide To Earth sold 52,000 copies last week. His previous album, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music peaked at #8 in 2014.
5. OSMOND'S BACK: She's a little bit country, but Marie Osmond lands at #10 on the country albums chart with Music Is Medicine. 4000 copies were sold last week. Her last time on the chart was back in 2011 when a duets album with her brother, Donny Osmond peaked at #30.
6. A 50S LOOK: These were the chart topping songs during the last week of April during the 1950s:
1950: Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy-Red Foley-Decca
1951: Rhumba Boogie-Hank Snow-RCA
1952: Easy On The Eyes-Eddy Arnold-RCA
1953: Kaw-Liga-Hank Williams-MGM
1954: Slowly-Webb Pierce-Decca
1955: In The Jailhouse Now-Webb Pierce-Decca
1956: Heartbreak Hotel-Elvis Presley-RCA
1957: Gone-Ferlin Husky-Capitol
1958: Oh, Lonesome Me-Don Gibson-RCA
1959: White Lightning-George Jones-Mercury
7. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Merle Haggard has a baker's dozen #1 albums on Capitol Records. Let's list them here:
1. Swinging Doors And The Bottle Let Me Down-1966
2. Branded Man-1967
3. Sing Me Back Home-1968
4. Same Train, A Different Time-1969
5. Okie From Muskogee-1970-C.M.A. Album of the Year
6. The Fightin' Side Of Me-1970
7. Hag-1971
8. The Best Of The Best Of Merle Haggard-1972
9. It's Not Love But It's Not Bad-1973
10. I Love Dixie Blues So I Recorded 'Live' In New Orleans-1973
11. Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album-1974
12. Keep Movin' On-1975
13. It's All In The Movies-1976
Title #13 was our #1 selling album forty years ago this week.
Let us start the story in 1974 (why not). In October of that year, Haggard released the lead single to his Keep Movin' On album, Kentucky Gambler. That was written by Dolly Parton. Haggard had a crush on her and wanted a relationship with her. Parton said she couldn't have a relationship with Haggard as she was (and is) happily married to Carl Dean (they will be celebrating 50 years as a couple this year). In any case, Kentucky Gambler became a #1 hit for Haggard in January, 1975 (his 19th overall). Haggard's feelings for Parton really came to light with his next single, Always Wanting You. By this time, the two were touring together between 1974-1975. He even played the song one night to her (even waking her up). She handled it with her usual grace, even saying she thought Haggard was special and even loved him, too. Always Wanting You hit the top in April. Third and final single, Movin' On was used as a theme song for a television show by the same name. The show aired on NBC between 1974-1976. Movin' On topped the chart in July. Haggard was ready for a new album. That was titled It's All In The Movies. The track listing for the album is as follows:
1. It's All In The Movies-1975-#1
2. Nothing's Worse Than Losing
3. After Loving You
4. Stingeree
5. I Know An Ending When It Comes
6. This Is The Song We Sing
7. Living With The Shades Pulled Down
8. Hag's Dixie Blues, No. 2
9. Let's Stop Pretending
10. Cotton Patch Blues
11. The Seeker
The only single released from the album was the title track. The song is about famous scenes in movies that would create analogies for love. In other words, things that would happen in real life would only happen 'in the movies'. Released as a single in September, it became yet another #1 for Haggard in November. It completed his best year on the charts (four chart toppers in a calendar year). He covers Parton's #2 hit of 1975, The Seeker. Yet, the album would NOT surface for a few months. Haggard would release the title track to ANOTHER album that would not see the light of day for months, The Roots Of My Raising. It's All In The Movies, the album was released in March, 1976 as The Roots Of My Raising hit the top of the singles chart. Two months later, Haggard would reel in his lucky thirteenth #1 album. Shortly after that, Haggard would release another album called My Love Affair With Trains (#7). A lone single, Here Comes The Freedom Train would hit #10 during the summer. It was during this time that after eleven years at Capitol, Haggard would sign to MCA Records. One more hit was at Capitol and that became his 24th and final #1 at the label: Cherokee Maiden/What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana (in November). Right after that song peaked, Capitol released The Roots Of My Raising album. It proceeded to a #8 peak in 1977.
At MCA, the #1s were replaced by #2s. He charted five runner up hits between 1977-1980. They are:
1. If We're Not Back In Love By Monday-1977
2. Ramblin' Fever-1977
3. I'm Always On A Mountain When I Fall-1978
4. It's Been A Great Afternoon-1978-his biggest #2 hit
5. The Way I Am-1980
It was during this time that Conway Twitty broke Eddy Arnold's mark for having the most chart toppers in history. Twitty collected chart topper #29 with I'd Love To Lay You Down in 1980. Haggard would see the top after the Twitty record peaked with Bar Room Buddies, a duet with Clint Eastwood off the Bronco Billy soundtrack. MCA would see just one #1 with Haggard and that was I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink. That became his 26th chart topping hit. That was in 1981 and Haggard signed to Epic Records. He would see the top of the country albums chart with Pancho & Lefty with Willie Nelson in 1983 and It's All In The Game in 1984. Haggard was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. His last chart appearance came in 2006 when his duet with Gretchen Wilson, Politically Uncorrect peaked at #23. His current album is a duets project with Nelson called Django & Jimmie that became Haggard's sweet sixteenth #1 album last year. Sadly, Haggard died on his 79th birthday this year. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 1, 1976:
1. IT'S ALL IN THE MOVIES-MERLE HAGGARD-CAPITOL
2. The Sound In Your Mind-Willie Nelson-Columbia
3. Come On Over-Olivia Newton-John-MCA
4. Wanted! The Outlaws-Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser-RCA
5. Elite Hotel-Emmylou Harris-Reprise
6. Sometimes-Bill Anderson and Mary Lou Turner-MCA
7. 'Til I Can Make It On My Own-Tammy Wynette-Epic
8. The White Knight-Cledus Maggard and the Citizen's Band-Mercury
9. Greatest Hits-Johnny Rodriguez-Mercury
10. This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me-Conway Twitty-MCA

[countrychartnut]

1. YOUNG AND POPE ARE THINKING #1: Chris Young and Cassadee Pope are tops this week with Think Of You. It is the second single from Young's current album, I'm Comin' Over. The title track spent three weeks at the top in late 2015. As for Pope, this is her first #1 hit and second top ten overall. Her first, Wasting All These Tears peaked at #10 in early 2014. She then charted with I Wish I Could Break Your Heart (#32 in 2014) and I Am Invincible (#52 in 2015).
2. H.O.L.Y. H.I.G.H.: Florida Georgia Line blasts their way onto the chart with H.O.L.Y. at #26. It is the lead single to their third album, Dig Your Roots. H.O.L.Y. stands for High On Lovin' You.
3. YOUNG IS FAST: Brett Young has the fastest climbing song of the week with Sleep Without You. It moves up seven to #38.
4. AFTER NOBODY TO BLAME: Chris Stapleton makes his debut at #57 with Parachute. It is the follow up to his first top ten, Nobody To Blame (#10). It is from the year-old Traveller album.
5. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping hits in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Live A Little-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2006: Who Says You Can't Go Home-Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles-Island
2001: Ain't Nothing 'Bout You-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1996: You Win My Love-Shania Twain-Mercury
1991: Rockin' Years-Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton-Columbia
6. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Mark Wills was lucky to get a week at the top in 1999 with his first #1, Wish You Were Here. After all, that was sandwiched between two blockbuster singles: How Forever Feels by Kenny Chesney, to date his biggest hit and Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw, one of his biggest hits. The Wills song was our top single seventeen years ago this week.
Wills signed to the Mercury label in 1995. His self-titled debut album was released in 1996. That started with a memorable release, Jacob's Ladder. Released in May, it quickly became his first top ten (out of eight top tens) at #6. The b-side to the record, High Low And In Between became his next single and that faltered at #33. 1997 was kicked off with the third and final single and that was Places I've Never Been. That became his first top five record when it peaked at #5. The Wish You Were Here album was released in 1998. I Do Cherish You was selected as the lead single. That was released in February and found a spot at #2 for two weeks, unable to get I Just Want To Dance With You by George Strait and the duet with Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn called If You See Him/If You See Her out of the way. I Do Cherish You was also a hit for 98 Degrees (#13 pop in 1999). While Wills was charting with I Do Cherish You, he picked up the A.C.M. Award for Top New Male Vocalist. Don't Laugh At Me was the second single and that became Wills' second #2 hit. Only McGraw's Where The Green Grass Grows prevented Wills from getting a #1 here. 1999 started with Wills releasing the title track to his album. Wish You Were Here was released in January and hit the top in May. After two #2 hits, Wills finally saw life at the penthouse. He was able to dethrone the six week #1 by Chesney, How Forever Feels before being replaced by McGraw a week later with Please Remember Me (five weeks at #1). Wish You Were Here became a crossover hit, peaking at #34 pop. A fourth single ended the era on a #7 note, She's In Love.
Wills' third album, Permanently (2000) started with a remake. Back At One was originally recorded by Brian McKnight. His version hit #2 pop, #7 r&b, and #4 adult contemporary in 1999. Wills' version became his third #2 country hit (McGraw's My Best Friend was tops) and peaked at #36 pop in 2000. Almost Doesn't Count peaked at #19 while I Want To Know Everything About You peaked at #33. A fourth album called Loving Every Minute was released in 2001. The title track was the lead single and that proceeded to a #18 peak. His labelmate, Jamie O'Neal joined him with the final single, I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You (#31 in 2002). O'Neal was hot at the time, scoring #1s with There Is No Arizona and When I Think About Angels. Check out his version of Somebody, a #1 hit for McEntire in 2004.
A greatest hits CD was released in 2002 and the biggest hit of Wills' career was around the corner when 19 Somethin' was released. The song has Wills recalling things he did and saw between the 1970s and 1980s. That was released in September and topped the charts for six weeks between January and February of 2003. It also peaked at #23 pop, becoming his biggest hit there. That was followed by When You Think Of Me that peaked at #28. His last album for Mercury was released in 2003 and that was And The Crowd Goes Wild. The title track peaked at #29 while That's A Woman became his last top 40 hit in 2004 at #40. Check out his version of Prisoner Of The Highway, his duet with the original artist, Ronnie Milsap. What Hurts The Most is also on this album, a #1 hit for Rascal Flatts in 2006. In 2005, after a decade at Mercury, Wills was dropped by them. Wills released a single in 2006 called Hank (#46). He got back to being a signed artist when he signed with Tenacity Records in 2007. Familiar Stranger was the album and two singles were released, becoming his final chart appearances: Take It All Out On Me (#47 in 2007) and Days Of Thunder (#50 in 2008). Wills did not release another album until 2011 and that was called Looking For America on the Gracie Productions label. Two singles were released, but did not chart. To date, it is his last album. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 8, 1999:
1. WISH YOU WERE HERE-MARK WILLS-MERCURY
2. Please Remember Me-Tim McGraw-Curb
3. How Forever Feels-Kenny Chesney-BNA
4. Gone Crazy-Alan Jackson-Arista
5. You Won't Ever Be Lonely-Andy Griggs-RCA
6. Drive Me Wild-Sawyer Brown-Curb
7. I'll Think Of A Reason Later-Lee Ann Womack-Decca
8. Hands Of A Working Man-Ty Herndon-Epic
9. Ordinary Life-Chad Brock-Warner Bros.
10. Anyone Else-Collin Raye-Epic

[countrychartnut]

1. BEACHING HIMSELF AT #1: Dierks Bentley collects his fourteenth #1 hit this week with Somewhere On A Beach. It is the lead single to his upcoming album, Black. His last album, Riser gave him a quintet of chart appearances. They are:
1. Bourbon In Kentucky-2013-#45
2. I Hold On-2014-#1
3. Drunk On A Plane-2014-#1
4. Say You Do-2015-#1
5. Riser-2015-#24
2. SWINDELL'S HIGH: Grabbing the Hot Shot Debut of the week is Cole Swindell with Middle Of A Memory at #34. It is the follow up to You Should Be Here which became his biggest hit to date.
3. HIS CURB DEBUT: Debuting at #39 is the duet between Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice called A Little More Love. This is Niemann's first time on the chart as a Curb recording artist. He was on Sea Gayle, a subsidiary label of Arista Records. His major hits for them are:
1. Lover, Lover-2010-#1
2. What Do You Want-2011-#4
3. One More Drinkin' Song-2011-#13
4. Shinin' On Me-2012-#17
5. Drink To That All Night-2014-#1
Brice just charted with the #10 peaking That Don't Sound Like You.
4. PARACHUTE FAST: Chris Stapleton has the fastest climbing song of the week as Parachute opens up seven to #50.
5. PUTTING DOWN ROOTS: Parmalee debuts a new single from an upcoming album. It is roots and it debuts at #59. Their debut album, Feels Like Carolina yielded a quartet of top 40 hits. They are:
1. Musta had A Good Time-2012-#38
2. Carolina-2013-#1
3. Close Your Eyes-2014-#4
4. Already Callin' You Mine-2015-#10
6. A RECKLESS DEBUT: Martina McBride debuts at #2 on the country albums chart with her Nash Icon debut, Reckless. 16,000 copies were sold last week. Her last album, Everlasting reached the top in 2014.
7. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: My Kinda Party-Jason Aldean-Broken Bow
2006: Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2001: Set This Circus Down-Tim McGraw-Curb
1996: Blue Clear Sky-George Strait-MCA
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Sara Evans landed her biggest hit just five years ago this week. It is called A Little Bit Stronger and Evans would find herself without a label just four years later.
In 2007, Evans released her first greatest hits album. As If was the lead single and almost gave Evans a top ten. Instead, it peaked at #11. 2008 saw a gradual decline in Evans' popularity as Some Things Never Change hit #26 and Love You With All My Heart did not even dent the chart. It did not prevent Greatest Hits from achieving gold status. She charted with two #59 singles in 2009: Low was off the Billy: The Early Years soundtrack and a promo single in Feels Just Like A Love Song. That gave her time to record a new album. That was called Stronger and that was released in 2011. A Little Bit Stronger first appeared on the Country Strong soundtrack of 2010. It was repeated on the Evans disc. That was released in September, 2010. Ever the slow mover, it reached the top in May, 2011 and stayed there for two weeks, becoming her fifth and final #1 and final top ten. It also peaked at #34 on the pop chart. It remains her ONLY platinum selling single (joining two gold singles in Suds In The Bucket and A Real Fine Place To Start-both #1 hits for her). My Heart Can't Tell You No was the second single. That was a remake of the Rod Stewart hit of 1989 (#4 pop and #3 adult contemporary). In Evans' hands, it reached #21 country. Anywhere was the final single. Released in 2012, it peaked at #53.
One more studio album for RCA was in the works and that was Slow Me Down. The title track was released in September, 2013 and peaked at #17 in April 2014, becoming her last major hit. One more single was released and to date, is her swan song on the chart. That was the #57 peaking Put My Heart Down. She sang the song on an episode of Nashville. In late 2014, Evans managed to release a Christmas album called At Christmas. During the summer of 2015, Evans and RCA parted ways after an eighteen year association. I hope she gets picked up by a label soon. She is way too talented NOT to be a signed artist. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 14, 2011:
1. A LITTLE BIT STRONGER-SARA EVANS-RCA
2. Heart Like Mine-Miranda Lambert-Columbia
3. Live A Little-Kenny Chesney-BNA
4. What Do You Want-Jerrod Niemann-Sea Gayle
5. Old Alabama-Brad Paisley and Alabama-Arista
6. I Won't Let Go-Rascal Flatts-Big Machine
7. Without You-Keith Urban-Capitol
8. This-Darius Rucker-Capitol
9. Mean-Taylor Swift-Big Machine
10. You Lie-Band Perry-Republic Nashville

[countrychartnut]

1. BENTLEY'S SOMEWHERE AT #1: For the second week, Dierks Bentley has the top song with Somewhere On A Beach. This is his first multi week #1 since Say You Do reigned for two weeks last year.
2. FIGHTING HIGH: Brad Paisley and Demi Lovato have the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #27 with Without A Fight. This is Lovato's first time on the chart. This is from an upcoming Paisley album. His last, Moonshine In The Trunk gave him four major hits. They are:
1. River Bank-2014-#2
2. Perfect Storm-2015-#1
3. Crushin' It-2015-#9
4. Country Nation-2016-#12
3. JANSON'S FAST: Chris Janson has the fastest climbing song of the week. Holdin' Her goes up seven to #51.
4. OOPS!: After debuting at #39 last week with A Little More Love, Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice take an eleven point tumble to #50.
5. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have four albums making their debuts on the chart this week. They are:
1. Ripcord-Keith Urban-#1 after 93,000 copies were sold.
2. You Should Be Here-Cole Swindell-#2 with 65,000
3. Detour-Cyndi Lauper-#4 with 16,000
4. The Things That We Are Made Of-Mary Chapin Carpenter-#8 with 6000
6. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping songs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: A Little Bit Stronger-Sara Evans-RCA
2006: Wherever You Are-Jack Ingram-Big Machine
2001: Ain't Nothing 'Bout You-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1996: My Maria-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1991: If I Know Me-George Strait-MCA
7. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Twenty-two years ago this week, John Berry went through personal crisis amid professional success. His only #1 hit, Your Love Amazes Me was our top song at the time.
Berry signed to Capitol Records in 1992. He went to work on his self-titled debut album. Before a single was released, Capitol changed names to Liberty Records, so the album went out under that label. The first single, A Mind Of Her Own bombed at #51 in 1993. His first top 40 hit was next and that was Kiss Me In The Car. Released in October, it ended Berry's 1993 on a #22 note. After 1994 started, Berry began having headaches and lost his appetite. That did not stop him from releasing the album's third single, Your Love Amazes Me. That was released in February and climbed all the way to the top in May. Instead of celebrating his first chart topper, Berry was rushed to the hospital and a cyst in his brain was removed. That was during the same week he was tops in the country world. He recovered from the surgery even though he goes through periods of memory loss. After that health scare, Berry's fourth single appeared on the chart and that was What's In It For Me. That became another top five success when it peaked at #5. A fifth single was released in late 1994 and that was You And Only You. That started Berry's 1995 on a #4 note. The John Berry album is his only platinum certified disc.
Liberty Records decided to go back to being called Capitol in 1995. In the meantime, Capitol started a sister label called Patriot and made Berry its flagship artist. With that in mind, he released his second album called Standing On The Edge. The title track was released called Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye. Released in March, it climbed all the way to #2 in May, unable to unseat Ty Herndon's first chart topper, What Mattered Most. With that near miss, single number two was released called I Think About It All The Time. It became his fifth consecutive top five record at #4. If I Had Any Pride Left At All broke the streak and peaked at #25 before year's end. 1996 was started on a #34 note with the fourth single, Every Time My Heart Calls Your Name. The Patriot label lasted only a year, so Capitol closed it and had all artists transferred to the Capitol label. Berry's third album was released in 1996 called Faces. Change My Mind was the lead single and brought Berry back into the top ten at #10. She's Taken A Shine was released just before 1996 ended. It stayed at #2 for two weeks in early 1997 and two women blocked his path to #1: Deana Carter's We Danced Anyway and Reba McEntire's How Was I To Know. That became his final top ten hit. I Will, If You Will became his final top 40 hit at #19. Both Standing On The Edge and Faces are certified gold albums.
He stayed with Capitol for another year. After having vocal cord surgery in 1997, Capitol shelved an album called Crazy For The Girl. A single charted with The Stone (#59). Lightning struck twice when two singles charted from an unreleased album. That album's name was Better Than A Biscuit and Over My Shoulder peaked at #62 while his lowest charted single peaked at #75, the title track. He left Capitol in 1998 and signed to new label Lyric Street in 1999. His debut for them was called Wildest Dreams. Two singles gave him his final chart appearances that year: Love Is For Giving (#53) and Power Windows (#43). He left Lyric Street in 2000. 2000 saw Capitol release Greatest Hits on Berry. Three albums were released in the 2000s. They are:
1. All The Way To There on Ark 21 Records-2001
2. I Give My Heart on Clear Sky Records-2004
3. Those Were The Days on Clear Sky Records-2008
Berry's last CD was released in 2012 called Real Man, Real Life, Real God. Thank God Berry is still with us after all these years. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 21, 1994:
1. YOUR LOVE AMAZES ME-JOHN BERRY-LIBERTY
2. Before You Kill Us All-Randy Travis-Warner Bros.
3. Wish I Didn't Know Now-Toby Keith-Mercury
4. Rope The Moon-John Michael Montgomery-Atlantic
5. Don't Take The Girl-Tim McGraw-Curb
6. If Bubba Can Dance I Can Too-Shenandoah-RCA
7. How Can I Help You Say Goodbye-Patty Loveless-Epic
8. A Good Run Of Bad Luck-Clint Black-RCA
9. Lovebug-George Strait-MCA
10. Addicted To A Dollar-Doug Stone-Epic

[countrychartnut]

1. MINDING #1: Dustin Lynch collects his third chart topping hit this week with Mind Reader. It is also his third #1 from his current album, Where It's At. The other two are: Where It's At Yep, Yep (2014) and Hell Of A Night (2015). As far as Broken Bow is concerned, Lynch is second to Jason Aldean in chart toppers. Aldean has fourteen #1s.
2. HALFWAY THERE: We are in the last week of May which means we are at the midpoint of the chart year. Let us review those #1s from last December to the present. Ready?
1. I'm Comin' Over-Chris Young-2 weeks (it spent three weeks at the top, but the first week ended Billboard 2015)
2. Nothin' Like You-Dan + Shay-1
3. Gonna-Blake Shelton-1
4. Die A Happy Man-Thomas Rhett-6
5. Home Alone Tonight-Luke Bryan and Karen Fairchild-2
6. Backroad Song-Granger Smith-1
7. Dibs-Kelsea Ballerini-1
8. Break On Me-Keith Urban-1
9. We Went-Randy Houser-1
10. Heartbeat-Carrie Underwood-1
11. Beautiful Drug-Zac Brown Band-1
12. You Should Be Here-Cole Swindell-3
13. I Like The Sound Of That-Rascal Flatts-1
14. Confession-Florida Georgia Line-1
15. Think Of You-Chris Young and Cassadee Pope-1
16. Somehwere On A Beach-Dierks Bentley-2
3. A TIE: We have three songs taking four point jumps for fastest climbers of the week. They are:
1. A Little More Love-Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice-#50 to #46
2. Outskirts Of Heaven-Craig Campbell-#54 to #50
3. Beer Can In A Truck Bed-#59 to #55
4. MORE ON RIPCORD: Ripcord by Keith Urban debuted at the top of the country albums chart last week. It is his fifth #1 album following:
1. Be Here-2004
2. Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing-2006
3. Defying Gravity-2009
4. Fuse-2013
5. Ripcord-2016
5. FIRE AT #2: Jennifer Nettles debuts at #2 on the country albums chart with Playing With Fire. 31,000 copies were sold last week. It is her second solo album following 2014's That Girl that topped the chart.
6. THE LAST OF NASHVILLE: The eighth soundtrack to the TV show Nashville called Season 4, Volume 2 debuts at #12 with 4000 sold. ABC recently announced the cancellation of the show.
7. MEMORIAL DAY: Remember those who did not make it back home.
8. A 40S LOOK: These were the chart topping songs during the last week of May during the 1940s:
1944: So Long Pal-Al Dexter-Okeh
1945: Shame On You-Spade Cooley-Okeh
1946: New Spanish Two Step-Bob Wills-Columbia
1947: New Jolie Blonde New Pretty Blonde-Red Foley-Decca
1948: Anytime-Eddy Arnold-RCA
1949: Don't Rob Another Man's Castle-Eddy Arnold-RCA
9. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: She certainly made waves in country music between 2004-2006. That lasted between two albums and eight singles. Her first single, Redneck Woman was our top song twelve years ago this week and her name is Gretchen Wilson.
Wilson signed to Epic Records in 2003. She went to work on her Here For The Party album that year. Her first single, Redneck Woman was released in March, 2004 and topped the chart in May and June for five weeks. She made fast friends with the song as artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, George Strait, Charlie Daniels, Tanya Tucker, and Hank Williams, Jr. are mentioned in the song. Some of them make cameo appearances in the video. It also became her biggest crossover hit, peaking at #22 pop. It remains her only platinum selling single. She kept it uptempo with her next release, the title track. That peaked at #3 during the summer. At the C.M.A. Awards, Wilson won the Horizon Award. After the awards, she released her first ballad, the very country sounding When I Think About Cheatin'. That peaked at #4 in 2005, showing some variety in her growing catalog. At her first Grammy Awards, she won for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Redneck Woman. After that, she won the Top New Artist and Top Female Vocalist Awards at the A.C.M.s. The fourth single, Homewrecker was released. It climbed all the way to #2 for three weeks, unable to claim the top spot from Jo Dee Messina's My Give A Damn's Busted and Making Memories Of Us by Keith Urban. It should be noted that Wilson wrote her first four singles. The Here For The Party album is certified five times platinum, reaching #1 country and #2 top 200. She followed that overwhelming success with another called All Jacked Up (#1 country and #1 top 200 album). The title track made history when it debuted at #21, the highest ever for a female artist (later broken by Carrie Underwood's So Small in 2007 at #20). Despite the the lofty start, it could only climb another thirteen spots to peak at #8. That became her fifth and final top ten hit. At the C.M.A.s, Wilson ended the three year reign of Martina McBride by winning Female Vocalist of the Year. Second single, I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today was released. It peaked at #22 right at the end of the year. 2006 was kicked off with a duet with Merle Haggard called Politically Uncorrect. That peaked at #23 and gave Haggard his first top 40 hit since If You Want To Be My Woman hit #23 in 1990 (Haggard's 92nd top 40 hit). California Girls ended the era on a #25 note. While All Jacked Up was spinning its hits, she charted with a vocal collaboration with Hank Williams, Jr., Big & Rich, and Van Zant called That's How They Do It In Dixie (#33 in 2006). The All Jacked Up era was a less successful one than Here For The Party, but the album reached platinum status.
Her third album, One Of The Boys (2007) went out under the Columbia label as Epic shut down operations in 2006. Despite reaching #1 country and #5 top 200, Wilson's popularity was taking a hit big time. It has yet to reach gold. First single enjoyed vocal support from John Rich called Come To Bed. That peaked at #32 before the year ended. 2007 started with the #35 peaking title track and after ten consecutive top 40 hits, she missed that section of the chart with the third and final single, You Don't Have To Go Home (#53). She was to release another album for Columbia, but a single that peaked at #43 in 2008 called Don't Do Me No Good shelved that particular release. In 2009, after six years at the label, Wilson was dropped by them. She started her own Redneck Records and her first release was called I Got Your Country Right Here in 2010. First single was released in late 2009 called Work Hard, Play Harder. It peaked at #18 in 2010, becoming her last major hit. The title track peaked at #53 while I'd Love To Be Your Last hit #47. In 2010, Columbia released Wilson's first greatest hits CD. In 2011, she appeared on the charts with Big & Rich on a Footloose soundtrack single, Fake I.D. (#47). Her second album under her label's name was released in 2013 called Right On Time. To date, it contains her last chart appearances (both in 2013): Still Rollin' (#60) and Crazy (#58). Her last album was a live one called Still Here For The Party (2014). This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 29, 2004:
1. REDNECK WOMAN-GRETCHEN WILSON-EPIC
2. Letters From Home-John Michael Montgomery-Warner Bros.
3. Mayberry-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
4. Paint Me A Birmingham-Tracy Lawrence-Dreamworks
5. You'll Think Of Me-Keith Urban-Capitol
6. Desperately-George Strait-MCA
7. When The Sun Goes Down-Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker-BNA
8. If You Ever Stop Loving Me-Montgomery Gentry-Columbia
9. Let's Be Us Again-Lonestar-BNA
10. Whiskey Girl-Toby Keith-Dreamworks

[countrychartnut]

1. SHELTON MAKES HISTORY: Blake Shelton's lead single from his current album, If I'm Honest makes history this week. Came Here To Forget is not only his twenty-second chart topper, but his seventeenth consecutive #1 hit. He now tops Sonny James, who has held the record since 1971 as the male artist with the longest streak of chart topping hits. Let's review BOTH artist's streaks:
B.S.:
1. Hillbilly Bone-with Trace Adkins-2010
2. All About Tonight-2010
3. Who Are You When I'm Not Looking-2011
4. Honey Bee-2011
5. God Gave Me You-2011
6. Drink On It-2012
7. Over-2012
8. Sure Be Cool If You Did-2013
9. Boys 'Round Here-2013
10. Mine Would Be You-2013
11. Doin' What She Likes-2014
12. My Eyes-2014
13. Neon Light-2014
14. Lonely Tonight-2015
15. Sangria-2015
16. Gonna-2015
17. Came Here To Forget-2016
S.J.:
1. Need You-1967
2. I'll Never Find You Another You-1967
3. It's The Little Things-1967
4. A World Of Our Own-1968
5. Heaven Says Hello-1968
6. Born To Be With You-1968
7. Only The Lonely-1969
8. Running Bear-1969
9. Since I Met You, Baby-1969
10. It's Just A Matter Of Time-1970
11. My Love-1970
12. Don't Keep Me Hangin' On-1970
13. Endlessly-1970
14. Empty Arms-1971
15. Bight Lights, Big City-1971
16. Here Comes Honey Again-1971
Furthermore, the top five in #1 streaks by male artists looks like this:
1. Blake Shelton-17-2010-2016
2. Sonny James-16-1967-1971
3. Buck Owens-14-1963-1967
4. George Strait-11-1986-1989
5. Ronnie Milsap-10-1980-1983
The only streak Shelton has to top is Alabama's twenty-one in a row between 1980-1987.
2. A DIFFERENT HIGH: Dierks Bentley has the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #32 with Different For Girls. This single has vocal support from Elle King. It is the follow up to Bentley's #1, Somewhere On A Beach.
3. WANNA BE FAST: Brett Eldredge has the fastest climbing song of the week as Wanna Be That Song zips up eleven to #47.
4. WHEELHOUSE'S THIRD: Runaway June debuts at #59 with Lipstick. They are the third artist to chart on the Wheelhouse label following Granger Smith and Trace Adkins.
5. SHELTON'S #1 HERE, TOO: Debuting at #1 on the country albums chart is the current album by Blake Shelton called If I'm Honest. 153,000 copies were sold last week. It is his fourth #1 album following:
1. Red River Blue-2011
2. Based On A True Story-2013
3. Bringing Back The Sunshine-2014
4. If I'm Honest-2016
6. THE HIGHWAYMEN ARE BACK: The Highwaymen (Cash/Jennings/Nelson/Kristofferson) debut at #16 with Live: American Outlaws. 3000 copies were sold. This is their fourth charted album following:
1. Highwayman-1985-#1
2. Highwayman 2-1990-#4
3. The Road Goes On Forever-1995-#42
4. Live: American Outlaws-2016-#16
7. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping hits in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Old Alabama-Brad Paisley and Alabama-Arista
2006: Settle For A Slowdown-Dierks Bentley-Capitol
2001: Ain't Nothing 'Bout You-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1996: My Maria-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1991: Meet In The Middle-Diamond Rio-Arista
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: After topping the chart with Just To Satisfy You with his duet partner, Willie Nelson in 1982, Waylon Jennings would have one more #1 left in him at RCA Records. That came the following year with Lucille You Won't Do Your Daddy's Will, our top song 33 years ago this week.
The album where Just To Satisfy You came from was called Black On Black. It yielded other hits for Jennings: Shine (#5 in 1982) and Women Do Know How To Carry On (#4 in 1982). He completed his 1982 by releasing the WWII album with Nelson and they scored a #13 remake of Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay (#1 pop and #1 r&b for Otis Redding in 1968). Jennings was preparing his It's Only Rock & Roll album. Lead single, Lucille You Won't Do Your Daddy's Will was a remake of the Little Richard hit of 1957 (#21 pop and #1 r&b). Jennings' version was released in March, 1983 and became his fourteenth chart topper in June. It was his first solo #1 since 1980's Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard Good Ol' Boys. Final single, Breakin' Down barely broke the top ten at #10. Between those, Jennings scored a top ten vocal collaboration with Hank Williams, Jr. and Ernest Tubb called Leave Them Boys Alone (#6). Tubb would die the following year at the age of 70. Jennings would stay at RCA for another two years. He released an album called Waylon And Company in 1983. It was a duets album and two were released as singles: Hold On, I'm Comin' was with his labelmate, Jerry Reed (#20) and a song about Hank Williams, Sr. called The Conversation with Hank, Jr. (#15). Sandwiched between those hits was another duet with Nelson called Take It To The Limit (#8) That was the title track to their duets album that was a #4 pop and #4 adult contemporary hit for the Eagles in 1975. 1984 was kicked off with the #4 peaking I May Be Used But Baby I Ain't Used Up. Only one single was pulled from the Never Could Toe The Mark album and that was the title track (#6). A greatest hits album was released in 1984 called Waylon's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 yielded America (#6 in 1984) and Waltz Me To Heaven (#10 in 1985 and written by Dolly Parton).
1985 would be a watershed year for Jennings. He participated in the Highwayman album with Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. The title track was written by Jimmy Webb and was originally recorded by Glen Campbell in 1979. Their version was released during the spring and became a chart topping hit during the summer. In the meantime, Jennings prepared his final RCA album called Turn The Page. Drinkin' And Dreamin' was the first single and found a home for two weeks at #2. The second Highwayman single, Desperadoes Waiting For A Train peaked at #15. During this time, Jennings and RCA parted ways after twenty years together. It did not stop Jennings from getting another hit with The Devil's On The Loose (#13 in 1986). Highwayman won Best Country Song at the 1986 Grammy Awards. Jennings would sign to MCA Records where he enjoyed a #1 album with Will The Wolf Survive (1986) and a #1 single (Rose In Paradise in 1987 and his final chart topper). MCA would be his home until 1989. He would sign to the Epic label. During this transitional period, he would release the Highwayman 2 in 1990 that yielded Silver Stallion (#25 in 1990). At Epic, he would have a top ten hit in Wrong (#5 in 1990 and his final top ten) and a top ten album with The Eagle (#9 in 1990). While at Epic, he would chart for the final time via a duet with Nelson called If I Could Find A Clean Shirt (#51 in 1991). Jennings was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. The following year, he died at the age of 64. His final CD was released in 2013 called LA: Old 97's & Waylon Jennings. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 4, 1983:
1. LUCILLE YOU WON'T DO YOUR DADDY'S WILL-WAYLON JENNINGS-RCA
2. Our Love Is On The Faultline-Crystal Gayle-Warner Bros.
3. You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without-Gene Watson-MCA
4. You Can't Run From Love-Eddie Rabbitt-Warner Bros.
5. The Ride-David Allan Coe-Columbia
6. Stranger In My House-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
7. Fool For Your Love-Mickey Gilley-Epic
8. You Take Me For Granted-Merle Haggard-Epic
9. My Lady Loves Me Just As I Am-Leon Everette-RCA
10. In The Middle Of The Night-Mel Tillis-MCA

[countrychartnut]

1. RHETT'S SHIRT IS #1: For the sixth time in his career, Thomas Rhett has the top song in country. This week, it is the third single from Tangled Up, T-Shirt. It is also the third #1 off the album following Crash And Burn from last year and Die A Happy Man from this year.
2. TAKE ME TO THE CHURCH: We have two songs that use the word 'church' in their titles as neighbors: Maren Morris' My Church is at #9 while Church Bells by Carrie Underwood is at #10.
3. CORBIN'S FAST: Easton Corbin has the fastest climbing song of the week as Are You With Me vaults nine spots to #46.
4. GOING FOR #18: Blake Shelton has the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #54 with She's Got A Way With Words. He recently topped the chart for the seventeenth consecutive time with Came Here To Forget.
5. TURNER'S BACK: Making his debut at #58 is Josh Turner's Hometown Girl. This is from an upcoming album. His previous single, Lay Low peaked at #25 last year.
6. BLACK IS #1: Dierks Bentley debuts at #1 on the country albums chart with his current album, Black. It sold 88,000 copies last week. It is his sixth chart topping album following:
1. Modern Day Drifter-2005
2. Long Trip Alone-2006
3. Feel That Fire-2009
4. Home-2012
5. Riser-2014
6. Black-2016
7. MORE HIGHWAYMEN: A greatest hits CD called The Very Best Of The Highwaymen makes its debut in the top 25 portion of the country albums chart at #22. Once I get sales figures, this post will be edited. It joins another Highwaymen CD, Live: American Outlaws at #18.
8. #1 CDS: These are the top selling CDs from 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: This Is Country Music-Brad Paisley-Arista
2006: Taking The Long Way-Dixie Chicks-Monument
2001: Set This Circus Down-Tim McGraw-Curb
1996: Borderline-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
9. MILESTONE TOP TWENTY CHART: Between two #1 records that made history on the country chart, George Strait peaked at #11 with The Seashores Of Old Mexico. That happened ten years ago this week.
In 2004, MCA collected every Strait song that hit #1 in various trade publications. When they did, they found out they had fifty number ones. The two CD set, 50 Number Ones was released with a new song, I Hate Everything. That topped the chart in October for two weeks and gave Strait thirty-nine chart toppers in Billboard. That gave Strait additional time to work on his next album, Somewhere Down In Texas (#1 country and #1 top 200 album). Lead single, You'll Be There debuted at #30 in April, 2005 and climbed all the way to #4 during the summer. The second single, She Let Herself Go was released in September. It topped the chart in January, 2006. It gave Strait forty #1 hits, tying him with Conway Twitty as the artist with the most chart toppers. The Seashores Of Old Mexico was the next single. That was written by Merle Haggard. That was placed on his Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album of 1974. Hank Snow turned it into a top ten hit in his native Canada in 1971. It later appeared on a duets album with Willie Nelson called Seashores Of Old Mexico in 1987. Strait's version was released in February and climbed all the way to #11 four months later. It became his second #11 hit following 2003's Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa. It broke a string of five consecutive top tens for Strait. The Somewhere Down In Texas album is certified platinum.
Strait was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. While he was enjoying the highest honor he ever received (professionally, that is), he was working on his next album, It Just Comes Natural (#1 country and #3 top 200 album). Lead single, Give It Away was released in July and topped the chart for two weeks in September, giving him more chart toppers than Twitty. The title track was released in September and topped the chart in February, 2007. At the A.C.M.s, Strait won Single of the Year for Give It Away. The A.C.M. named it Song of the Year, which went to the songwriters, Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon, and Jamey Johnson. Wrapped, the third single, stayed at #2 for two weeks during the summer. How 'Bout Them Cowgirls ended the era on a #3 note. How 'Bout Them Cowgirls makes an appearance on the 22 More Hits CD in 2007. While Strait was charting with the last single, he won Album of the Year for It Just Comes Natural while Give It Away won Song of the Year at the C.M.A.s. It Just Comes Natural was another platinum success.
Strait won the A.C.M. Artist of the Decade Award in 2009. He announced a farewell tour in 2012. The tour took him everywhere between 2013-2014. He won Entertainer of the Year awards from the C.M.A. in 2013 and the A.C.M. in 2014. His current CD is called Cold Beer Conversation, his record extending 26th #1 album. The title track remains his final chart appearance (#33 in 2015). This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TWENTY FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 10, 2006:
1. Settle For A Slowdown-Dierks Bentley-Capitol
2. Summertime-Kenny Chesney-BNA
3. Something's Gotta Give-LeAnn Rimes-Curb
4. Last Day Of My Life-Phil Vassar-Arista
5. Why-Jason Aldean-Broken Bow
6. When The Stars Go Blue-Tim McGraw-Curb
7. The World-Brad Paisley-Arista
8. Don't Forget To Remember Me-Carrie Underwood-Arista
9. Size Matters Someday-Joe Nichols-Universal South
10. Every Time I Hear Your Name-Keith Anderson-Arista
11. THE SEASHORES OF OLD MEXICO-GEORGE STRAIT-MCA
12. A Little Too Late-Toby Keith-DreamWorks
13. Wherever You Are-Jack Ingram-Big Machine
14. I Got You-Craig Morgan-Broken Bow
15. If You're Going Through Hell Before The Devil Even Knows-Rodney Atkins-Curb
16. Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
17. Life Ain't Always Beautiful-Gary Allan-MCA
18. The Lucky One-Faith Hill-Warner Bros.
19. Bring It On Home-Little Big Town-Equity
20. I Can't Unlove You-Kenny Rogers-Capitol

[countrychartnut]

1. MCGRAW'S HUMBLE AND KIND AND #1: Tim McGraw has the top song in country this week with Humble And Kind. It is the second single from his current album, Damn Country Music. Lead single, Top Of The World peaked at #5 earlier this year. Furthermore, this is McGraw's 27th chart topper. He now passes Alan Jackson for eighth place on the list of those with the most #1s. The top ten:
1. George Strait-44
2. Conway Twitty-40
3. Merle Haggard-38
4. Ronnie Milsap-35
5. Alabama-33
6. Charley Pride-29
7. Eddy Arnold-28
8. Tim McGraw-27
9. Alan Jackson-26
10. Kenny Chesney-26
Furthermore, Damn Country Music is the third Big Machine album McGraw has released. All of them now have a chart topper on them. The albums and #1s are:
1. Two Lanes Of Freedom-One Of Those Nights (2013) and Highway Don't Care-with Taylor Swift (2013)
2. Sundown Heaven Town-Shotgun Rider (2014)
3. Damn Country Music-Humble And Kind (2016)
2. A NEW PEAK: Noise by Kenny Chesney peaked at #10 a few weeks ago. It now stands at #9.
3. SHE'S FAST: Blake Shelton has the fastest climbing song of the week as She's Got A Way With Words vaults nineteen spots to #35.
4. FROM POPE TO GILL: Chris Young debuts at #54 with Sober Saturday Night. It is the third single from his I'm Comin' Over album. It features vocal support from Vince Gill. Young's previous single, Think Of You was a duet with Cassadee Pope which topped the chart this year.
5. SPEAKING OF POPE: Cassadee Pope debuts at #59 with the appropriately titled Summer. It is the title track to her current extended play.
6. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have five albums making their debut on the country albums chart. They are:
1. Maren Morris-Hero-#1-She sold 37,000 copies last week.
2. Dan + Shay-Obsessed-#2-26,000 sold.
3. Cassadee Pope-Summer EP-#14-4000 sold.
4. Craig Morgan-Whole Lot More To Me-#16-4000 sold.
5. Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen-Watch This-#21-3000 sold.
7. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping hits in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Without You-Keith Urban-Capitol
2006: Summertime-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2001: Grown Men Don't Cry-Tim McGraw-Curb
1996: Blue Clear Sky-George Strait-MCA
1991: If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets-Joe Diffie-Epic
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Kathy Mattea has sixteen top ten hits. Her first was 1986's Love At The Five & Dime (#3) while her last was Walking Away A Winner from 1994 (#3). The latter was our #3 song 22 years ago this week.
In 1990, the C.M.A. Female Vocalist of the Year (Mattea won the award in 1989) released her first greatest hits album called A Collection Of Hits. Two new tunes added to her hit list: The Battle Hymn Of Love with Tim O'Brien (#9 in 1990) and A Few Good Things Remain (#9 in 1991). Between those, she repeated as C.M.A. Female Vocalist of the Year. She finally released a studio album in 1991 called Time Passes By. The lead single was the title track and that hit #7. Whole Lotta Holes peaked at #18. Her stock on the chart continued to decline with the third single, Asking Us To Dance (#27 in 1992). The 1992 album, Lonesome Standard Time saw four singles released from it. The title track almost became a top ten, but stalled at #11, becoming the biggest hit from the album. Standing Knee Deep In A River Dying Of Thirst became a top twenty hit in 1993 at #19. Check out a version by Don Williams. She also charted with Seeds (#50) and Listen To The Radio (#64). During this time, Mattea participated in a vocal collaboration with Dolly Parton, Billy Ray Cyrus (her labelmate), Mary Chapin Carpenter, Pam Tillis, and Tanya Tucker called Romeo off the Parton CD, Slow Dancing With The Moon. It peaked at #27.
Her 1994 album, Walking Away A Winner would see her being the #1 female artist at Mercury for the last time. The title track was released in March. It proceeded to a #3 peak in June, becoming her sixteenth and final top ten hit. Nobody's Gonna Rain On Our Parade hit a lucky #13. 1995 was kicked off by the #34 single, Maybe She's Human. The final single, Clown In Your Rodeo became her final top twenty hit at #20. By this time, Shania Twain finally broke through with Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under (#11) and that was followed a few months later with her first #1, Any Man Of Mine. That was evident by Mattea waiting until 1997 to release her next album, Love Travels. 455 Rocket peaked just under the top twenty at #21. That would win Video of the Year at the C.M.A.s. I'm On Your Side failed to chart while the title track peaked at #39, becoming her thirtieth and final top 40 hit. 1998 was kicked off by Patiently Waiting. That failed to dent the chart. Her final Mercury album was released in 2000 called The Innocent Years. Two singles charted and they are her final appearances on the chart: The Trouble With Angels (#53) and BFD (#63). After eighteen years at Mercury, Mattea was dropped by them in 2001.
Roses was released on Narada Records. They Are The Roses was released in 2002. It did not chart. The same thing happened when she released another album on the label called Right Out Of Nowhere (2005). Live It was released in 2006 and was nowhere to be found on the chart. Her excellent CD from 2008 called Coal (saluting her West Virginia roots) was released on Captain Potato Records. Her final album was released in 2012 called Calling Me Home on the Sugar Hill label. Her most complete collection of hits can be found on 2006's Definitive Collection. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 1994:
1. Wink-Neal McCoy-Atlantic
2. Whenever You Come Around-Vince Gill-MCA
3. WALKING AWAY A WINNER-KATHY MATTEA-MERCURY
4. That Ain't No Way To Go-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
5. Spilled Perfume-Pam Tillis-Arista
6. How Can I Help You Say Goodbye-Patty Loveless-Epic
7. Don't Take The Girl-Tim McGraw-Curb
8. Little Rock-Collin Raye-Epic
9. Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind-Confederate Railroad-Atlantic
10. Why Haven't I Heard From You-Reba McEntire-MCA

[countrychartnut]

1. BRYAN LOVIN' #1: For the fifteenth time in his career, Luke Bryan has the top song in country. This week it is Huntin', Fishin' & Lovin' Every Day. It is the fourth single and fourth #1 from his current album, Kill The Lights. The other chart toppers are:
1. Kick The Dust Up-2015
2. Strip It Down-2015
3. Home Alone Tonight-with Karen Fairchild-2016
4. Huntin', Fishin' & Lovin' Every Day-2016
Furthermore, Kill The Lights is the 39th album in history to contain a quartet of chart topping hits. The others: country-discussion.proboards.com/thread/726/1-hits
2. A TIE: We have two songs taking ten point jumps for fastest climbing songs of the week. They are:
1. Song For Another Time-Old Dominion-#53 to #43
2. Sober Saturday Night-Chris Young featuring Vince Gill-#54 to #44
3. GOING FOR FOUR: Thomas Rhett debuts his fourth Tangled Up single, Vacation this week. It is the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #45. If it tops the chart, it will be the fourth single to do so following:
1. Crash And Burn-2015
2. Die A Happy Man-2016
3. T-Shirt-2016
4. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have a trio of albums making their debuts in the top ten of the country albums chart. They are:
1. NOW That's What I Call Country, Volume 9-Various Artists-#3 with 15,000 copies sold last week.
2. Big Day In A Small Town-Brandy Clark-#8 with 7000 sold.
3. El Rio-Frankie Ballard-#9 with 7000 sold.
5. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Ronnie Dunn-Ronnie Dunn-Arista
2006: Taking The Long Way-Dixie Chicks-Monument
2001: Inside Out-Trisha Yearwood-MCA
1996: Borderline-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
6. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Reba McEntire has twelve #1 albums. They are:
1. Whoever's In New England-1986
2. What Am I Gonna Do About You-1987
3. Reba-1988
4. Sweet Sixteen-1989
5. It's Your Call-1993
6. Greatest Hits Volume Two-1994
7. Starting Over-1995
8. What If It's You-1996
9. Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm A Survivor-2001
10. Reba: Duets-2007
11. Keep On Loving You-2009
12. Love Somebody-2015
Her longest reigning album remains Sweet Sixteen at thirteen weeks at the top. It was our top selling album 27 years ago this week.
Her previous album, Reba started with a remake. That was Sunday Kind Of Love. Fran Warren was the first artist to release her version in 1947. McEntire's version reached #5 in 1988. I Know How He Feels was released during the summer. It topped the chart in December. While McEntire was charting with that song, her four year reign at the C.M.A.s as Female Vocalist of the Year ended as K.T. Oslin won her only award in that category. New Fool At An Old Game was released before year's end and that, too topped the chart in March, 1989. During this time, McEntire's reign as Female Vocalist of the Year was ended by Oslin at the A.C.M.s. It was time to release a new album and that was Sweet Sixteen (her sixteenth album). The track listing is as follows:
1. Cathy's Clown-1989-#1
2. 'Til Love Comes Again-1989-#4
3. It Always Rains On Saturday
4. Am I The Only One Who Cares
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me
6. You Must Really Love Me
7. Say The Word
8. Little Girl-1990-#7
9. Walk On-1990-#2
10. A New Love
Cathy's Clown was tapped as the first single. That was originally done by the Everly Brothers. Once the 1950s became the 1960s, they switched record labels from Cadence to Warner Bros.. Cathy's Clown became their only chart topper on the pop chart while at Warner Bros.. It even was a #1 r&b hit. It did not chart at country. They would have another half dozen top ten pop hits until 1962. The Everlys were having a brief resurgence of popularity on the country charts during the 1980s. Born Yesterday hit #17 in 1986, becoming their first major hit there since 'Til I Kissed You hit #8 in 1959. Ricky Skaggs took an Everlys tune, I Wonder If I Care As Much to #30 in 1987. McEntire's version is more mournful and soulful than the Everly's version. She released her version in April, 1989 and that topped the chart in July. It was during this time that Sweet Sixteen was released. It hit the top of the albums chart. It took five weeks for the album to hit #1. It was her first album to hit the top half of the top 200 chart at #78. Cathy's Clown was her fourteenth and final chart topper of the 1980s. 'Til Love Comes Again was released in August. It peaked at #4 before the year was over. Little Girl followed, and that was released in December. It kicked off McEntire's 1990 on a #7 note. For the first time since joining MCA in 1983, they went four deep as Walk On became the fourth single. That was released in April and and became McEntire's first #2 hit. It could not get past George Strait's Love Without End, Amen to get to #1. It should be noted that McEntire charted a duet with her new labelmate, Vince Gill with Oklahoma Swing (#13 off his When I Call Your Name album). The Sweet Sixteen album is certified platinum.
McEntire co-wrote three songs for the album: It Always Rains On Saturday, Am I The Only One Who Cares, and You Must Really Love Me. The only hit McEntire has had as a writer was 1985's Only In My Mind (#5). Two pivotal events happened while McEntire was churning out hits from Sweet Sixteen: she married Narvel Blackstock in 1989 (they announced their divorce in 2015 and did so) and she gave birth to her only child, Shelby in 1990 (he's 26 this year?). Her current album is called Love Somebody and her final chart appearance comes from there, Until They Don't Love You (#48 in 2015). This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 24, 1989:
1. SWEET SIXTEEN-REBA MCENTIRE-MCA
2. Greatest Hits III-Hank Williams, Jr.-Warner Bros.
3. River Of Time-the Judds-RCA
4. Beyond The Blue Neon-George Strait-MCA
5. This Woman-K.T. Oslin-RCA
6. Old 8 X 10-Randy Travis-Warner Bros.
7. Loving Proof-Ricky Van Shelton-Columbia
8. Diamonds & Dirt-Rodney Crowell-Columbia
9. Southern Star-Alabama-RCA
10. Killin' Time-Clint Black-RCA

[countrychartnut]

1. URBAN'S TIME AT #1: Keith Urban's third Ripcord single, Wasted Time becomes his twentieth country chart topper. Urban first topped the chart in 2001 with But For The Grace Of God. Let us review those #1 hits:
1. But For The Grace Of God-2001
2. Somebody Like You-2002-chart wise, his biggest hit
3. Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me-2003
4. You'll Think Of Me-2004
5. Days Go By-2004
6. Making Memories Of Us-2005
7. Better Life-2005
8. You Look Good In My Shirt-2008
9. Start A Band-with Brad Paisley-2009
10. Sweet Thing-2009
11. Only You Can Love Me This Way-2009
12. Without You-2011
13. Long Hot Summer-2011
14. You Gonna Fly-2012
15. Little Bit Of Everything-2013
16. We Were Us-with Miranda Lambert-2013
17. Somewhere In My Car-2014
18. Raise 'Em Up-with Eric Church-2015
19. Break On Me-2016
20. Wasted Time-2016
2. PARDI'S FIRST: Jon Pardi celebrates his first top ten this week as Head Over Boots is at #9 for the week. This is his fifth single. His other chart appearances are:
1. Missin' You Crazy-2012-#25
2. Up All Night-2013-#11
3. What I Can't Put Down-2014-#31
4. When I've Been Drinkin'-2015-#38
5. Head Over Boots-2016-#9 so far
3. BIG LOUD'S FIRST: Chris Lane is at #10 this week with Fix. It is the first top ten hit for the Big Loud label.
4. SEEIN' #1: The Hot Shot Debut of the week belongs to Dustin Lynch. It is the lead single to an upcoming album called Seein' Red at #41. His last album, Where It's At yielded a trio of #1s:
1. Where It's At Yep, Yep-2014
2. Hell Of A Night-2015
3. Mind Reader-2016
5. OLD DOMINION FAST: For the second week in a row, Old Dominion has the fastest climbing song of the week with Song For Another Time (#43 to #36).
6. AN 80S DEBUT: Debuting at #53 is Maren Morris' 80s Mercedes. This is the second single from her #1 album, Hero. First single, My Church became her first top ten at #9.
7. HIS EMI DEBUT: Gary Allan makes his debut on the chart at #60 with Do You Wish It Was Me. It is his EMI Records debut after being at MCA for the past two decades. Both companies are Universal Music Group labels.
8. A #1 PARDI: Jon Pardi has his first #1 country album in California Sunshine. 24,000 copies were sold last week. His debut album of 2014, Write You A Song peaked at #3.
9. THE FIGHTERS ARE HERE: LoCash debut at #14 with The Fighters after 4000 were sold. This is their second album to chart after LoCash Cowboys from 2013 peaked at #25. The Fighters features their only top ten so far with the #2 peaking I Love This Life.
10. EXODUS DEBUTS: Elizabeth Cook debuts at #23 with Exodus Of Venus after 3000 copies were sold.
11. A 00S LOOK: These were the chart topping hits during the last week of June during the 2000s:
2000: Yes!-Chad Brock-Warner Bros.
2001: I'm Already There-Lonestar-BNA
2002: Living And Living Well-George Strait-MCA
2003: Beer For My Horses-Toby Keith and Willie Nelson-Dreamworks
2004: If You Ever Stop Loving Me-Montgomery Gentry-Columbia
2005: Fast Cars And Freedom-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2006: Summertime-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2007: Ticks-Brad Paisley-Arista
2008: Better As A Memory-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2009: Out Last Night-Kenny Chesney-BNA
12. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Billboard has named two Ronnie Milsap classics as their biggest hits of the year. They are 1980's My Heart, chart wise, his biggest hit and Lost In The Fifties Tonight In The Still Of The Night from 1985. He has another in the adult contemporary field. That is Any Day Now from 1982. That was our top song 34 years ago this week.
My Heart came from his 1980 album, Milsap Magic. The lead single was Why Don't You Spend The Night. That topped the chart in March and began his longest streak of chart toppers at ten. My Heart was released in March and spent three weeks at the top in May and June. A soundtrack single was next and that was Cowboys And Clowns from the Bronco Billy movie. That was another #1 for Milsap and that topped the chart after the first single, Bar Room Buddies did the same for Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood five weeks earlier. Milsap's first greatest hits album was released in late 1980. A new song, Smoky Mountain Rain gave him a new chart achievement. Not only did it top the country chart, it also peaked at #24 pop. It became his third entry on the A.C. chart and topped it in early 1981, becoming his first #1 there. Milsap decided to salute his musical hero, Jim Reeves in 1981. The album, Out Where The Bright Lights Are Glowing yielded a lone single in Am I Losing You. That was a hit twice for Reeves (#3 in 1957 and #8 in 1960). Milsap took his version to the top. He went a 180 by releasing a very pop album in 1981 called There's No Gettin' Over Me. A lead single was chosen in It's All I Can do, but was scrapped when Milsap was presented a tune called There's No Gettin' Over Me. That ended up being the lead single. Released in June, it topped the country chart for two weeks in August. It became his only top ten pop hit at #5 for five weeks and came close to topping the A.C. chart at #2 for four weeks. Second single, I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World did nearly as well, hitting #1 country, #20 pop, and #3 A.C. in early 1982.
The Inside Ronnie Milsap album was released in 1982. Any Day Now was chosen as the lead single. That was originally a #23 pop and #2 r&b hit for Chuck Jackson in 1962. Don Gibson took his version to #26 country in 1979. Milsap's version was released in April and topped the country chart in July. It crossed over to #14 pop and topped the A.C. chart for five weeks. He Got You topped the country chart while hitting #59 pop and #15 A.C.. After that song peaked, Billboard named Any Day Now the #1 A.C. hit of the year. 1983 was kicked off with the #1 country and #27 A.C. hit, Inside. That was Milsap's tenth consecutive #1 country hit. All Good things must come to an end and that's what happened with the 1983 album, Keyed Up. Lead single, Stranger In My House snapped Milsap's chart topping streak by peaking at #5 country. It also hit #23 pop and #8 A.C.. Don't You Know How Much I Love You brought Milsap to the top of the country chart while peaking at #58 pop and #12 A.C.. Show Her kicked off his 1984 on a #1 country note and even hitting #17 A.C.. The One More Try For Love album saw Milsap hit #1 country and #29 A.C. with Show Her. The year ended with the #6 peaking Prisoner Of The Highway. The b-side of the record, She Loves My Car became his last pop chart appearance at #84. A second greatest hits album surfaced in 1985. She Keeps The Home Fires Burning topped the country chart as did the second single, Lost In The Fifties Tonight In The Still Of The Night. It even hit #8 A.C., ending his crossover era (1977-1985).
Milsap's last country chart appearance occurred in 2006 with the #54 peaking Local Girls from the My Life album. In 2014, he was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. RCA released a box set called The RCA Albums Collection. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 3, 1982:
1. ANY DAY NOW-RONNIE MILSAP-RCA
2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me Baby-Janie Frickie-Columbia
3. Listen To The Radio-Don Williams-MCA
4. I Don't Think She's In Love Anymore-Charley Pride-RCA
5. Take Me Down-Alabama-RCA
6. 'Till You're Gone-Barbara Mandrell-MCA
7. Would You Catch A Falling Star-John Anderson-Warner Bros.
8. Are The Good Times Really Over I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver-Merle Haggard-Epic
9. Slow Hand-Conway Twitty-Elektra
10. Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands-Lee Greenwood-MCA

P.S.:  Happy Independence Day!

[countrychartnut]

1. A WASTED #1: Keith Urban continues to top the chart with Wasted Time for a second week. This is his first multi week #1 since 2014's Somewhere In My Car (also a two week #1).
2. TOLD YOU: Darius Rucker has the Hot Shot Debut this week with If I Told You at #43. This single is from an upcoming album. His last album, Southern Style yielded Homegrown Honey (#2 in 2015) and the title track (#33 in 2015).
3. 80S FAST: Maren Morris has the fastest climbing song of the week as 80s Mercedes revs up twelve spaces to #41.
4. OUCH!: After debuting at #41 last week, Dustin Lynch finds himself at #59 this week with Seein' Red.
5. THEIR GOSPEL: The Eli Young Band debut at #54 with Saltwater Gospel. This is from an upcoming album. Their last, Turn It On yielded the title track (#37 in 2015).
6. HIS #1S ARE AT #14: Randy Travis debuts in the top 25 portion of the country albums chart with On The Other Hand: All The Number Ones at #14. 3000 were sold last week. The CD was released back in April. So far, 37,000 have been sold.
7. A 00S LOOK PART II: These were the top selling CDs during the first week of July during the 2000s:
2000: Fly-the Dixie Chicks-Monument
2001: O Brother, Where Art Thou-Soundtrack-Lost Highway
2002: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2003: Honkytonkville-George Strait-MCA
2004: Here For The Party-Gretchen Wilson-Epic
2005: Honkytonk University-Toby Keith-DreamWorks
2006: Taking The Long Way-Dixie Chicks-Monument
2007: 5th Gear-Brad Paisley-Arista
2008: Taylor Swift-Taylor Swift-Big Machine
2009: Hannah Montana: The Movie-Soundtrack-Walt Disney
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: It's Only Make Believe, Conway Twitty's #1 pop hit of 1958 has been covered numerous times. Two notable versions belong to Glen Campbell in 1970 (#3 country, #10 pop, and #2 adult contemporary) and Ronnie McDowell in 1988 (#8 country and Twitty is featured in the song). However, very few of Twitty's country hits have been covered. The first remake of Twitty's was his duet with Loretta Lynn called After The Fire Is Gone (#1 in 1971). That was remade by Willie Nelson and Tracy Nelson in 1974 (#17). The next song was There's A Honky Tonk Angel Who'll Take Me Back In from 1974 (#1). Elvis Presley remade that one and turned it into a #6 country hit in 1979. The third time it happened is when Twitty hit #7 28 years ago this week with Goodbye Time. That was remade by Blake Shelton in 2005.
Twitty returned to MCA Records in 1986 after a five year stay at Elektra/Warner Bros.. MCA was the first label signed to as a country artist in 1965 (as Decca Records). His 1987 album, Borderline started with Julia, a single that spent two weeks at #2, unable to dislodge the Oak Ridge Boys' It Takes A Little Rain To Make Love Grow and I Will Be There by Dan Seals from the top. He returned to #2 with the second single, I Want To Know You Before We Make Love. That stalled in the runner up position while the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band enjoyed a #1 with Fishin' In The Dark. Third and final single, That's My Job was one of his most poignant singles ever. That kicked off his 1988 on a #6 note. Twitty released the Still In Your Dreams album in 1988. Lead single, Goodbye Time was chosen as the first single. He was lucky to have released it as a single as Reba McEntire was the first artist to hear the song. She passed on it as she went through a divorce in 1987. Goodbye Time was released in April and climbed all the way to #7 in July, becoming his 70th top ten hit. During this time, Twitty was named a living legend by Music City News. A great story song was next and that was Saturday Night Special. That hit #9 during the fall. Just before the year ended, I Wish I Was Still In Your Dreams was released and got as high as #4 during the early part of 1989. Vince Gill backs up Twitty on that one.
Twitty released his final album of the 1980s in 1989 called House On Old Lonesome Road. She's Got A Single Thing In Mind was the lead single and brought Twitty to the #2 position. He could not unseat McEntire's Cathy's Clown from the top. The title track was a major hit at #19. Who's Gonna Know (with Gill) became Twitty's first failure in many years when it peaked at #51. 1990 saw Twitty release three albums. Silver Anniversary Collection marked his twenty-five years in country music. Greatest Hits Volume III collected his hits from 1987 and featured a new song called Fit To Be Tied Down (#30). A studio album was released called Crazy In Love. The title track was released in August, 1990 and found a spot at #2 for two weeks, blocked by K.T. Oslin's Come Next Monday. Had that topped the chart, it would have been Twitty's 41st chart topper and would have given him #1s during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. I Couldn't See You Leavin' was released in December and climbed all the way to #3 during the spring, becoming his 75th and final top ten hit. One Bridge I Didn't Burn ended the era on a #57 note. The final album that was released while Twitty was alive was 1991's Even Now. His 88th and final top 40 hit comes from there called She's Got A Man On Her Mind (#22 with back up from Gill). Who Did They Think He Was talks about Elvis Presley, John Kennedy, and Jesus peaked at #56. He recorded another album in Final Touches. The last song he recorded was Rainy Night In Georgia with Sam Moore in May, 1993 for the Rhythm, Country, And Blues album. At the time, Twitty told producer Don Was he wanted to record a whole album of r&b standards. Was agreed, but was not to be. On the way to Fan Fair in Nashville, Twitty collapsed on his bus in Branson, Missouri and died at the hospital in Springfield, Missouri on June 5th. He was 59. Final Touches was released and his final single charted in I'm The Only Thing I'll Hold Against You (#62).
Twitty's final chart appearance occurred in 2004 via a 'duet' with Anita Cochran called I Wanna Hear A Cheatin' Song (#57). It was created by using vocals from various songs Twitty recorded at Warner Bros., Cochran's label. His final CD remains last year's The Complete Warner Bros. And Elektra Chart Singles. Blake Shelton released Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill in 2004. When Somebody Knows You That Well bombed at #37. Some Beach topped the chart between December, 2004 to January, 2005 for four weeks. His version of Goodbye Time was released that January. It peaked at #10, just three spots lower than Twitty's 1988 version. Shelton ended the era with Nobody But Me (#4 in 2006). Shelton has an affinity for Twitty. He namedrops Twitty on Hillbilly Bone (#1 duet with Trace Adkins in 2010 that started Shelton's amazing chart streak of #1s) and Honey Bee (#1 in 2011). This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 9, 1988:
1. Fallin' Again-Alabama-RCA
2. If You Change Your Mind-Rosanne Cash-Columbia
3. Set 'Em Up Joe-Vern Gosdin-Columbia
4. Workin' Man Nowhere To Go-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Warner Bros.
5. Talkin' To The Wrong Man-Michael Martin Murphey and Ryan Murphey-Warner Bros.
6. Don't We All Have The Right-Ricky Van Shelton-Columbia
7. GOODBYE TIME-CONWAY TWITTY-MCA
8. Don't Close Your Eyes-Keith Whitley-RCA
9. Baby Blue-George Strait-MCA
10. Just One Kiss-Exile-Epic

[countrychartnut]

1. #1 IN LIGHTS: Jason Aldean collects his fifteenth #1 this week with Lights Come On. It is the lead single to his upcoming They Don't Know album. His last, Old Boots, New Dirt yielded a quartet of top two hits. They are:
1. Burnin' It Down-2014-#1
2. Just Gettin' Started-2015-#1
3. Tonight Looks Good On You-2015-#1
4. Gonna Know We Were Here-2015-#2
2. HER 22ND: Carrie Underwood eases up one to #2 with the third Storyteller single, Church Bells. This will go down as a top two hit (no matter if it peaks at #1 or #2). This is her twenty-second top two hit (14 #1s and 8 #2s).
3. GOING FAST: The Last Bandoleros have the fastest climbing song as Where Do You Go vaults eleven spaces to #49.
4. COWBOY HIGH: Toby Keith has the Hot Shot Debut of the week with A Few More Cowboys at #51. This is from an upcoming album. His last, 35 MPH Town yielded a trio of chart singles. They are:
1. Drunk Americans-2015-#27
2. 35 MPH Town-2015-#42
3. Beautiful Stranger-2015-#52
5. NICHOLS UNDONE: Joe Nichols debuts at #60 with Undone. It is the second single from an upcoming album. Lead single, Freaks Like Me peaked at #45 this year.
6. TWITTY AND THE HALL: In my piece about Conway Twitty's Goodbye Time from last week, I had failed to mention that he is a Country Music Hall of Famer. He was inducted in 1999, six years after his death.
7. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping hits in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Honey Bee-Blake Shelton-Warner Bros.
2006: Summertime-Kenny Chesney-BNA
2001: I'm Already There-Lonestar-BNA
1996: No One Needs To Know-Shania Twain-Mercury
1991: Don't Rock The Jukebox-Alan Jackson-Arista
8. MILESTONE TOP TWENTY CHART: Country radio sounded a lot like Queen between the spring and summer of 1999. That was possible because Dwight Yoakam remade Crazy Little Thing Called Love and turned it into a #12 country hit. It peaked at that position seventeen years ago this week.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love was one of three new songs on Yoakam's second hits survey, Last Chance For A Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits From The '90s. The track listing is as follows:
1. Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose-1991-#11
2. You're The One-1991-#5
3. It Only Hurts When I Cry-1992-#7
4. The Heart That You Own-1992-#18
5. Suspicious Minds-1992-#35
6. Thinking About Leaving-1999-#54
7. A Thousand Miles From Nowhere-1993-#2
8. Ain't That Lonely Yet-1993-#2-his biggest #2 hit and Grammy Award winner
9. Fast As You-1994-#2
10. Pocket Of A Clown-1994-#22
11. Sorry You Asked-1996-#59
12. Nothing-1995-#20
13. I'll Go Back To Her
14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love-1999-#12
Crazy Little Thing Called Love was originally a #1 pop hit for Queen in 1980. They would have another chart topper that year with Another One Bites The Dust. Yoakam released his version in May, 1999 and it climbed to #12, becoming his last major hit in July. Another single was released in Thinking About Leaving. That was written by Yoakam and Rodney Crowell (Crowell just scored a #1 as a songwriter with Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw). It ended Yoakam's 1999 on a #54 note. The greatest hits album is certified gold. Yoakam's next album was released in 2000 called Tomorrow's Sounds Today. What Do You Know About Love became his final top 40 hit at #26 in 2001. He remade Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me and that peaked at #49. A second duet with Buck Owens called I Was There did not chart (their first, Streets Of Bakersfield was a chart topper in 1988). He ended a nearly two decade relationship with Reprise by releasing a box set called Reprise, Please, Baby in 2002.
He signed to Audium Records in 2002 and released the Population Me album in 2003. Two singles were released that year in The Back Of Your Hand (#52) and The Late Great Golden State (#52). Dwight's Used Records was released in 2004 on Audium. In 2004, New West Records signed him and the Blame The Vain album was released in 2005. His final chart appearances come from that album: Intentional Heartache (#54) and the title track (#58). He released another album for them, a tribute CD to Owens called Dwight Sings Buck in 2007. A single was released called Close Up The Honky Tonks, but it did not dent the chart.
In 2012, Yoakam returned to the Warner Bros. family of labels and released the 3 Pears album that year. New West came back to release a compilation album called 21st Century Hits: Best Of 2000-2012 where you will find Crazy Little Thing Called Love. You will find duets with Willie Nelson and Michelle Branch on the disc with a couple of Owens remakes. His current CD was released last year called Second Hand Heart. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TWENTY FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 17, 1999:
1. Amazed-Lonestar-BNA
2. Write This Down-George Strait-MCA
3. Lesson In Leavin'-Jo Dee Messina-Curb
4. Whatever You Say-Martina McBride-RCA
5. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You-Alabama and *NSYNC-RCA
6. A Night To Remember-Joe Diffie-Epic
7. Please Remember Me-Tim McGraw-Curb
8. Tonight The Heartache's On Me-Dixie Chicks-Monument
9. One Honest Heart-Reba McEntire-MCA
10. Little Good-Byes-SHeDAISY-Lyric Street
11. Single White Female-Chely Wright-MCA
12. CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE-DWIGHT YOAKAM-REPRISE
13. With You-Lila McCann-Asylum
14. The Secret Of Life-Faith Hill-Warner Bros.
15. You Had Me From Hello-Kenny Chesney-BNA
16. Little Man-Alan Jackson-Arista
17. Who Needs Pictures-Brad Paisley-Arista
18. Two Teardrops-Steve Wariner-Capitol
19. You Won't Ever Be Lonely-Andy Griggs-RCA
20. Slave To The Habit-Shane Minor-Mercury

[countrychartnut]

1. UNDERWOOD RINGS IN #1: Carrie Underwood collects her fifteenth #1 hit this week with Church Bells. It is the second #1 off her current album Storyteller. The previous single, Heartbeat topped the chart earlier this year. She has not had back to back #1s since 2012 when the first two Blown Away singles topped the chart: Good Girl and the title track. She has done well in the interim, collecting the following top tens:
1. Two Black Cadillacs-2013-#2
2. See You Again-2013-#2
3. Something In The Water-2015-#3
4. Little Toy Guns-2015-#2
5. Smoke Break-2015-#2
In the meantime, she charted a duet with Miranda Lambert called Somethin' Bad in 2014 that peaked at #7.
2. NAIL'S 50: David Nail has charted Night's On Fire for 50 weeks. This week, it is at #14. This is his second single to chart for at least 50 weeks. He was on the chart for 51 weeks between 2011-2012 with a #1, Let It Rain. Furthermore, the Nail single is the ninth to spend at least 50 weeks on the chart. The others:
1. 56 weeks-Love Like Crazy-Lee Brice-2010
2. 54 weeks-Bouquet Of Roses-Eddy Arnold-1948
3. 52 weeks-Fraulein-Bobby Helms-1957
4. 52 weeks-Voices-Chris Young-2011
5. 51 weeks-Let It Rain-David Nail-2012
6. 50 weeks-Love You Like That-Canaan Smith-2015
7. 50 weeks-Gonna Wanna Tonight-Chase Rice-2015
8. 50 weeks-Little Bit Of You-Chase Bryant-2016
9. 50 weeks-Night's On Fire-David Nail-2016
3. MORE SUMMERTIME: Jason Aldean has the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #30 with A Little More Summertime. It is the second single from his They Don't Know album. Lead single, Lights Came On recently became his fifteenth #1 hit.
4. WASN'T FAST: The Josh Abbott Band with Carly Pearce have the fastest climbing song of the week with Wasn't That Drunk (#50 to #44).
5. A WATSON DEBUT: For the second time, Aaron Watson charts a song. This time, it is Bluebonnets Julia's Song at #60. This is from his #1 album, The Underdog. Lead single, That Look peaked at #47 last year.
6. CHESNUTT LIVES: Only one album debuts on the chart this week and that is Mark Chesnutt's Tradition Lives at #22. 2000 copies were sold last week.
7. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: My Kinda Party-Jason Aldean-Broken Bow
2006: American V: A Hundred Highways-Johnny Cash-Lost Highway
2001: O Bother, Where Art Thou-Soundtrack-Lost Highway
1996: The Woman In Me-Shania Twain-Mercury
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: RCA Records was the last label Don Williams had success with. His first single for the label, One Good Well was our #4 song 27 years ago this week.
Williams came to RCA after a three year stint at Capitol Records (1985-1988). He recorded just two albums for Capitol: New Moves (1986) and Traces (1987). He released nine hit singes on Capitol (the first five were from New Moves while the last four were from Traces). They are:
1. We've Got A Good Fire Goin'-1986-#3
2. Heartbeat In The Darkness-1986-#1
3. Then It's Love-1987-#3
4. Senorita-1987-#9
5. I'll Never Be In Love Again-1987-#4
6. I Wouldn't Be A Man-1988-#9
7. Another Place, Another Time-1988-#5
8. Desperately-1988-#7
9. Old Coyote Town-1989-#5
What led Williams to make a label change at this time, I do not know. If it was his decision or maybe Capitol wanted to drop him. I know Williams had back surgery in 1987 and could not promote the Traces album. Maybe that's why New Moves charted on the albums chart (#29) while Traces did not chart despite the fact its singles charted from 1987-1989. In any case, Williams recorded the One Good Well album for RCA in 1988. The title track was chosen as the lead single. That was released in April, 1989 and climbed all the way to #4 in July. It gave him a top ten on a FIFTH label following Dot (later ABC/Dot and later ABC), MCA, Warner Bros., Capitol, and RCA. I've Been Loved By The Best followed and it matched One Good Well's chart peak at #4. 1990 was kicked off with another #4 peaker, Just As Long As I Have You. Fourth single, Maybe That's All It Takes faltered at #22. That interrupted a string of twelve consecutive top tens for Williams.
His second RCA album, True Love was released during the summer of 1990. Lead single, Back In My Younger Days was written by Danny Flowers who wrote Williams' chart topper of 1979, Tulsa Time. Released in September, it could have been Williams' 18th #1 hit, but was blocked from the top by Joe Diffie's Home and You Really Had Me Going by Holly Dunn. After that near miss, Williams kicked off 1991 with the title track, which peaked at #4. Third and final single, Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy not only became his final top ten, but his final top forty hit at #7. Just one more album for RCA was released in 1992 called Currents. His final chart appearances come from that album: It's Who You Love (#73) and Too Much Love (#72). Check out his version of Standing Knee Deep In A River Dying Of Thirst. That was a #19 hit for Kathy Mattea in 1993. After five years at RCA, Williams was dropped by them in 1993.
Since his RCA days, Williams has released the following studio albums (amongst an array of greatest hits albums):
1. Borrowed Tales-1995
2. Flatlands-1996
3. I Turn The Page-1998
4. My Heart To You-2004
5. And So It Goes-2012
6. Reflections-2014-his last CD
In 2010, Williams was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 22, 1989:
1. What's Going On In Your World-George Strait-MCA
2. Cathy's Clown-Reba McEntire-MCA
3. She's Got A Single Thing In Mind-Conway Twitty-MCA
4. ONE GOOD WELL-DON WILLIAMS-RCA
5. Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That-Dolly Parton-Columbia
6. Houston Solution-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
7. You Ain't Going Nowhere-Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn-Universal
8. In A Letter To You-Eddy Raven-Universal
9. Dear Me-Lorrie Morgan-RCA
10. Timber, I'm Falling In Love-Patty Loveless-MCA

P.S.: Can not find a video for One Good Well. Sorry.

[countrychartnut]

1. H.O.L.Y. I.S. #1: Florida Georgia Line collect their ninth #1 hit this week with H.O.L.Y.. It is the lead single to their third album, Dig Your Roots. Their last album, Anything Goes yielded a quintet of top ten hits. They are:
1. Dirt-2014-#1
2. Sun Daze-2015-#1
3. Sippin' On Fire-2015-#1
4. Anything Goes-2015-#3
5. Confession-2016-#1
2. MIRANDA VICE: Miranda Lambert blasts her way onto the chart with Vice at #18. It is the Hot Shot Debut of the week and it is from an upcoming album. It beats her previous high start of Automatic that debuted at #26 in 2014. Her previous album, Platinum yielded a quartet of top 40 hits. They are:
1. Automatic-2014-#3
2. Somethin' Bad-with Carrie Underwood-2014-#7
3. Little Red Wagon-2015-#16
4. Smokin' And Drinkin'-with Little Big Town-2015-#33
3. MOVE MOVES: Luke Bryan has the fastest climbing song of the week with Move. It vaults up 23 spots to #35.
4. THE WEEKEND IS HERE: Brantley Gilbert debuts at #38 with The Weekend. It is from an upcoming album. His previous album, Just As I Am produced four major hits. They are:
1. Bottoms Up-2014-#1
2. Small Town Throwdown-with Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett-2014-#8
3. One Hell Of An Amen-2015-#1
4. Stone Cold Sober-2016-#18
5. THE LAST IDOL: The final American Idol winner, Trent Harmon makes his debut on the chart at #53 with There's A Girl. He signed to Big Machine Records after winning on Idol.
6. TYLER'S #1: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith debuts at #1 with his first country album, We're All Somebody From Somewhere. 17,000 copies were sold last week.
7. NAIL'S FIGHTER: After selling 12,000 copies of Fighter, David Nail has the #3 position all to himself. This is his fourth album to chart following:
1. I'm About To Come Alive-2009-#19
2. The Sound Of A Million Dreams-2011-#8
3. I'm A Fire-2014-#3
4. Fighter-2016-#3
8. A 90S LOOK: These were the chart topping hits during the last week of July during the 1990s:
1990: The Dance-Garth Brooks-Capitol
1991: She's In Love With The Boy-Trisha Yearwood-MCA
1992: Boot Scootin' Boogie-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
1993: Chattahoochee-Alan Jackson-Arista
1994: Summertime Blues-Alan Jackson-Arista
1995: Any Man Of Mine-Shania Twain-Mercury
1996: Don't Get Me Started-Rhett Akins-Decca
1997: Carrying Your Love With Me-George Strait-MCA
1998: To Make You Feel My Love-Garth Brooks-Capitol
1999: Amazed-Lonestar-BNA
9. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Very few debut albums have five singles released from them. One of the first was Ricky Van Shelton's Wild-Eyed Dream. Its fifth single, Don't We All Have The Right was our top song 28 years ago this week.
Every record label wanted their 'Randy Travis' in 1986 after the kind of year he had. Columbia Records was the first when they signed the Virginia native Shelton that year. The story that gets told is that Shelton recorded his debut album in one amazing take. The title track was chosen as the lead single. That was released in January, 1987. The rockabilly single carried Shelton to #24, a respectable showing for a new artist. In April, second single, Crime Of Passion was released. It became the first of seventeen top tens for Shelton during the summer at #7. Third single held bigger things for him. That was Somebody Lied. That was written by Larry Jenkins, a nephew of Conway Twitty. That is ironic because Twitty recorded it for his 1985 album, Don't Call Him A Cowboy. Released in August, it topped the country chart in December, becoming the first of ten chart toppers for Shelton. The American Country Countdown named Somebody Lied the second biggest hit of the year behind Travis' Forever And Ever, Amen. Life Turned Her That Way was released in December. That was originally a #11 hit for Mel Tillis in 1967. In Shelton's hands, it kicked off his 1988 on a chart topping note in March. At the A.C.M. Awards, Shelton won the Top New Male Vocalist award. Then, Columbia decided to mine Wild-Eyed Dream one more time. Don't We All Have The Right was released in April. That was written by Roger Miller who put it as the b-side to his 1970 hit, South (#15). According to Shelton, he was totally hooked on country music by the time 1970 rolled around (the same year he turned eighteen and graduated from high school). Don't We All Have The Right topped the chart for Shelton in July. Not bad. Five single releases, all of them making the top 40 with four of them making the top ten while three of them becoming chart toppers. The album went platinum after it hit #1 on the country albums chart. For his efforts, he was made a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The C.M.A. gave him the 1988 Horizon Award.
He released five more hit albums. The albums and their hits are:
1. Loving Proof-1988
a. I'll Leave This World Loving You-1988-#1-the biggest hit of the year according to the American Country Countdown
b. From A Jack To A King-1989-#1
c. Hole In My Pocket-1989-#4
d. Living Proof-1989-#1-Shelton named C.M.A. Male Vocalist of the Year
2. RVS III-1990
a. Statue Of A Fool-1990-#2-his biggest #2 hit
b. I've Cried My Last Tear For You-1990-#1
c. I Meant Every Word He Said-1990-#2
d. Life's Little Ups And Downs-1991-#4
3. Backroads-1991
a. Rockin' Years-with Dolly Parton-1991-#1-officially released off the Parton album, Eagle When She Flies
b. I Am A Simple Man-1991-#1
c. Keep It Between The Lines-1991-#1-chart wise, his biggest hit
d. After The Lights Go Out-1992-#13
e. Backroads-1992-#2
4. Greatest Hits Plus-1992
a. Wild Man-1993-#5
b. Just As I Am-1993-#26
5. A Bridge I Didn't Burn-1993
a. A Couple Of Good Years Left-1993-#44
b. Where Was I-1994-#20-his final top 40 hit
In 2000, Shelton released his final studio album on Audium Records called Fried Green Tomatoes. From that album comes his final chart appearance called The Decision (#71). You can find Don't We All Have The Right on the following greatest hits albums:
1. Greatest Hits Plus-1992
2. Super Hits-1995
3. 16 Biggest Hits-1999
Shelton announced his retirement from the music business in 2006, the twentieth anniversary of him signing to Columbia Records. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING JULY 30, 1988:
1. DON'T WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT-RICKY VAN SHELTON-COLUMBIA
2. Baby Blue-George Strait-MCA
3. Don't Close Your Eyes-Keith Whitley-RCA
4. Bluest Eyes In Texas-Restless Heart-RCA
5. Sunday Kind Of Love-Reba McEntire-MCA
6. The Wanderer-Eddie Rabbitt-RCA
7. I'll Give You All My Love Tonight-Bellamy Brothers-MCA
8. Give A Little Love-the Judds-RCA
9. She Doesn't Cry Anymore-Shenandoah-Columbia
10. I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried-Rodney Crowell-Columbia

[countrychartnut]

1. CHURCH'S #1 YEAR: After seeing the lead single to his current album peak at #15, Eric Church can finally celebrate a #1 off that album called Mr. Misunderstood. That is Record Year and it is the seventh chart topper of his career. The #15 peaking single was the title track from earlier this year.
2. A CHESNEY/PINK DEBUT: Grabbing Hot Shot Debut honors this week is Kenny Chesney and Pink with Setting The World On Fire at #22. It is the second single from Chesney's upcoming album, Cosmic Hallelujah. First single, Noise just peaked at #6.
3. LAMBERT SLIPS: After debuting last week at #18 with Vice, Miranda Lambert finds herself at #25 this week.
4. TONIGHT IS FAST: LANco has the fastest climbing song of the week as Long Live Tonight zips up nine to #42.
5. WE THE PEOPLE: Big Smo debuts at #13 on the country albums chart with We The People. Once I get sales figures, this will be edited.
6. A 90S LOOK PART II: These were the top selling CDs during the first week of August during the 1990s:
1990: Killin' Time-Clint Black-RCA
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
1992: Some Gave All-Billy Ray Cyrus-Mercury
1993: It Won't Be The Last-Billy Ray Cyrus-Mercury
1994: Not A Moment Too Soon-Tim McGraw-Curb
1995: The Woman In Me-Shania Twain-Mercury
1996: Blue-LeAnn Rimes-Curb
1997: Everywhere-Tim McGraw-Curb
1998: Hope Floats-Soundtrack-Capitol
1999: Come On Over-Shania Twain-Mercury
7. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Rodney Atkins reached the peak of his popularity with the 2006 album, If You're Going Through Hell. It was our top seller just ten years ago this week.
Atkins signed to Curb Records in 1996 even though his first album was not released until 2003. Between those events, Atkins was supposed to release his self-titled debut album in 1997. The singles from that unreleased album fared poorly: In A Heartbeat (#74 in 1997) and God Only Knows, which did not chart. Curb shelved the album and waited six years to release Atkins' first disc. That album's name was Honesty. He finally reached the top 40 in 2002 with the first two singles: Sing Along (#37) and My Old Man (#36). In the middle of 2003, the title track known as Honesty Write Me A List was released. There were some vocal comparisons with his labelmate, Tim McGraw. It took awhile for the single to peak. That happened in 2004 when it became his first top ten hit at #4. While Honesty was charting, Curb finally released the parent album. A fourth single, Someone To Share It With hit #41. A fifth single did not chart with Monkey In The Middle. Atkins' stock would dramatically improve with his second album, If You're Going Through Hell.
The title track, If You're Going Through Hell Before The Devil Even Knows was released in January, 2006. It took eight months for it to become his first #1 single. It stayed at the top for four weeks. The week before the single topped the chart, the album debuted at #1 on the country chart while peaking at #3 on the top 200 chart. Watching You, the second single was released in September. It also spent four weeks at the top in January and February, 2007. Just before that song peaked, the American Country Countdown and Billboard named If You're Going Through Hell the biggest hit of the year. After Watching You peaked, Atkins won the A.C.M. Top New Male Vocalist of the Year award. These Are My People made it a trio of #1s when it topped the chart in September. The following week, Garth Brooks debuted at #1 with More Than A Memory. Atkins and Curb continued their winning ways with the fourth single, Cleaning This Gun Come On In Boy. Lightning struck twice as the American Country Countdown and Billboard named Watching You the top single of the year. Cleaning This Gun was #1 in February and March, 2008. Mining the album still, Invisibly Shaken was released as the fifth single. The #1s streak stopped when it failed to enter the top 40. It peaked at #41. The album is certified platinum.
It's America, Atkins' third album was released in 2009. The title track was the lead single. That was released in November, 2008 and brought him back to the top in May, 2009. 15 Minutes gave him another major hit when it peaked at #20. He ended the year with the #48 peaking Chasin' Girls. The It's America album was rereleased with a new song called Farmer's Daughter. The single was released in March, 2010 and climbed all the way to #5. That song was also repeated on Atkins' next album, Take A Back Road, which was released in 2011. The title track was released in April and became Atkins' sixth and final #1 in September and October. He's Mine was released before the year was over and found a spot at #23 in 2012. Just Wanna Rock N'Roll ended the era on a #31 note. To date, that is his final top 40 hit. A single release in Doin' It Right in 2013 hit #53. Curb released Greatest Hits in 2015. Eat Sleep Love You Repeat peaked at #47. What Atkins is up to these days is anyone's guess. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 5, 2006:
1. IF YOU'RE GOING THROUGH HELL-RODNEY ATKINS-CURB
2. Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
3. Taking The Long Way-Dixie Chicks-Monument
4. American V: A Hundred Highways-Johnny Cash-Lost Highway
5. Some Hearts-Carrie Underwood-Arista
6. Precious Memories-Alan Jackson-Arista
7. Sinners Like Me-Eric Church-Capitol
8. Greatest Hits Vol. 2: Reflected-Tim McGraw-Curb
9. White Trash With Money-Toby Keith-Show Dog
10. Stand Still, Look Pretty-the Wreckers-Maverick

[countrychartnut]

1. LANE FIXES #1: Chris Lane lands his first chart topping hit this week with Fix. Not only is it his first #1, but the first chart topper for the Big Loud label. It is a far cry from his debut single back in 2014. Broken Windshield View peaked at #56.
2. THE PERRYS COME BACK: The Band Perry gets the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #39 with Comeback Kid. This is their debut single for the Interscope/Mercury label. They were with Republic Nashville for seven years (2009-2016). They have four #1 hits so far. They are:
1. If I Die Young-2010
2. All Your Life-2012
3. Better Dig Two-2013
4. DONE-2013
3. A BMLG DEBUT: Florida Georgia Line debut at #51 with May We All. This song features Tim McGraw. This is being credited as a BMLG single after their record label, Republic Nashville changed names. It is the second single from their Dig Your Roots album. H.O.L.Y. just became their ninth chart topping hit.
4. A TIE: We have four songs taking four point jumps for fastest climbing songs of the week. They are:
1. Vice-Miranda Lambert-#25 to #21
2. Move-Luke Bryan-#29 to #25
3. Wasn't That Drunk-Josh Abbott Band with Carly Pearce-#47 to #43
5. GUYTON'S BACK: Mickey Guyton charts for the second time with Heartbreak Song at #56. Her debut, Better Than You Left Me peaked at #34 last year.
6. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have three albums making their debuts on the country albums chart. They are:
1. American Love-Jake Owen-#1 with 29,000 sold
2. Love Remains-Hillary Scott and the Scott Family-#2 with 28,000 sold
3. The Bird & The Rifle-Lori McKenna-#19 with 3000 sold
7. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping hits in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Knee Deep-Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett-Atlantic
2006: If You're Going Through Hell Before The Devil Even Knows-Rodney Atkins-Curb
2001: Austin-Blake Shelton-Warner Bros.
1996: Carried Away-George Strait-MCA
1991: She's In Love With The Boy-Trisha Yearwood-MCA
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Lorrie Morgan released a greatest hits album in 1995. A new song on the set became her final #1. That was I Didn't Know My Own Strength and it was tops twenty-one years ago this week.
The track listing to Greatest Hits is as follows:
1. Five Minutes-1990-#1
2. Dear Me-1989-#9
3. Except For Monday-1992-#4
4. A Picture Of Me Without You-1991-#9
5. Watch Me-1992-#2
6. Something In Red-1992-#14
7. Back In Your Arms Again-1995-#4
8. I Didn't Know My Own Strength-1995-#1
9. Standing Tall-1996-#32
10. What Part Of No-1993-#1-chart wise, her biggest hit
11. 'Til A Tear Becomes A Rose-with Keith Whitley-1990-#13
I Didn't Know My Own Strength was released in May, 1995 and found a spot at the top in August. It would be the third and final #1 in Morgan's career. She followed that with Back In Your Arms Again which peaked at #4 before the year ended. She ended the era on a #32 note with Standing Tall, originally a #15 hit for Billie Jo Spears in 1980. The album was rereleased in 1996 to include her duet with the Beach Boys, Don't Worry Baby (#73) which first appeared on their Stars And Stripes Vol. 1 album of 1996. That song kicked Standing Tall out of the lineup. The greatest hits album is certified double platinum, her biggest seller ever. She followed that with the 1996 album, Greater Need. Lead single, By My Side was a duet with her new husband, Jon Randall (married in 1996). That gave the newlyweds a major hit when it peaked at #18. I Just Might Be failed to hit the top 40 when it peaked at #45. She rebounded nicely with the third and final single, Good As I Was To You which kicked off her 1997 on a #4 note.
1997 saw her release the Shakin' Things Up album. This would be her last album to contain her final solo singles to hit the top 40. Go Away was the lead single. Released in July, it became her fourteenth and final top ten in the fall at #3. One Of Those Night Tonight was released before 1997 ended and peaked at #14 in early 1998 becoming her last solo major hit. Two more singles were released, but failed to get to the top 40: I'm Not That Easy To Forget (#49) and You Think He'd Know Me Better (#66). The album My Heart was released in 1999. Lead single was a duet with future husband, Sammy Kershaw. That was Maybe Not Tonight and it carried the duo to #17. Right after that song peaked, Morgan divorced Randall. A second single bombed at #72 and that was Here I Go Again. She released another greatest hits album in 2000 called To Get To You: Greatest Hits Collection. A sole single in To Get To You peaked at #63. A duets album with Kershaw called I Finally Found Someone was released in 2001. It would be the last album Morgan would release for RCA/BNA. He Drinks Tequila would be the final top 40 hit for Morgan. It peaked at #39. The title track was released, but did not chart. That was originally a #8 pop and #2 adult contemporary hit for Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams in 1997. 29 Again repeated the pattern by not charting. After that, Morgan and Kershaw said 'I do' to each other. After fourteen years at RCA/BNA, Morgan was dropped by them in 2002.
Her first new album for her new label, Image Entertainment was called The Color Of Roses (2002). The title track was released, but did not chart. Her next album was released two years later called Show Me How. To date, her last chart appearance comes from that album and that is the #50 peaking Do You Still Want To Buy Me That Drink Frank. Morgan would release a quartet of albums on a quartet of labels. They are:
1. A Moment In Time-2009-Stroudavarious
2. I Walk Alone-2010-Octagon
3. Dos Divas-with Pam Tillis-2013-Red River
4. Letting Go...SLow-2016-Shanachie
Her current album is called A Picture Of Me-Greatest Hits & More which was released this year. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 12, 1995:
1. I DIDN'T KNOW MY OWN STRENGTH-LORRIE MORGAN-BNA
2. A Little Bit Of You-Lee Roy Parnell-Career
3. I Don't Even Know Your Name-Alan Jackson-Arista
4. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
5. Not On Your Love-Jeff Carson-Curb
6. Bobbie Ann Mason-Rick Trevino-Columbia
7. This Is Me Missing You-James House-Epic
8. You Have The Right To Remain Silent-Perfect Stranger-Curb
9. Any Man Of Mine-Shania Twain-Mercury
10. And Still-Reba McEntire-MCA

[countrychartnut]

1. A #1 PARDI: Jon Pardi collects his first #1 this week with Head Over Boots. This is from his recent chart topping album, California Sunrise. This is his fifth single following:
1. Missin' You Crazy-2012-#25
2. Up All Night-2013-#11
3. What I Can't Put Down-2014-#31
4. When I've Been Drinkin'-2015-#38
5. Head Over Boots-2016-#1
Pardi follows another newcomer at the top. Chris lane just nabbed the top spot with Fix.
2. THEY'RE FAST: Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw have the fastest climbing song of the week with May We All (#51 to #38).
3. RAELYNN'S TRIANGLE: RaeLynn makes her third chart appearance this week with Love Triangle. It is the Hot Shot Debut of the week at #57. It is the second single from an upcoming album. She has charted with For A Boy (#58 in 2015). Her debut came in 2015 with the #16 peaking God Made Girls.
4. BROOKS & DUNN: Ronnie Dunn debuts his second Nash Icon single, Damn Drunk at #58 this week. It follows the #42 peaking Ain't No Trucks In Texas. Damn Drunk features his singing partner, Kix Brooks. They charted fifty singles between 1991-2009 with twenty of them reaching #1.
5. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have five albums making their debuts on the country albums chart this week. They are:
1. Gotta Be Me by Cody Johnson-#2 with 23,000 sold
2. Bury Me In My Boots by the Cadillac Three-#5 with 11,000 sold
3. Way Down In The Jungle Room by Elvis Presley-#6 with 7000 sold
4. Girl Problems by Chris Lane-#8 with 6000 sold
5. Welcome To Dodge City by the Lacs & Hard Target: Rocket Country-#22 with 3000 sold
6. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Chief-Eric Church-EMI
2006: Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2001: O Brother, Where Art Thou-Soundtrack-Lost Highway
1996: Blue-LeAnn Rimes-Curb
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
7. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: The Zac Brown Band remains the ONLY country group to have their debut album contain four chart topping hits. That happened with The Foundation and its fifth single, Free. Free was our top song just six years ago this week.
The Zac Brown Band was formed in 2002. They released an independent album in 2005 called Home Grown. However, the Zac Brown Band did not latch onto a major label until 2008 when they signed to Live Nation Artists Records. They recorded The Foundation album during this time. The first single happened to be a 'remake'. That was Chicken Fried, written by Zac Brown and Wyatt Durette. That was featured on their Home Grown album. However, the Lost Trailers recorded their version and they were the first to chart with it in 2006. That's when Brown demanded BNA, the Lost Trailers' label to withdraw the single. BNA bowed to Brown's request (through a cease and desist letter). The Lost Trailers would peak at #52 with their version. Brown did release his version in June, 2008. Their version debuted at #59. In September, Live Nation closed its doors and in October, Atlantic Records started to distribute Chicken Fried. The Foundation was released under the Atlantic/Home Grown/Southern Ground/Big Picture imprints. Chicken Fried hit the top in December for two weeks, making them the first group to take their debut single to the top since Heartland's I Loved Her First in 2006. 2009 was kicked off with their second release, Whatever It Is. That was released in January and became their first #2 hit, unable to dislodge Kenny Chesney's Out Last Night and Sideways by Dierks Bentley from the top spot. Their most controversial song was the next release. That was Toes and two lines in the song were edited for radio (WYRK played the original version):
'I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand' and 'Roll a big fat one'.
In any case, Toes reached the top spot in November for two weeks, becoming their second chart topping hit. Highway 20 Ride was released that month and gave the Zac Brown Band a hat trick of chart toppers in April, 2010. They decided on a fifth single in Free. So far, all singles released were written by Brown. Free was released in April and climbed all the way to #1 in August. Four out of five singles making it to the top from a debut album is a great accomplishment. The Foundation, a #2 country and #9 top 200 album is certified triple platinum. During The Foundation era, they won awards for Best New Vocal Duo or Group from the A.C.M. (2009), Best New Artist from the Grammys (2010), and New Artist of the Year from the C.M.A. (2010).
They followed that major success with another one with You Get What You Give (2010). The first single was a duet with Alan Jackson called As She's Walking Away. Released in August, it topped the chart for two weeks in November, giving the group its fifth #1 and Jackson's 26th. When Jackson collected that chart topper, it vaulted him into the top ten list of those artists with the most #1 hits. It helped the Zac Brown Band win a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. 2011 was kicked off with Colder Weather (well, it's winter in the northern hemisphere). In any case, the single hit the top of the chart in April, when it's spring time. Another duet was released in Knee Deep. This time, Jimmy Buffett was along for the ride. They could have done Toes as a duet with Buffett as well. It gave the Zac Brown Band its seventh #1 hit and Buffett his second. It was the biggest cross over hit of the Zac Brown Band when it peaked at #18 pop. Keep Me In Mind was released in August and became their longest reigning #1 hit at four weeks between December, 2011 to January, 2012. The era ended on a #2 note with No Hurry. They could not get Kip Moore's Somethin' 'Bout A Truck out of the way. Like The Foundation, You Get What You Give finished with four #1s and one #2 hit. You Get What You Give landed at #1 on both country and top 200 charts and is certified double platinum.
The Uncaged album was released in 2012. Its lead single, The Wind broke their streak of ten consecutive top ten hits by peaking at #11. They got back into the top ten by topping the chart with their second release, Goodbye In Her Eyes. Released in October, it started their 2013 in fine fashion when it stayed at #1 for three weeks in January. Jump Right In was released in February and proceeded to be their third #2 hit, unable to clear the Band Perry's DONE from the top. Fourth and final single, Sweet Annie topped the chart in January, 2014. The Grammys named Uncaged the Best Country Album. It became their second double #1 album on country and top 200 charts. It is certified platinum. A one single release from The Grohl Sessions, Vol. 1 in All Alright made it to #17 in 2014. By this time, their professional relationship with Atlantic was over. However, Atlantic did release Greatest Hits So Far in late 2014.
2014 became 2015 and a label change was in the making. This time, it was John Varvatos/Big Machine/Republic Records. Their debut for them, Jekyll + Hyde has the Zac Brown Band going in a rock direction. Homegrown was the first single and it topped the chart for three weeks in April. Loving You Easy was the second single and that, too hit #1 in August. Beautiful Drug was released in September and it trudged to the top in April 2016, becoming their slowest climbing #1 to date. Castaway is their current single and is currently in the top twenty. It should be noted that they sent two single to the rock format: Heavy Is The Head with Chris Cornell and Junkyard. When Loving You Easy was charting, the Zac Brown Band was transferred from Big Machine to Dot Records. Jekyll + Hyde reached #1 on both charts and is certified gold. Here is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 21, 2010:
1. FREE-ZAC BROWN BAND-ATLANTIC
2. I'm In-Keith Urban-Capitol
3. All About Tonight-Blake Shelton-Warner Bros.
4. Lover, Lover-Jerrod Niemann-Sea Gayle
5. Love Like Crazy-Lee Brice-Curb
6. Undo It-Carrie Underwood-Arista
7. Pretty Good At Drinkin' Beer-Billy Currington-Mercury
8. Our Kind Of Love-Lady Antebellum-Capitol
9. Smile-Uncle Kracker-Atlantic
10. Rain Is A Good Thing-Luke Bryan-Capitol

[countrychartnut]

1. FROM THE GROUND TO #1: Dan + Shay collect their second chart topping hit this week with From The Ground Up. This is from their current Obsessed album. This is also their second consecutive #1 hit after Nothin' Like You (2015). The last duo to chart consecutive #1s was Sugarland. They did it in 2009 with Already Gone and It Happens.
2. HIS FIFTH: Sam Hunt eases up one to #2 with Make You Miss Me. This is his fifth consecutive top two hit off Montevallo. The others:
1. Leave The Night On-2014-#1
2. Take Your Time-2015-#1
3. House Party-2015-#1
4. Break Up In A Small Town-2016-#2
5. Make You Miss Me-2016-#2 so far
3. A TIE: We have two songs taking six point jumps for fastest climbing songs of the week. They are:
1. May We All-Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw-#38 to #32
2. Heartbreak Song-Mickey Guyton-#55 to #49
4. URBAN'S BLUE: Keith Urban has the Hot Shot Debut of the week with Blue Ain't Your Color. He is hoping for a #1 here. If it tops the chart, he will have three consecutive #1s off Ripcord following Break On Me and Wasted Time from this year. The last time he charted a trio of consecutive #1s was back in 2011-2012 with these singles:
1. Without You-2011
2. Long Hot Summer-2011
3. You Gonna Fly-2012
5. ALAINA'S ROAD: Lauren Alaina debuts her second single from her self-titled album called Road Less Traveled at #57. The first, Next Boyfriend peaked at #43 in 2016. She was a contestant on American Idol.
6. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have four albums making their debuts on the country albums chart this week. They are:
1. Kinda Don't Care by Justin Moore-#1 with 37,000 sold
2. I'm Not The Devil by Cody Jinks-#4 with 11,000 sold
3. Dylan Scott by Dylan Scott-#5 with 9000 sold
4. Chicken Willie by Upchurch-#22 with 3000 sold
7. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping songs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Just A Kiss-Lady Antebellum-Capitol
2006: If You're Going Through Hell Before The Devil Even Knows-Rodney Atkins-Curb
2001: Austin-Blake Shelton-Warner Bros.
1996: Carried Away-George Strait-MCA
1991: You Know Me Better Than That-George Strait-MCA
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: After a label change in 1989, she finally achieved a chart topping hit. Her name is Holly Dunn and that song was Are You Ever Gonna Love Me, our #1 hit from 27 years ago this week.
Dunn signed to MTM Records in 1985. She already had songwriting success in 1984 with Louise Mandrell's I'm Not Through Loving You Yet (#7). Dunn went to work on her debut album during this time. However, MTM put out a promo single with Playing For Keeps which bombed at #62. Things did not improve for Dunn when the first single to her self-titled debut album peaked at #64 and that was My Heart Holds On (1986). She finally managed a top 40 hit with Two Too Many (#39). Then, her most memorable single was released and that was Daddy's Hands. Written by Dunn, the single was released in August and found a spot at #7 just before 1986 ended. MTM did release the debut album during this time. 1987 was kicked off with a duet with Michael Martin Murphey called A Face In The Crowd. That bought Dunn time to work on her next album called Cornerstone. The duet was on Murphey's Americana album. The single peaked at #4 and Dunn was ready for bigger and better in her career. That came with the first Cornerstone single called Love Someone Like Me. Released in May, it got all the way to #2 for two weeks, unable to get The Weekend by Steve Wariner and Ronnie Milsap's Snap Your Fingers out of the way. After that near miss, second single, Only When I Love made Dunn perfect in the top tens department for 1987: it peaked at #4. At the C.M.A. Awards, Dunn won the Horizon Award against the likes of T. Graham Brown, the O'Kanes, Restless Heart, and the Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Strangers Again started her 1988 on a #7 note.
1988 saw Dunn release her third album called Across The Rio Grande. There would be problems just around the corner. The album was a qualified success. That's What Your Love Does To Me was recorded before-namely by Michael Johnson for his Wings album. Dunn's version was released in June and claimed a #5 spot on the chart. Just after that single peaked, MTM Records announced they would close their doors before year's end. However, a second single was released in It's Always Gonna Be Someday. That was released in November and climbed all the way to #11 in early 1989, breaking her string of six consecutive top ten hits. During the week it hit #11, MTM was history and Dunn went without a label for a short time. She signed to Warner Bros. where she became labelmates with Murphey (and a few others). In any case, she went to work on her debut album for her new label called The Blue Rose Of Texas. Are You Ever Gonna Love Me was tapped as the first single. Released in May, it gave Dunn a new chart achievement when it hit the top in August. There Goes My Heart Again was the second and final single. That ended her 1989 on a #4 note. That was written by Joe Diffie and because of that success, he signed to Epic Records in early 1990.
She kicked off her 1990s by charting a duet with Kenny Rogers called Maybe (#25). That was on his Something Inside So Strong album of 1989. She went on to release her seond Warner Bros. album called Heart Full Of Love. It started with a flop when My Anniversary For Being A Fool peaked at #63. Her biggest hit was next and that was You Really Had Me Going. Released in September, it became her second chart topping hit in November. Ironically, she topped Diffie's first single, Home for the top spot. It also became her ninth and final top ten hit. The title track kicked off her 1991 by becoming her last major hit at #19. That became her lucky thirteenth and final top 40 hit. A greatest hits album was released in 1991 called Milestones: Greatest Hits. Two new songs were added and the first one caused a stir. That was Maybe I Mean Yes. The most controversial part of the song was the chorus and it goes like this:
'When I Say no I mean maybe. Baby don't you know me yet? Nothin's worth havin' if it ain't a little hard to get. So let me clarify so you won't have to try to guess. When I say no I mean maybe or maybe I mean yes'.
That was written by Dunn and her brother, Chris Waters. While she received a ton of attention from the media, the single died at #48. The second single, No One Takes The Train Anymore was released, but did not chart, the first Dunn single to do so. Milestones is Dunn's ONLY certified gold album. Getting It Dunn was the third and final studio album Dunn would release on Warner Bros. in 1992. Three singles were released and they all made the top 70:
1. No Love Have I-1992-#67
2. As Long As You Belong To Me-1992-#68
3. Golden Years-1993-#51
She stayed at Warner Bros. until 1994. That was the same year she signed to her third label, River North. She released an album with them called Life And Love And All The Stages (1995). To date, her last chart appearance comes from that album, the #56 peaking I Am Who I Am. Two more singles did not chart with Cowboys Are My Weakness and It's Not About Blame. She released another album on the label and that was 1997's Leave One Bridge Standing. She was dropped by River North in 1998 and waited five years to release her last album called Full Circle on the South Heart label. She decided to retire from the music business in 2003 after two decades full of music. She decided to focus her attention to paintings, which have been displayed at various galleries. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 26, 1989:
1. ARE YOU EVER GONNA LOVE ME-HOLLY DUNN-WARNER BROS.
2. I'm Still Crazy-Vern Gosdin-Columbia
3. I Wonder Do You Think Of Me-Keith Whitley-RCA
4. Any Way The Wind Blows-Southern Pacific-Warner Bros.
5. This Woman-K.T. Oslin-RCA
6. Nothing I Can Do About It Now-Willie Nelson-Columbia
7. Love Has No Right-Billy Joe Royal-Atlantic America
8. Above And Beyond-Rodney Crowell-Columbia
9. Honky Tonk Heart-Highway 101-Warner Bros.
10. Give Me His Last Chance-Lionel Cartwright-MCA

[countrychartnut]

1. HUNT MISSES #1: Sam Hunt collects his fourth #1 hit this week with Make You Miss Me. It is the fourth #1 off his debut album, Montevallo. It follows:
1. Leave The Night On-2014
2. Take Your Time-2015
3. House Party-2015
4. Make You Miss Me-2016
Another single, Break Up In A Small Town peaked at #2 earlier this year. In the meantime, Montevallo becomes the 40th album in history to contain a quartet of chart topping hits. The others: country-discussion.proboards.com/thread/726/1-hits
2. BACK TO #18: Miranda Lambert climbs to the spot she debuted at six weeks ago with Vice. It climbs one to #18.
3. MCGRAW MEET MCGRAW: Tim McGraw is neighbors with himself this week. He is at #19 as a duet with Big & Rich with Lovin' Lately. He is also at #20 with a solo single in How I'll Always Be. He could be neighbors with himself again if his duet with Florida Georgia Line, now at #25 called May We All picks up the pace and joins the other two singles.
4. ROAD MORE FAST: Lauren Alaina has the fastest climbing song of the week as Road Less Traveled speeds up 29 spots to #28.
5. A DIRTY DEBUT: Carrie Underwood grabs the Hot Shot Debut of the week with Dirty Laundry at #51. This is the fourth Storyteller single. If it tops the chart, Underwood will have three consecutive #1 hits following Heartbeat and Church Bells from this year. She hasn't had a trio of back to back #1s since 2009-2010 with these hits:
1. Cowboy Casanova-2009
2. Temporary Home-2010
3. Undo It-2010
6. DOLLY'S SEVENTH: Dolly Parton debuts at #1 on the country albums chart with her current album, Pure & Simple. 20,000 copies were sold last week. This is her seventh chart topping album following:
1. New Harvest...First Gathering-1977
2. Here You Come Again-1977
3. Heartbreaker-1978
4. 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs-1981
5. Trio-with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt-1987
6. Eagle When She Flies-1991
7. Pure & Simple-2016
7. SOME ALBUM NEWS: We have two other albums making their debuts this week. They are:
1. All Night Party by Casey Donahew-#3 with 12,000 sold
2. Spark by Drake White-#4 with 11,000 sold
8. AN 80S LOOK: These were the chart topping hits during the last week of August during the 1980s:
1980: Cowboys And Clowns-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
1981: There's No Gettin' Over Me-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
1982: Fool Hearted Memory-George Strait-MCA
1983: A Fire I Can't Put Out-George Strait-MCA
1984: Let's Fall To Pieces Together-George Strait-MCA
1985: Love Is Alive-the Judds-RCA
1986: Heartbeat In The Darkness-Don Williams-Capitol
1987: Born To Boogie-Hank Williams, Jr.-Warner Bros.
1988: I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried-Rodney Crowell-Columbia
1989: I'm Still Crazy-Vern Gosdin-Columbia
9. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Randy Travis topped the chart for a ninth consecutive year in 1994 with Whisper My Name. That was our top song 22 years ago this week.
Let us review Travis' chart topping streak of years (1986-1994):
1986: On The Other Hand and Diggin' Up Bones
1987: Forever And Ever, Amen and I Won't Need You Anymore Always And Forever
1988: Too Gone Too Long, I Told You So, and Honky Tonk Moon
1989: Deeper Than The Holler, Is It Still Over?, and It's Just A Matter Of Time
1990: Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart-chart wise, his biggest hit
1991: Forever Together
1992: If I Didn't Have You
1993: Look Heart, No Hands
1994: Whisper My Name
Travis made history in 1992 by releasing a pair of albums on the same day. They were greatest hits CDs that contained a trio of chart singles: If I Didn't Have You, Look Heart, No Hands (see above for those two titles), and An Old Pair Of Shoes (#21 in 1993). In 1993, Travis went in a Western direction with the Wind In The Wire album. Two singles failed to make the top 40 in 1993: Cowboy Boogie (#46) and the title track (#65). He returned to a more mainstream direction with the This Is Me album of 1994. Lead single, Before You Kill Us All was released in February and proceeded to a #2 peak, unable to move John Berry's Your Love Amazes Me out of the top spot. Whisper My Name followed and that was released in June. Climbing the chart, it unseated Clay Walker's Dreaming With My Eyes Open to claim his fifteenth chart topping hit. Little did Travis know at the time that he would have to wait nine more years to get his next #1 hit. The title track was released and ended his 1994 on a #5 note. 1995 was kicked off with The Box and that peaked at #7. The This Is Me album would be Travis' last to contain a quartet of top ten hits. His popularity went down a bit with the 1996 album, Full Circle. Are We In Trouble Now was the lead single. The ballad ended up peaking at #24. An uptempo number in Would I peaked at #25. 1997 started with Price To Pay, a #60 single. He turned to Roger Miller's King Of The Road and made that into a #51 hit. Miller's version topped the chart in 1965. The Travis version was also featured on the Traveller soundtrack. After Full Circle ran its course, Travis and Warner Bros. parted ways after twelve years together.
DreamWorks decided to open a country music label in 1996. They signed Travis as their flagship artist in 1997. Things got under way with the 1998 album, You And You Alone. Lead single, Out Of My Bones was released in March and climbed all the way to #2-only Faith Hill's This Kiss stood in Travis' way of getting his sweet sixteenth #1. That was ironic because Travis and Hill were labelmates between 1993-1997. The Hole was the next single and barely scraped the top ten at #9. Another #2 peaker started Travis' 1999 with Spirit Of A Boy-Wisdom Of A Man. Only Stand Beside Me by Jo Dee Messina did better than Travis. A fourth single, Stranger In My Mirror became the album's fourth top twenty hit when it peaked at #16. By this time, Toby Keith would sign to the label and a year later, he would be the #1 artist at DreamWorks. In the meantime, Travis released his second DreamWorks album in 1999 called A Man Ain't Made Of Stone. The title track was released and it became the only major hit off the album when it peaked at #16. Three other singles were released (all 2000):
1. Where Can I Surrender-#48
2. A Little Left Of Center-#54
3. I'll Be Right Here Loving You-#68
He left DreamWorks in 2000 and released a gospel album that year on the Word/Warner Bros. label called Inspirational Journey. A lone single in Baptism reached #75. That was originally a duet with Kenny Chesney off Chesney's Everywhere We Go album of 1999. A 9/11 release in America Will Always Stand reached #59 in 2001. Then, a comeback was in order and that was made possible with the 2002 album, Rise And Shine. Three Wooden Crosses was the lead single and that was released in November, 2002. It was the 'little engine that could'. It topped the country chart in May, 2003 and managed to dethrone Darryl Worley's biggest hit, Have You Forgotten from the top. That was ironic in a way because the Worley hit is the biggest single in Dreamworks' history. Three Wooden Crosses won Song of the Year by the C.M.A. and A.C.M.. Rise And Shine won the Best Gospel Album Grammy Award. However, the comeback did not last. Second and final single, Pray For The Fish peaked at #48. Travis would be absent from the top 40 for the next six years. Another gospel album was released in 2003 called Worship & Faith. A lone single Above All was released, but did not chart. His 2004 album, Passing Through contains his last solo chart appearances: Four Walls (#46 in 2004) and Angels (#48 in 2005). He returned to mainstream country with the 2008 album called Around The Bend. None of the three singles charted (Faith In You, Dig Two Graves, and Turn It Around). During this time, Travis started receiving new attention. This time, it came from Carrie Underwood when she released her fifth Carnival Ride single, I Told You So. After she performed the song on the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, Travis surprised her by showing up after the performance to extend Underwood an invitation to join the Opry. She said yes and the audience went crazy. During an episode of American Idol in 2009 (Underwood being a winner there), she and Travis performed I Told You So. Again, the crowd went nuts. Arista, Underwood's label rereleased the single as a duet and it climbed all the way to #2 for two weeks in 2009, playing bridesmaid to Jason Aldean's She's Country and It Happens by Sugarland. It also peaked at #9 pop, becoming Underwood's third top ten there and Travis' first. It won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. After that, Travis released a two disc set of his music called I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits Of Randy Travis. Since that time, Travis has released three more studio albums. They are:
1. Anniversary Celebration-2011
2. Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am-2013
3. Influence Vol. 2: The Man I Am-2014
Over the past six years, Travis has faced numerous personal, legal, and health issues. He divorced his first wife, Lib Hatcher in 2010 after a near two decade long marriage. Legal issues dominated his 2012-2013 including arrests for DUI, threatening public servants, public nakedness, and attempted robbery. Since 2013, his health has taken a turn for the worse. He was admitted to the hospital for viral cardiomyopathy and an upper respiratory infection. He suffered a stroke days later that left him unable to talk and walk. After brain surgery, Travis started to take a slow road to recovery (he's not there yet). He married again in 2015 to Mary Davis. This year has been good to Travis. He has been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. His current album is called On The Other Hand: All The Number Ones. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 3, 1994:
1. WHISPER MY NAME-RANDY TRAVIS-WARNER BROS.
2. Dreaming With My Eyes Open-Clay Walker-Giant
3. XXX's And OOO's An American Girl-Trisha Yearwood-MCA
4. Hangin' In-Tanya Tucker-Capitol
5. She Can't Say I Didn't Cry-Rick Trevino-Columbia
6. What The Cowgirls Do-Vince Gill-MCA
7. Be My Baby Tonight-John Michael Montgomery-Atlantic
8. Half The Man-Clint Black-RCA
9. The Man In Love With You-George Strait-MCA
10. Third Rock From The Sun-Joe Diffie-Epic

P.S.: Happy Labor Day!

[countrychartnut]

1. 9/11: It's been fifteen years. Where did that time get off to? Let's never forget and always remember.
2. OWEN'S A #1 AMERICAN: Jake Owen lands his sixth chart topping song this week with American Country Love Song. It is the lead single to his current album, American Love. Owen's last #1, Beachin' occurred in July, 2014. He has fared well with a pair of top twenty hits:
1. What We Ain't Got-2015-#14
2. Real Life-2015-#17
In the meantime, Owen becomes the 100th artist in history to score six #1 hits.
3. CURRINGTON'S BACK: Billy Currington lands his first top ten in a little over a year with It Don't Hurt Like It Used To at #10. It is the third single to his current album, Summer Forever. It follows:
1. Don't It-2015-#1
2. Drinkin' Town With A Football Problem-2015-#30
4. A FAST WORD: Eric Church featuring Rhiannon Giddens have the fastest climbing song of the week with Kill A Word (#58 to #48).
5. ANOTHER #1 F.G.L. ALBUM: Florida Georgia Line's third album, Dig Your Roots debuts at #1 on the country albums chart this week. 126,000 copies were sold last week. So far, all of their albums have reached the top of the chart following Here's To The Good Times (2012) and Anything Goes (2014).
6. INGRAM'S BACK: Jack Ingram debuts at #24 on the country albums chart with 2000 sold of his latest, Midnight Motel. It is his Rounder Records debut album. This is his fourth charted album following:
1. Electric-2002-#34
2. This Is It-2007-#4
3. Big Dreams & High Hopes-2009-#21
7. AN 80S LOOK, PART II: These were the top selling albums during the first week of September during the 1980s:
1980: Urban Cowboy-Soundtrack-Asylum
1981: Share Your Love-Kenny Rogers-Liberty
1982: Always On My Mind-Willie Nelson-Columbia
1983: Pancho & Lefty-Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson-Epic
1984: Right Or Wrong-George Strait-MCA
1985: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
1986: Montana Café-Hank Williams, Jr.-Warner Bros.
1987: Always & Forever-Randy Travis-Warner Bros.
1988: Old 8 X 10-Randy Travis-Warner Bros.
1989: Sweet Sixteen-Reba McEntire-MCA
8. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: Let's start this week's story with a multiple choice question. Ready? When did the Kix Brooks era in country music start?
a. 1983
b. 1988
c. 1990
d. 2011
All good choices. Let us analyze each answer.
a. 1983-This was the year Brooks saw major success as a songwriter and made his debut on the chart as an artist. He moved to Nashville a few years earlier to get his start as a songwriter. His first major success is when John Conlee cut his I'm Only In It For The Love, our top song from 33 years ago this week. That was also written by Rafe Van Hoy and Deborah Allen. Allen herself was having major success as an artist. Her Cheat The Night album produced her only top ten hits as a solo artist (she had three top ten duets with Jim Reeves between 1979-1980). They are:
1. Baby I Lied-1983-#4 country, #26 pop, and #10 adult contemporary
2. I've Been Wrong Before-1984-#2 country-chart wise, her biggest hit
3. I Hurt For You-1984-#10 country
As for the Conlee single, it was tapped as the lead single to his 1983 album, In My Eyes. Released in June, it became Conlee's fourth chart topping hit in September. The album would produce three more top tens. They are (all 1984):
1. In My Eyes-#1-chart wise, his biggest hit
2. As Long As I'm Rockin' With You-#1
3. Way Back-#4
The week I'm Only In It For The Love was #1, Brooks entered the chart at #88 with Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down on the Avion label. It peaked at #73. He would be off the chart for the next six years. I'm sure Brooks started receiving his 'mailbox money' when 1984 started. He managed two more #1s as a songwriter (even more mailbox money): Modern Day Romance for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1985 (also written by Dan Tyler) and Who's Lonely Now for Highway 101 in 1990 (also written by Don Cook).
b. 1988-Brooks would sign to his second label, Capitol Records during this year. It would be the same year Capitol would sign another Brooks to its roster, Garth Brooks. In 1989, Brooks (Kix) would release his first album, a self-titled one. Only one single charted and that was Sacred Ground at #87. Sacred Ground was written by Brooks and Vernon Rust. It would go on to be a #2 single for McBride & the Ride in 1992.
c. 1990-During 1989, Arista Records opened up a country music label in Nashville. Brooks would be one of the first signees with Ronnie Dunn in 1990 to form a new duo called Brooks & Dunn. They issued their first album and single called Brand New Man in 1991. The album went to #3 and went six times platinum while the single topped the chart in September. They would go on to be country music's most awarded and biggest selling duo. They announced a farewell tour in 2009. They played their last concert in September, 2010.
d. 2011-After that tour became a big success, both Brooks and Dunn went on to solo careers. Brooks went to work on his New To This Town album. Five singles have been released. They are:
1. New To This Town-with Joe Walsh-2012-#31
2. Bring It On Home-2012-#44
3. Moonshine Road-2012-#45
4. Complete 360-2013-#49
5. There's The Sun-2013-#48
Currently, Brooks is on the chart with the Dunn single, Damn Drunk. So, let me ask again. When did the Kix Brooks era in country music start? I would choose 1983, it's the earliest year. Go on, circle it. You would be correct. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 10, 1983:
1. I'M ONLY IN IT FOR THE LOVE-JOHN CONLEE-MCA
2. Hey Bartender-Johnny Lee-Full Moon
3. Night Games-Charley Pride-RCA
4. Why Do I Have To Choose-Willie Nelson-Columbia
5. Flight 309 To Tennessee-Shelly West-Viva
6. A Fire I Can't Put Out-George Strait-MCA
7. Baby, What About You-Crystal Gayle-Warner Bros.
8. New Looks From An Old Lover-B.J. Thomas-Columbia
9. Don't You Know How Much I Love You-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
10. Goin' Down Hill-John Anderson-Warner Bros.

[countrychartnut]

1. BALLERINI MAKES HISTORY: Kelsea Ballerini collects her third #1 hit this week with Peter Pan. It is also the third single to her The First Time album. It follows Love Me Like You Mean It from 2015 and Dibs from 2016 as the other chart toppers from the album. She becomes the first female artist to take her first three singles from a debut album to #1. Wynonna Judd did the same with her Wynonna album from 1992, but that was after her eight year run as the Judds. Judd's trio was (all 1992):
1. She Is His Only Need
2. I Saw The Light-the year's biggest hit
3. No One Else On Earth-chart wise, her biggest hit
2. THEIR SECOND: LoCash lands their second top ten hit with I Know Somebody at #10. This is from their The Fighters album. It follows the #2 peaking I Love This Life from this year.
3. UNDERWOOD'S FAST: Carrie Underwood has the fastest climbing song of the week with Dirty Laundry. It vaults thirteen spots to #34.
4. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS: Reba McEntire cracks the top 25 on the country albums chart with My Kind Of Christmas at #25. it debuted last week at #27. So far, 4000 copies have been sold through Cracker Barrel.
5. #1 HITS: These were the chart topping songs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Barefoot Blue Jean Night-Jake Owen-RCA
2006: Leave The Pieces-the Wreckers-Maverick
2001: I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight-Toby Keith-DreamWorks
1996: Guys Do It All The Time-Mindy McCready-BNA
1991: Brand New Man-Brooks & Dunn-Arista
6. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: According to the American Country Countdown, Tim McGraw has the top song of the year FOUR times. The songs and years are:
1. I Like It, I Love It-1995
2. It's Your Love-with Faith Hill-1997
3. Just To See You Smile-1998
4. Live Like You Were Dying-2004
I Like It, I Love It was our top song twenty-one years ago this week. Let us examine those songs from above.
1. I Like It, I Love It-1994 will go down as McGraw's breakthrough year. He had the #1 country album of the year with Not A Moment Too Soon. It yielded a quintet of top ten hits. They are:
1. Indian Outlaw-1994-#8 country and #15 pop
2. Don't Take The Girl-1994-#1 country and #17 pop
3. Down On The Farm-1994-#2 country
4. Not A Moment Too Soon-1995-#1 country
5. Refried Dreams-1995-#5 country
He followed that overwhelming success with the All I Want album of 1995. Lead single, I Like It, I Love It was released in August and became his third chart topping hit in September. It stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks, becoming his biggest hit to date. It also became a crossover hit, peaking at #25 pop. Second single, Can't Be Really Gone was released in October. During its chart run, the American Country Countdown named I Like It, I Love It the biggest hit of the year. Billboard proclaimed it the third biggest hit of the year behind Any Man Of Mine by Shania Twain (#2) and John Michael Montgomery's Sold The Grundy County Auction Incident (#1). Can't Be Really Gone hit #2, unable to move Aaron Tippin's That's As Close As I'll Get To Loving You and Rebecca Lynn by Bryan White out of the way. He charted three more singles. They are:
1. All I Want Is A Life-1996-#5
2. She Never Lets It Go To Her Heart-1996-#1
3. Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It-1997-1997-#4
2. It's Your Love and Just To See You Smile-Both of these songs came from the superb 1997 album, Everywhere. McGraw and Hill co-headlined their Spontaneous Combustion Tour in 1996. A romance quickly developed and they married that October. McGraw and Hill recorded the lead single to the Everywhere album, It's Your Love. That was released in April and proceeded to top the country chart for six weeks in June and July. It also became their first top ten on the pop chart at #7, starting Hill's crossover era (1997-2008). Meanwhile, the second single was the title track and that topped the chart in October for two weeks. BOTH the American Country Countdown and Billboard named It's Your Love the top song of the year. Just To See You Smile debuted on the chart in August, right after It's Your Love peaked and while Everywhere was on the chart. It picked up the pace between November and December. It started McGraw's 1998 in fine fashion when it became his second six week #1 in January and February. The fourth single, One Of These Days was released in March. Could it become the album's fourth #1 hit? No. It peaked at #2 for a week and could not unseat George Strait's I Just Want To Dance With You from the #1 spot (for the record, Hill just topped the chart with This Kiss). McGraw's next hit came from Hill's album, Faith called Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me. It peaked at #3. Where The Green Grass Grows, Everywhere's fifth single did get McGraw back to #1 in October for four weeks. The American Country Countdown and Billboard agreed that Just To See You Smile was the biggest hit of the year. He was hoping to get five #1s off Everywhere, but a sixth single in For A Little While peaked at #2 in early 1999 and could not move Jo Dee Messina's Stand Beside Me from the top.
3. Live Like You Were Dying-McGraw celebrated a decade of success in 2004 by releasing the Live Like You Were Dying album. The lead single was the title track. That was a very personal release for McGraw, who lost his father, Tug McGraw earlier in the year. The single was released in May and proceeded to top the chart for three weeks in July. Reba McEntire interrupted his reign with her twenty-third chart topper, Somebody. McGraw would return to #1 for four weeks in August and September. By staying at #1 for seven weeks, McGraw landed his biggest hit. The single crossed over to #29 pop and #4 adult contemporary. Back When, the second single was released in September and became the second #1 off the album in December. In December, the American Country Countdown and Billboard proclaimed Live Like You Were Dying the #1 single of the year. Three more singles kept McGraw on the chart between 2005-2006. They are:
1. Drugs Or Jesus-2005-#14
2. Do You Want Fries With That-2005-#5
3. My Old Friend-2006-#6
McGraw's current album is called Damn Country Music (2015). He is currently on the chart with the album's third single, How I'll Always Be. He is also on the chart with duets with Big & Rich (Lovin' Lately) and Florida Georgia Line (May We All). This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 16, 1995:
1. I LIKE IT, I LOVE IT-TIM MCGRAW-CURB
2. One Emotion-Clint Black-RCA
3. That Ain't My Truck-Rhett Akins-Decca
4. Someone Else's Star-Bryan White-Asylum
5. One Boy, One Girl-Collin Raye-Epic
6. Should've Asked Her Faster-Ty England-RCA
7. I Want My Goodbye Back-Ty Herndon-Epic
8. I Think About It All The Time-John Berry-Patriot
9. If The World Had A Front Porch-Tracy Lawrence-Atlantic
10. She's Every Woman-Garth Brooks-Capitol

[countrychartnut]

1. 43DUDLEYVILLAS: Thank you for being at Pulse Music Board for the past dozen years. You were a great moderator and administrator. You will live on in the hearts, souls, and minds in a lot of us who post here at Pulse. R.I.P..
2. A DIFFERENT #1 FOR BENTLEY: Dierks Bentley collects his fifteenth #1 hit this week with Different For Girls. It features Elle King, who collects her first country chart topper. This is from the Bentley album, Black. It has already produced a #1 hit with this year's Somewhere On A Beach.
3. IN THE 50 CLUB: William Michael Morgan is at #7 this week with I Met A Girl. This is his 50th week on the chart. He joins these other singles to spend at least that much time on the chart.:
1. 56 weeks-Love Like Crazy-Lee Brice-2010
2. 54 weeks-Bouquet Of Roses-Eddy Arnold-1948
3. 52 weeks-Fraulein-Bobby Helms-1957
4. 52 weeks-Voices-Chris Young-2011
5. 51 weeks-Let It Rain-David Nail-2012
6. 50 weeks-Love You Like That-Canaan Smith-2015
7. 50 weeks-Gonna Wanna Tonight-Chase Rice-2015
8. 50 weeks-Little Bit Of You-Chase Bryant-2016
9. 50 weeks-Night's On Fire-David Nail-2016
10. 50 weeks-I Met A Girl-William Michael Morgan-2016
4. THE STREAK IS OVER: Blake Shelton's chart topping streak is over. She's Got A Way With Words peaked at #7 (#11 this week). This ends Shelton's streak of #1 hits at seventeen, the longest by a male artist and second longest of all time (Alabama had twenty-one in a row between 1980-1987). Let us review Shelton's streak:
1. Hillbilly Bone-with Trace Adkins-2010
2. All About Tonight-2010
3. Who Are You When I'm Not Looking-2011
4. Honey Bee-2011
5. God Gave Me You-2011
6. Drink On It-2012
7. Over-2012
8. Sure Be Cool If You Did-2013
9. Boys 'Round Here-2013
10. Mine Would Be You-2013
11. Doin' What She Likes-2014
12. My Eyes-2014
13. Neon Light-2014
14. Lonely Tonight-2015
15. Sangria-2015
16. Gonna-2015
17. Came Here To Forget-2016
5. FOREVER HIGH: Grabbing the Hot Shot Debut of the week is a group of country artists celebrating the 50th anniversary of the C.M.A.. It is called Forever Country (at #39) and the thirty superstars who came together to sing the song are called Artists of Then, Now & Forever. They sing a mashup of Take Me Home, Country Roads, On The Road Again, and I Will Always Love You.
6. A TIE: We have two songs taking nine point jumps for fastest climbers of the week. They are:
1. Dirty Laundry-Carrie Underwood-#34 to #25
2. Everybody We Know Does-Chase Rice-#59 to #50
7. ALDEAN'S #1: Jason Aldean has the top selling country album of the week. His current album, They Don't Know sold 131,000 copies last week. It joins these other #1 albums:
1. Relentless-2007
2. My Kinda Party-2010
3. Night Train-2012
4. Old Boots, New Dirt-2014
5. They Don't Know-2016
8. TRIO'S BACK: The Trio of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt debut at #7 with The Complete Trio Collection. It sold 5000 copies. It consists of their previously issued studio albums: Trio (1987) and Trio II (1999). A third disc called Bonus Material is also included.
9. #1 CDS: These were the top selling CDs in 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991:
2011: Here For A Good Time-George Strait-MCA
2006: Me And My Gang-Rascal Flatts-Lyric Street
2001: O Brother, Where Art Thou-Soundtrack-Lost Highway
1996: Blue-LeAnn Rimes-Curb
1991: No Fences-Garth Brooks-Capitol
10. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: This section is taking a week off. Will be back next week.

[countrychartnut]

1. DRINK MOORE: Justin Moore lands his fifth #1 hit this week with You Look Like I Need A Drink. It is the lead single to his current album, Kinda Don't Care. It's been over two years since he last had a #1 hit, 2014's Lettin' The Night Roll was his previous chart topper.
2. FOREVER FAST: The Artists of Then, Now & Forever have the fastest climbing song of the week with Forever Country (#39 to #33).
3. OUCH!: After seeing his chart topping streak come to an end at seventeen #1s in a row, Blake Shelton's She's Got A Way With Words takes a ten point tumble to #21. He got as high as #7 with the tune.
4. OUCH!, PART II: After having a six song streak of #1 hits, Thomas Rhett takes a thirteen point nosedive to #50 with Vacation. It peaked at #30.
5. BOOTS DEBUTS: Jon Pardi has the only new song on the chart this week as Dirt On My Boots starts at #49. It is the follow up to his first chart topper, Head Over Boots.
6. A #1 SINNER: Aaron Lewis has the top selling country album of the week with Sinner. 39,000 copies were sold last week. He previously topped the chart with 2011's Town Line.
7. NELSON COVERS PRICE: Willie Nelson makes his debut a #5 on the country albums chart with For The Good Times: A Tribute To Ray Price. 7000 copies were sold. Price died in 2013 at the age of 87.
8. A 70S LOOK: These were the chart topping songs during the last week of September during the 1970s:
1970: There Must Be More To Love Than This-Jerry Lee Lewis-Mercury
1971: Easy Loving-Freddie Hart-Capitol
1972: I Ain't Never-Mel Tillis-MGM
1973: Blood Red And Goin' Down-Tanya Tucker-Columbia
1974: I'm A Ramblin' Man-Waylon Jennings-RCA
1975: Daydreams About Night Things-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
1976: Here's Some Love-Tanya Tucker-MCA
1977: Daytime Friends-Kenny Rogers-United Artists
1978: Heartbreaker-Dolly Parton-RCA
1979: It Must Be Love-Don Williams-MCA
9. MILESTONE TOP TEN CHART: It was their only #1 duet together, even though she had a #1 vocal collaboration the year before. It was their only #1 duet in their respective careers. The artist we are talking about are Earl Thomas Conley and Emmylou Harris. They were tops 28 years ago this week with We Believe In Happy Endings.
In 1986, Conley released an album called Too Many Times. The title track was the lead single and that was a duet with Anita Pointer. Released during the summer, it peaked at #2, unable to clear Exile's It'll Be Me from the penthouse. It snapped Conley's chart topping streak at nine consecutive #1 hits. He started a new streak of chart topping hits. The other three singles hit the top in 1987: I Can't Win For Losin' You, That Was A Close One, and Right From The Start. During 1987, RCA Records pressured Conley to drop his longtime producer, Nelson Larkin and find someone else to produce his next album. Emory Gordy, Jr. and Randy Scruggs agreed to produce The Heart Of It All (1988). Lead single, What She Is Is A Woman In Love became Conley's fifteenth #1 hit in June. We Believe In Happy Endings was tapped as the next single. It was originally a #7 hit for Johnny Rodriguez in 1978. Conley had reservations about recording the tune with Harris. He felt their voices would not sound good together. Harris told him to just feel the song. The results were magic. I think with the near miss of Too Many Times not topping the chart made RCA think of releasing We Believe In Happy Endings as the second single. The single was released in June and claimed #1 status in October. It was the first #1 duet in BOTH Conley's and Harris' career. Besides Too Many Times, Conley hit #8 in 1985 with Gus Hardin with All Tangled Up In Love. In Harris' case, she scored the following hit duets prior to hooking up with Conley:
1. The Sweetest Gift-with Linda Ronstadt-1976-#12
2. Play Together Again Again-with Buck Owens-1979-#11
3. That Lovin' You Feelin' Again-with Roy Orbison-1980-#6
4. If I Needed You-with Don Williams-1981-#3
5. Wild Montana Skies-with John Denver-1983-#14
6. Thing About You-with Southern Pacific-1985-#14
The Conley duet came in the afterglow of the 1987 album, Trio with Harris' friends of Ronstadt and Dolly Parton. The platinum disc yielded a quartet of top tens. They are:
1. To Know Him Is To Love Him-1987-#1
2. Telling Me Lies-1987-#3
3. Those Memories Of You-1987-#5
4. Wildflowers-1988-#6
The Trio album won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. As far as Harris is concerned, We Believe In Happy Endings set the stage for her next album, 1989's Bluebird. It yielded her final hits (both in 1989): Heartbreak Hill (#8) and Heaven Only Knows (#16). We Believe In Happy Endings makes it debut on a Harris CD, 1990's Duets. As far as Conley is concerned, he managed to top the chart two more times in 1989: What I'd Say and Love Out Loud. His second longest #1 streak (at seven) was snapped by the fifth The Heart Of It All single, You Must Not Be Drinking Enough (#26). That was originally recorded by Don Henley. Conley landed three more major hits between 1990-1991. They are:
1. Bring Back Your Love To Me-from Greatest Hits, Volume II-1990-#11
2. Shadow Of A Doubt-from Yours Truly-1991-#8
3. Brotherly Love-with Keith Whitley-from Yours Truly-1991-#2-also off the Whitley album, Kentucky Bluebird
Harris' last charted single came in 1994 with the #65 peaking Thanks To You. Her last chart appearance was a vocal collaboration between Keni Thomas and Vince Gill called Not Me (#47 in 2005). Her current album is called The Complete Trio Collection. She was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Conley's last chart appearance was in 1992 with the #74 peaking If Only Your Eyes Could Lie. Conley's current album was released last year called The Essential Earl Thomas Conley. This is what the chart looked like back then:

BILLBOARD TOP TEN FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 1, 1988:
1. WE BELIEVE IN HAPPY ENDINGS-EARL THOMAS CONLEY AND EMMYLOU HARRIS-RCA
2. Honky Tonk Moon-Randy Travis-Warner Bros.
3. Streets Of Bakersfield-Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens-Reprise
4. Strong Enough To Bend-Tanya Tucker-Capitol
5. Untold Stories-Kathy Mattea-Mercury
6. Button Off My Shirt-Ronnie Milsap-RCA
7. Gonna Take A Lot Of River-Oak Ridge Boys-MCA
8. I Don't Have Far To Fall-Skip Ewing-MCA
9. Addicted-Dan Seals-Capitol
10. Blue Love-the O'Kanes-Columbia