Joel Whitburn's all-time Top Country Artists list

[leilamaurizia]

As always, thanks so much, Jonsolo!

[Zazie]

I always enjoy these updates. It's too bad Jon's fans don't have an excuse to demand quarterly updates, but I don't really think it would be worth the work. On the other hand, I'm not the one doing the bulk of the work -- I just post the occasional comment. More updates!

I don't have much to add. It's possible that Zac Brown Band will manage the difficult feat of reaching the top 400 based on charting songs from just one album, with 5 singles and no album tracks. They'll need 2 weeks at #1 to make that happen. Darius Rucker will also make it with his 5th single, but he's had the help of a couple of charting Christmas songs. A tip of the hat to those artists.

And Jon did cover this, but it's worth a double acknowledgment. 7000 points for Alan Jackson, just a few weeks from now when Hard Hat reaches the top 20. A bit more than Brad Paisley's career added to Rascal Flatts' or Keith Urban's. Long may you sing, Alan.

Last, I'm really happy to see Keith Urban start the new decade so strongly. I want to see him get past 3000 points for the decade, but I don't suppose it's a likely result -- if he can get off to a great start, with 350 in each of the first two years, he'll build up a bit of a cushion in case of a decline setting in near decade's end.

[Marv]

Chesney has been the format's most played artist (spins only) in each of the past four years since Rascal Flatts was #1 in 2005.

The #1 reason why he's managed to distance himself between Tim & Toby on Jonsolo's exceptionally detailed survey was because he's released a lot fewer crappier singles than they did since 'Whiskey Girl', 'Live Like You Were Dying' & 'I Go Back' ruled radio in the summer of 2004.

Tim's singles have also tended to glide gracefully down the charts once they've peaked, losing spins at a very moderate pace, as opposed to some recent singles of note.

'I'm Alive' lost 1735 spins in a single week, an all-time record, followed by 'Summer Nights' (1655), 'I'll Just Hold On' (1646), and 'Bob That Head' (1575).

[Zazie]

I want to commemorate a milestone, as on the 7/10 chart Martina McBride scores her 4,000th point on the Whitburn list. She remains in 59th position, and also ranks 10th among all solo country women artists.

That's a terrific achievement, and she's just one song away from the #9 position (passing Lynn Anderson). She'll need about two album's worth of songs to reach the top 50.

[Marv]

I wasn't aware of that, Zazie--thanks for pointing that out; Ms. Anderson's 1971 epic 'Rose Garden' remains among my all-time favorite country singles.

Joe South was certainly among the pre-eminent songwriters of that era (neck-and-neck with Kris Kristofferson IMHO), thanks to superb songs such as 'Games People Play','Elvira', and the flat-out incendiary "Walk A Mile In My Shoes', which certainly ranks right alongside 'Independence Day' as being among the most thought-provoking singles ever.

[city5705boy]

In the above post it looks like it's mentioned that Joe South wrote "Elvira"? Wasn't that written by Dallas Frazier?

[onebuffalo]

Aug 24, 2010 17:19:06 GMT -5 city5705boy said:

In the above post it looks like it's mentioned that Joe South wrote "Elvira"? Wasn't that written by Dallas Frazier?

Dallas Frazier only.
P.S.: Welcome to Pulse Music Board, city5705boy.

[folkfan]

Just found this awesome thread. Thanks for all of the hard work---very interesting stuff.

[Zazie]

As long as this thread has resurfaced, I might as well salute the recent achievement of Rascal Flatts, the #73-ranked artist on the updated Whitburn list. They scored their 3500th Whitburn point this past week, and are well on the way to a position in the top 50 (as long as they have a solid record deal and sufficient promotion behind them for a few more years). 3500 is more points than Patty Loveless posted, and getting into the range of Travis Tritt.

[Jonsolo]

Always great to see someone new discover this thread, and enjoy it, instead of being scared off by all the mumbo jumbo and fleeing for the hills.

While Zazie notes the benchmark that the Flatts reach (that must be bittersweet, in having to acknowledge an accomplishment by someone whose music you by and large don't care for; Timmy reaching the top 20 will be a trying day for me...), I will just pop in here, to update on a quasi-benchmark, that my favorite is nearing.

George Strait is now up to 10658 pts, and needs 28 more, to pass the "halfway point" between #2 George Jones and #4 Johnny Cash (which is 10686 pts). As I said in my mid-year update, when his next single passed the top 5 mark, that would get him there.

Unfortunately, George tabbed a song, Breath You Take, that I had doubts with from the start, that it was going to be good enough to get that high. Basically, at #17 this week, TBYT needs to gain 12 more positions, and log 8 more chart weeks, to reach that mark. And if it fails to reach the top 5, which I wouldn't be surprised if it did, he would then need to stay on the chart for 18 more weeks (to make up for that lost +10 bonus).

Needless to say, both of those scenarios look unlikely, and it might end up requiring George's next single (assumed to be a "lead single" from a new album), to get George there. I would then just hope that he gets it out before the end of the year, say, the first chart week of December.

It will be getting more interesting than usual, for these biannual updates on this thread, with the fast-moving trio of youngsters, Lady Ant, Zac B, and Rucker, and seeing them all burst into the top 400 this year. It will be neat to see if any of them can mirror the fast paces that Carrie and Taylor established over the last four years.

[Jonsolo]

This is the fifth annual edition of my updating the Joel Whitburn list of Top Country Artists. Those of you that have been reading those past updates, and anticipating this year's edition, y'all know the drill, and hopefully don't have to have anything explained to you, in terms of the point formulas and formats. For the newbies here, who might think that a "whitburn" is something that you can get if you stay out in the sun too long, I'd first encourage you to look back over the thread, especially the first posts that I typed up four years ago. Hopefully you'll find the answers to any potential questions addressed there already. However, I obviously like hearing myself talk (type), and thus have no problems with repeating myself...

I'm using the same format as in the past, with the entire points list broken up into more-easily digestible "chunks", of 100 positions each. Then, we'll have a list of the top point earners during 2010, followed by the list of the top point earners so far for the 2010 to 2010 decade.

At first glance, one could assume that those last two lists should be one and the same, with only the 2010 year in the books so far for the decade. However, whereas the "year" list includes only the points that have been earned during each of the 52 weeks of the calendar year, the decade list (as per Whitburn's rules) includes the point totals of any song that ended up peaking during the decade, i.e., 2010, which could have made its first appearance on the chart back in 2009.

So while Reba's Consider Me Gone first hit #1 on the 1/2/10 chart, and only the points it earned from that week forward got included in her yearly "2010" total (46 pts), the point total for the entire chart run (155 pts) got included in her decade, 2010-2019, total. That's why that total is much higher for her than her 2010 total.

Conversely, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now hit #1 in December 2009, and moved out of the top spot with the first January 2010 charts. The three weeks (i.e., points) that it had during its trip downward in January do get included into their yearly total. However, since the song peaked during the previous decade (2000-2009), those three points don't get included in the new decade (2010-2019) point lists. Don't weep for them; they'll be getting a ton more this decade to more than make up for those measly lost three pts...

The last Joel Whitburn Hot Country Songs book was published in November 2008, and covered all of the chart data through August 2008. With 2 1/3 more years of charts/data coming out since then, I'm expecting to see a new Whitburn edition come out within the next 18 months. I'm hoping that they at least wait long enough for it to cover through the end of 2011, to have 3 1/3 years' of new data, and then release it in spring 2012.

Once that happens, I'll be able to double-check these points list, which I track/update each week, and make sure I haven't made any mistakes (Zazie also tracks the list, and we periodically swap lists, to see if we've made any mistakes). But until that next book gets released, you'll just have to be satisfied with my meager offering...!

Okay, enough jibber jabber. On to the numbers!!!

[Jonsolo]

Joel Whitburn's Top Country Artist points list, updated for 2010

#1 to #100:

1. (#1 at the end of 2009) Eddy Arnold – 12667
2. (2) George Jones – 11922
3. (3) George Strait – 10683 (197 points gained in 2010)
4. (4) Johnny Cash – 9449
5. (5) Conway Twitty – 9101
6. (6) Merle Haggard – 9058
7. (7) Dolly Parton – 8277
8. (9) Reba McEntire – 8213 (273)
9. (8) Webb Pierce – 7975
10. (10) Willie Nelson – 7888 (31)
11. (11) Ray Price – 7773
12. (12) Buck Owens – 7492
13. (13) Marty Robbins – 7306
14. (14) Hank Williams Jr. – 7244
15. (15) Waylon Jennings – 7232
16. (17) Alan Jackson – 7172 (268)
17. (16) Alabama – 6977
18. (18) Jim Reeves – 6843
19. (19) Ernest Tubb – 6474
20. (20) Charley Pride – 6422
21. (23) Tim McGraw – 6363 (196)
22. (21) Loretta Lynn – 6316 (31)
23. (22) Sonny James – 6205
24. (24) Garth Brooks – 6163
25. (25) Faron Young – 6115
26. (26) Hank Snow – 6088
27. (27) Ronnie Milsap – 6025
28. (28) Kenny Rogers – 6014
29. (34) Kenny Chesney – 5911 (338)
30. (29) Carl Smith – 5901
31. (30) Tammy Wynette – 5836
32. (33) Toby Keith – 5794 (190)
33. (31) Brooks & Dunn – 5641 (11)
34. (32) Bill Anderson – 5621
35. (35) Mel Tillis – 5385
36. (36) Tanya Tucker – 5339
37. (37) Red Foley – 5326
38. (38) Elvis Presley – 5276
39. (39) Porter Wagoner – 5237
40. (40) Don Williams – 5211
41. (41) Kitty Wells – 5134
42. (42) Don Gibson – 5090
43. (43) Glen Campbell – 4971
44. (44) Statler Brothers – 4828
45. (45) Hank Thompson – 4813
46. (46) Steve Wariner – 4680
47. (47) Vince Gill – 4545
48. (48) Crystal Gayle – 4522
49. (49) Clint Black – 4492
50. (50) Randy Travis – 4424
51. (51) Hank Williams – 4395
52. (52) Jerry Lee Lewis – 4365
53. (53) David Houston – 4250
54. (54) Bobby Bare – 4235
55. (55) Barbara Mandrell – 4217
56. (56) Oak Ridge Boys – 4217
57. (57) Mickey Gilley – 4076
58. (58) Lynn Anderson – 4021
59. (60) Martina McBride – 4000 (78)
60. (59) Eddie Rabbitt – 3990
61. (61) Anne Murray – 3901
62. (62) Joe Stampley – 3866
63. (63) Dottie West – 3858
64. (64) John Anderson – 3810
65. (65) Emmylou Harris – 3801
66. (66) T.G. Sheppard – 3746
67. (67) Travis Tritt – 3682
68. (68) Sawyer Brown – 3608
69. (77) Rascal Flatts – 3570 (251)
70. (69) Bellamy Brothers – 3563
71. (83) Brad Paisley – 3540 (324)
72. (70) Moe Bandy – 3537
73. (71) Tom T. Hall – 3536
74. (72) Faith Hill – 3535
75. (73) Billy Walker – 3493
76. (74) Earl Thomas Conley – 3482
77. (75) Patty Loveless – 3460
78. (76) Ferlin Husky – 3355
79. (78) Trisha Yearwood – 3303
80. (79) Johnny Paycheck – 3266
81. (80) Gene Watson – 3247
82. (81) Connie Smith – 3218
83. (82) Mark Chesnutt – 3217
84. (84) Freddie Hart – 3209
85. (85) Tracy Lawrence – 3151
86. (86) Johnny Rodriguez – 3145
87. (98) Keith Urban - 3142 (290)
88. (87) Jerry Reed – 3116
89. (88) Charlie Rich – 3084
90. (89) J.M. Montgomery – 3084
91. (90) Larry Gatlin & Bros. – 3031
92. (91) Lonestar – 3006
93. (92) Janie Fricke – 2993
94. (93) Jim Ed Brown – 2963
95. (99) Clay Walker - 2957 (125)
96. (94) Lefty Frizzell – 2945
97. (95) Ricky Skaggs – 2943
98. (96) Diamond Rio – 2938
99. (97) Joe Diffie – 2911
100. (100) Vern Gosdin – 2815


Notes on the Top 100:

- No artists entered the top 100 this year. The Shania fanatics keep warning me to be on the lookout for her each year, but she's still not resurfacing.

- Definitely a rough year for George Strait, his least productive point total since he debuted in 1981. Each of his three singles during the year underperformed, with one missing the top 10, one barely sneaking in, and the strongest contender only making it to #3. That led to a pedestrian yearly total of 197, the first time he's missed 200 pts. He's about to reach the "halfway point from Cash to Jones" (10,686 pts), but will likely not meet my goal for him of reaching 11K by the end of 2011. He should hopefully pull to within 1000 of Jones by then. If he can get back up to a 250 pts/yr average, he's five years from catching Jones. He'll need to locate several more #1s (an elusive goal for the last 20 months), to keep that possibility alive.

On the bright side, with Strait now less than 1240 points away from Jones, he basically only has to now accomplish everything that Gretchen Wilson has so far in her entire career, to earn the points to catch the Possum! That should be a snap, right!!??

- A bit of a rebirth for the next greybeard, Reba McEntire, as she cashed in with the biggest chart hit of her career in January (and first #1 in 5+ years), and then followed it up with two strong top 10 showings (including one that looks to be headed to #1 as well). Her 273-point gain ranked the 11th highest of all 2010 artists. That catapulted her up past Webb Pierce to #8, and she's set to pass Dolly Parton in 2011 for #7, to become the highest-ranking female on the list. If Turn On The Radio hits the top, it'll only take another top 30 song to make the Dolly pass.

- George and Reba might have to start taking the route that Alan Jackson did this fall, in lending his voice to one of the hottest new acts. AJ was in the midst of an extremely mediocre year, failing to find the same magic on his Freight Train album as he had on his Good Time disc (not even hitting the top 15 with its two singles). But in joining up with The Zac Brown Band on As She's Walking Away, AJ was able to salvage his '10 with a 268 point total (12th highest). He sailed on past Alabama for #16, and now stands only a top 3 song away from catching Waylon for #15. I don't think Ring Of Fire will get it done, and he'll need two charting songs next year. He's slowing down quickly, but still has a shot of making the all-time top 10 in maybe four years.

- Timmy McGraw had a so-so year, with 196 pts, following the usual route of finally scoring a #1, and then following it up with a big flop. I've stopped trying to keep track of what the latest drama is concerning his label, and have to be impressed that he's still looking like a viable threat to reach the all-time top 15. He passed Sonny James and Loretta this year, and should easily have Charlie Pride and Ernest Tubb, and #19, in his sights in '11 (before entering the Jim Reeves Chasm, that AJ needed a couple of years to traverse).

- After playing nice and letting Toby Keith pass him up for a short while in '09, Kenny Chesney went back to business, and continues to make the fastest progress of any artist in the top 100. After taking it easy in '09 with a 231-point total (due to releasing singles that had already charted in '08), he was back over the 300-point mark as usual, with 338, the fifth highest total. He cruised up five spots, and into the top 30. The top point gainer of 2000-2009 looks to still be a force in the next decade, and likely will be eyeing Sonny James' #23 spot in 2011. He's also less than two years behind Timmy's pace.

- After somehow continuing to post huge totals in the previous three years, Toby Keith struggled mightily in 2010, missing the top 10 with two singles, and likely will again with his current one. He might finally be taking that step down in chart performance that I'd been expecting to see him take the last several years. He added 190 this year, and will need to work hard to catch Kenny Rogers' #28 next year.

- A big question if Martina McBride is now satisfied with her nice, round figure of 4000. She should still have at least one more album's worth of singles left in her, and can make a run at #55 over the next couple of years.

- More evidence this year that Rascal Flatts has taken a backseat in popularity and chart activity, to the newbie groups Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band. They waited 20 months since their previous #1, before finally breaking through with their current single. That boosted them up late to a solid total of 251 pts (14th highest). They've enjoyed their lead on Brad Paisley for over two years now, but he should catch them in 2011. They could be targeting Emmylou's #65 next year.

- Brad is working on a new #1-streak, and cruising up the list steadily as usual. Having Water and American Saturday Night chart in 2009 when his album came out hurt what he was going to be able to post this year. However, he still easily reached the 300 point barrier, with 324, the sixth highest total. And he's nicely positioned to spring up past the Flatts (likely for good) and to grab Joe Stampley's #62 next year.

- Keith Urban's inclusion on the top 40 song Blue Sky from Emily West enabled him to rack up 290 pts (eighth highest), despite not reaching #1. He's usually a sure bet for reaching the top 3 (as 20 of his last 22 singles have done so), but for some reason he seems to be struggling mightily with current single. That casts a bit of a cloud as to what I can expect from in '11. Surely he'll find at least one #1, and can get close to Patty Loveless' #77. (and, in a nod to the recently passed Leslie Nielsen, I now apologize for calling all of my readers here Shirley...)

- Always great to see a stalwart from the 90s return to have success in the new century, and Clay Walker posted a respectable total of 125. He solidified his top 100 standing, and could even start thinking about the top 90, if he can find another decent-sized hit.

[Jonsolo]

#101 to #200:


101. (101) Collin Raye – 2796
102. (102) Eddy Raven – 2793
103. (103) Billy Craddock – 2787
104. (104) Lee Greenwood – 2774
105. (105) John Conlee – 2756
106. (106) Stonewall Jackson – 2721
107. (107) Kathy Mattea – 2713
108. (108) Lorrie Morgan – 2709
109. (119) Trace Adkins – 2695 (188)
110. (109) Del Reeves – 2666
111. (110) Roy Drusky – 2658
112. (111) Dwight Yoakam – 2656
113. (112) Dave Dudley – 2629
114. (113) Roger Miller – 2624
115. (114) Jean Shepard – 2612
116. (115) Shania Twain – 2597
117. (116) Charly McClain – 2553
118. (117) The Judds – 2529
119. (118) Donna Fargo – 2517
120. (120) Roy Clark – 2427
121. (121) Ronnie McDowell – 2420
122. (122) Bob Wills – 2418
123. (123) Ricky Van Shelton – 2405
124. (124) Tracy Byrd – 2377
125. (125) Skeeter Davis – 2353
126. (129) Montgomery Gentry – 2341 (66)
127. (126) George Hamilton IV – 2334
128. (127) Jack Greene – 2295
129. (128) Mel McDaniel – 2290
130. (130) Johnny Duncan – 2253
131. (131) Dan Seals – 2250
132. (132) Kendalls – 2235
133. (133) Roseanne Cash – 2223
134. (134) Sammy Kershaw – 2209
135. (135) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – 2174
136. (136) Aaron Tippin – 2173
137. (137) Jimmy Wakely – 2171
138. (138) Restless Heart – 2167
139. (139) Dixie Chicks – 2161
140. (140) Shenandoah – 2141
141. (170) Carrie Underwood - 2141 (277)
142. (154) Gary Allan – 2136 (136)
143. (141) Tennessee Ernie Ford – 2126
144. (142) Johnny Lee – 2107
145. (143) Gary Morris – 2107
146. (144) Jo Dee Messina – 2106
147. (145) Gene Autry – 2101
148. (146) Wynonna – 2092
149. (150) Leann Rimes – 2074 (33)
150. (147) Pam Tillis – 2072
151. (148) Jimmy Newman – 2047
152. (149) Hank Locklin – 2044
153. (151) Wilburn Brothers – 2019
154. (152) George Morgan – 2015
155. (153) Neal McCoy – 2014
156. (155) Slim Whitman – 1996
157. (156) Al Dexter – 1996
158. (157) Tommy Overstreet – 1995
159. (158) Ed Bruce – 1993
160. (159) Billie Jo Spears – 1993
161. (160) Nat Stuckey – 1989
162. (161) Exile – 1952
163. (162) Narvel Felts – 1947
164. (167) Sara Evans – 1943 (53)
165. (163) Mary C. Carpenter – 1939
166. (164) Michael M. Murphey – 1911
167. (165) Razzy Bailey – 1908
168. (166) Tex Ritter – 1901
169. (168) Bob Luman – 1882
170. (169) Doug Stone – 1870
171. (193) Blake Shelton - 1857 (280)
172. (172) Lee Ann Womack – 1852 (18)
173. (171) Terri Clark – 1835
174. (173) Sammy Smith – 1814
175. (174) Rex Allen Jr. – 1811
176. (175) Brenda Lee – 1799
177. (176) Freddy Weller – 1784
178. (177) Marty Stuart – 1781
179. (178) Jerry Wallace – 1761
180. (179) Claude King – 1754
181. (180) Billy Dean – 1717
182. (181) Tex Williams – 1715
183. (198) Dierks Bentley - 1708 (148)
184. (182) Billy Ray Cyrus – 1693
185. (210) Sugarland – 1692 (188)
186. (234) Taylor Swift - 1689 (347)
187. (183) Juice Newton – 1688
188. (184) David Rogers – 1675
189. (185) Wynn Stewart – 1670
190. (186) Cal Smith – 1644
191. (187) Jan Howard – 1644
192. (188) Forester Sisters – 1636
193. (189) Red Sovine – 1621
194. (190) Susan Raye – 1616
195. (191) Lacy J. Dalton – 1614
196. (192) Linda Ronstadt – 1600
197. (196) Phil Vassar - 1576 (5)
198. (194) Keith Whitley – 1573
199. (195) Mark Wills – 1571
200. (197) Ray Stevens – 1566




Notes on #101 to #200:

- Two new entries into the top 200 this year, both by acts that are young, talented, and have a rabid fanbase.

- Trace Adkins continues to make steady progress, and made a great decision in pairing up with Blake on one of his big #1s. That made his year look a little better than it probably was, with 188 pts. He looks like he'll be within reach of the top 100 in '11. He just needs either one huge hit, or two smaller ones. Not sure if Brown Chicken Brown Cow will be a "huge" one, however...

- (note: this entire next paragraph must be kept in perspective, since his fight with cancer is all that Eddie should be caring about these days..) I don't think any other act fell more in stature, and lost more momentum, than Montgomery Gentry did in 2010. They entered the year on a consistent, 200-points-per-year pace during the previous decade, and appeared to be less than three years from the top 100. But things really fell apart, with two singles that completely flopped, and they exited their music label Columbia. I would assume they'll be picked up by some other label soon, but I have to wonder if there's really that big of a demand now for their kind of sound. It doesn't help their cause, with the influx of the new youngsters, and they could be overshadowed by the same artists, Zac and Lady Ant, that Rascal Flatts appear to be. They might eventually be able to make a run at 2500 points, but for now, they're stuck in the mud.

- Never learning the meaning of the word "stuck", Carrie Underwood still had a calmer year than usual, or about as calm of a one as you can have while still scoring two #1s. Those #1s only held on for one week each, Mama's Song might be headed there as well but on a slower pace, and there weren't any other album tracks that charted, which usually fuels Carrie's impressive numbers. So she actually failed to crack the 300 barrier, with 277 pts (10th highest), a good deal less than the 476 she managed in '09. Still, a new album in '11 will return her to the usual points bonanza, and she'll aim for Roy Clark's #120 next year. She should also be right on track to reach the top 100 by the end of 2012. How high will her total be by June 2015, when she completes her first 10 years on the chart?

- Gary Allan posted an okay total, 136 pts, but is not on the most stable of footing. He really could use a top 10, to keep his faint top 100 hopes alive, or to at least not endanger his label status.

- It was about as quiet of a year for LeAnn Rimes that an artist can have. It seems like she easily leads the contest for the highest ratio of "posts per threads" on Pulse, compared to the amount of actual chart activity. I mentioned it on that one's Pulse thread, but 245 posts for Swingin', for a song that only made it to #57? And we're still waiting on the appearance of Crazy Women? A lot of ink, translating into minimal results. She should at least be proud of her top 150 standing...

- ...which is a ranking that Sara Evans and Lee Ann Womack would be thriled to someday reach. In the meantime, they'll just try to limp to the 2000 pt mark. Lee Ann is hoping that the Powers That Be end up including her on the credits of AJ's Ring Of Fire.

- No limping for Blake Shelton, who had a breakthrough year, with big awards and two #1s (and I don't know why I doubted Hillbilly Bone's potential on this thread on last year's December update). A strong 280 points (ninth highest), perhaps leading to a 300-pt year down the road, if he can make the transition to also charting album cuts. He's making smart, radio-friendly choices with his singles, and has yet to plague us with insufferable duets with his famous significant other, like Timmy and Faith started foisting upon us a dozen years ago. I don't think he'll match 2010's high total in '11, but top 150 should be easily reachable.

- Dierks Bentley had anything but a breakthrough year, and took a couple of large steps back, point production-wise. First, he was unable to close the deal with I Wanna Make You Close and take it to #1. Next, he took the admirable but ultimately risky decision to release a bluegrass-influenced album, which appears to have placed a ceiling on how high the singles from it will reach. Sure enough, he suffered the lowest peaking single of his career with Up On The Ridge, and and then even bested that undesirable mark with the follow-up. Hopefully, for the sake of his chart career, he's gotten this adventurous and risk-taking urge out of his system, and he can get back to offering "boringly predictable yet commercially viable" singles to radio. I'm not comfortable with giving him any more than 150 points next year, which would move him up to the #170 range.

- Comfortably in that "boringly predictable yet ultra-commercially-successful" phase is Taylor Swift, who, despite being absent from the charts for over three months, and failing to log a #1, posted the third highest point total of 2010, 347. She utilized the trusty standby, of charting a few album tracks, including a soundtrack cut, to leap 48 positions and into the top 200. Not too bad of a way to start your 20s. She's still at risk of burning out from over-exposure in 5 or 6 years, but until then, let the good times roll. She should make a run at 2000 points in '11, and the top 160. She also continues to be about 18 months behind the pace that Carrie is setting.

- An extremely quiet year for Sugarland, who took the first half of it off, in preparation for their recent album release. They only managed to chart one song from their Christmas album in January, and then were not to be heard from until late in the summer. Stuck Like Glue performed fine, but they're unfortunately not powerful enough yet to chart any tracks when their album is released, like Taylor is. They still easily became the second artist in '10 to move into the top 200, and they shouldn't have a problem reaching 1900 points and the top 170 next year.

[Jonsolo]

#201 to #300:

201. (199) Kenny Price – 1558
202. (200) Mac Davis – 1545
203. (201) Rodney Crowell – 1541
204. (202) Warner Mack – 1538
205. (203) T. Graham Brown – 1538
206. (204) Dickey Lee – 1527
207. (205) Sylvia – 1527
208. (206) Margo Smith – 1519
209. (207) Wanda Jackson – 1512
210. (208) Charlie Daniels – 1509
211. (209) Jimmy Dean – 1505
212. (211) David Frizzell – 1498
213. (212) John Denver – 1495
214. (236) Craig Morgan – 1474 (142)
215. (213) Charlie Louvin – 1465
216. (214) Highway 101 – 1464
217. (239) Joe Nichols – 1464 (156)
218. (215) Melba Montgomery – 1449
219. (216) Louise Mandrell – 1446
220. (217) Little Texas – 1440
221. (218) Holly Dunn – 1437
222. (219) Lee Roy Parnell – 1428
223. (220) Suzy Bogguss – 1419
224. (221) Freddie Fender – 1402
225. (222) Everly Brothers – 1402
226. (223) Leon Everette – 1400
227. (224) Gary Stewart – 1399
228. (225) The Browns – 1398
229. (243) Darryl Worley – 1392 (93)
230. (226) Dave & Sugar – 1391
231. (227) Mel Street – 1390
232. (228) Gail Davis – 1388
233. (229) Patsy Cline – 1388
234. (230) Barbara Fairchild – 1386
235. (231) Jeannie Seely – 1386
236. (232) Jody Miller – 1348
237. (233) Ernest Ashworth – 1342
238. (235) Johnny Carver – 1337
239. (237) Bobby G. Rice – 1321
240. (238) Blackhawk – 1317
241. (240) Shelly West – 1307
242. (241) David Allan Coe – 1302
243. (242) Merle Travis – 1300
244. (244) John Schneider – 1298
245. (279) Billy Currington - 1292 (240)
246. (267) Rodney Atkins - 1284 (107)
247. (245) Jacky Ward – 1283
248. (301) Jason Aldean - 1275 (342)
249. (246) Claude Gray – 1269
250. (247) Cowboy Copas – 1267
251. (248) Ty Herndon – 1265
252. (249) Jeannie C. Riley – 1263
253. (250) Johnny Russell – 1262
254. (251) Tompall & Glaser – 1252
255. (252) John Berry – 1252
256. (253) Marie Osmond – 1246
257. (254) Con Hunley – 1242
258. (255) Charlie Walker – 1241
259. (256) John Wesley Ryles – 1235
260. (273) Gretchen Wilson – 1235 (120)
261. (257) Paul Overstreet – 1216
262. (258) Johnny Horton – 1216
263. (259) K.T. Oslin – 1214
264. (260) Flatt & Scruggs – 1212
265. (261) Bryan White – 1211
266. (262) Hal Ketchum – 1206
267. (263) Desert Rose Band – 1205
268. (264) Cristy Lane – 1202
269. (265) Jeanne Pruett – 1199
270. (266) Helen Cornelius – 1183
271. (310) Josh Turner - 1167 (261)
272. (268) Bobby Goldsboro – 1165
273. (269) Norma Jean – 1160
274. (270) Bobby Lewis – 1156
275. (271) Billy Joe Royal – 1145
276. (272) SheDaisy – 1119
277. (274) Jim Glaser – 1089
278. (275) Little Jimmy Dickens – 1085
279. (276) Randy Barlow – 1072
280. (277) Johnnie & Jack – 1067
281. (278) B.J. Thomas – 1060
282. (280) Andy Griggs – 1043
283. (281) Leroy Van Dyke – 1042
284. (282) Pat Green - 1010
285. (282) Confederate Railroad – 1003
286. (284) Olivia Newton John – 1001
287. (285) Pee Wee King – 999
288. (380) Miranda Lambert - 999 (304)
289. (286) Johnny Bush – 994
290. (287) Wade Hayes – 986
291. (288) Dick Curless – 981
292. (289) Southern Pacific – 978
293. (290) Buddy Alan – 972
294. (291) Chely Wright – 968
295. (292) Rick Trevino – 964
296. (293) Jimmy Buffett – 962
297. (294) Ricochet – 959
298. (449) Lady Antebellum - 958 (431)
299. (295) Margaret Whiting – 953
300. (296) Chris Cagle – 948




Notes on #201 to #300:

- Four artists crashed the top 300 party in 2010, one early in the year, one in the middle, and two right at the end. They all now get included in the next Whitburn edition (as it lists #s 1 thru 300), which I assume will be released by summer 2012.

- Craig Morgan continues to be an expert at flying under the radar, using a top 15 song and another one that's just getting started, to post 142 points. He should sneak into the top 200 in 2011.

- Joe Nichols could also make the top 200 in '11, and might not need to locate another hit as large as the one he had in '10. Gimmie That Girl powered him to 156 points, his best showing in four years. That success hasn't translated over to the follow-up, Shape I'm In, but he should be able to locate either one more big hit, or two smaller ones, to clinch a top 200 spot in '11.

- Darryl Worley had marginal success, with 93 points, and has his latest album release hanging in limbo, when Keep The Change didn't catch on. It's been five years since his last top 10 song, and he's switched labels since then, so it's a huge question mark if he'll be able to eventually generate the 170 points he needs to reach the top 200.

- Billy Currington continues to make great strides, and looks good to fulfill my guess, that he'll be a top 10 artist during the new decade. He scored 240 points, and he should be able to stay safely near the 250 pts per year rate for the foreseeable future. The only drawback to his point-producing prospects, is that he hasn't yet been able to chart album tracks. He should approach the top 200 in 2011, and will probably land around #205's T. Graham Brown.

- Rodney Atkins' red-hot two-year run, with four #1 from 2006 to 2007, has started to recede from memory. He is still capable of scoring top 5s, like his Farmer's Daughter proved, it just might take him an inordinate length of time. That song's slow rise held him to a 107 point gain. He can still keep his top 200 aspirations, it will just take him until 2012 for that to happen. Next year, he can target Little Texas at #220.

- Jason Aldean took the step up to the big leagues in 2009, with 307 points, and was able to better that in 2010, with 342 (fourth highest on the list). He barged into the top 300 back in January, and racked up one #1, a multi-week #2, another top 3, and might have a huge duet on his hands. He won't be spending much time in the 201-300 range, and a third straight huge year in '11 would get him into the top 200 (the 3rd artist that I think will be making it next year).

- Gretchen Wilson had her best year since 2005, with her first top 20 single since then, plus the usual top 60 flame-out. 120 points rocketed her up enough so that she shouldn't have a problem with cracking the top 250 (likely with another flopper) sometime in '11.

- Josh Turner followed Jason into the top 300 in February, with two big #1s and 261 points (13th highest). I don't think he'll ever make the final step up to the top tier of artists, but he's starting to consistently produce commercial-friendly singles, that don't dwell just on the fact that he has a great baritone. He'll drop back a ways from the pace that Aldean is setting, and will wait until late 2012 to reach the top 200. In '11, he should have #230 Dave & Sugar within reach.

- Miranda was the third top 300 entry this year, and made one of the largest and most visible leaps up amongst her peers, in terms of both chart performance and award recognition. Two new, shiny Vocalist trophies, were timed well with her finally scaling the upper reaches of the chart, with a #1 and a #2. She'll still undoubtedly release some weird, unconventional fare from time to time, but should be a lot more reliable in cracking the top 10 on a regular basis. I have to doubt that she'll be able to duplicate the 304 points that she posted this year in 2011 (seventh highest), but she's capable of gaining a couple more dozen positions, and possibly shoot for #260.

- The final top 300 entry, Lady Antebellum, actually first leapt into the top 400 earlier in the year, but didn't spend much time in that section. They've done an outstanding job at balancing out some beneficial exposure on the pop charts, without letting it alienate their country base. Their 431 points during the year was the highest of all acts, and far outperformed the 327 they had in 2009. They cruised to two huge #1s, and even though their latest single might fall short, they hedged their bets and cashed in with a bushel of charting Christmas songs at the end of the year. That gave them the only 400+ point total in 2010. They're on the express elevator for the foreseeable future, and in 2011 they'll gain 50+ positions and threaten Blackhawk's #240.

[Jonsolo]

#301 to #400:

301. (297) Tommy Cash – 946
302. (298) Ray Griff – 940
303. (299) Elton Britt – 939
304. (300) Steve Holy – 938
305. (302) David Lee Murphy – 930
306. (303) Red Steagall – 927
307. (304) Mundo Earwood – 926
308. (305) Patti Page – 918
309. (306) Roy Acuff – 918
310. (307) Alison Krauss – 910
311. (308) Deborah Allen – 909
312. (309) The Whites – 908
313. (311) Susie Allanson – 903
314. (312) Carl Butler & Pearl – 898
315. (313) Roy Head – 887
316. (314) Bill Phillips – 887
317. (315) Mark Collie – 885
318. (316) Bobby Helms – 884
319. (317) Tom Jones – 882
320. (318) Rose Maddox – 881
321. (319) Deana Carter – 878
322. (320) Henson Cargill – 870
323. (321) Don King – 864
324. (322) Bonnie Guitar – 863
325. (323) Liz Anderson – 859
326. (324) Johnny & Jonie Mosby – 846
327. (325) Jamie O'Neal – 843
328. (326) Johnny Darrell – 842
329. (327) Big & Rich - 842
330. (328) Louvin Brothers – 840
331. (329) David Wills – 837
332. (330) Osbourne Brothers – 834
333. (331) Glenn Barber – 829
334. (332) Lionel Cartwright – 826
335. (333) Sweethearts of the Rodeo – 822
336. (334) Asleep at the Wheel – 822
337. (335) The Carlisles – 820
338. (336) Sons of the Pioneers – 819
339. (337) Daryle Singletary – 818
340. (338) Wayne Kemp – 817
341. (339) Stephanie Winslow – 816
342. (340) Lois Johnson – 814
343. (341) McBride & the Ride – 814
344. (385) Little Big Town - 814 (127)
345. (342) Kenny Dale – 807
346. (-) Zac Brown Band - 807 (356)
347. (343) Diana Trask – 804
348. (344) Baillie & the Boys – 803
349. (345) Jessi Colter – 802
350. (346) Arlene Harden – 801
351. (347) J Blanchard/ Morgan – 797
352. (360) Jimmy Wayne - 789 (35)
353. (348) Billy Swan – 783
354. (349) Skip Ewing – 781
355. (350) Dean Dillon – 779
356. (436) Darius Rucker - 778 (223)
357. (351) Carl Perkins – 775
358. (352) Floyd Tillman – 775
359. (369) Josh Gracin - 773 (34)
360. (353) Rhett Akins – 766
361. (354) Wilma Burgess – 765
362. (387) Jack Ingram - 765 (80)
363. (355) June Carter – 764
364. (356) C.W. McCall – 763
365. (357) Chris LeDoux – 758
366. (358) Tommy Collins – 757
367. (359) Michael Johnson – 757
368. (361) Emerson Drive - 752
369. (362) Carlene Carter – 751
370. (363) David Ball – 751
371. (364) Debby Boone – 750
372. (365) Ray Charles – 749
373. (366) Jeff Carson – 748
374. (367) Jessica Andrews – 745
375. (368) Johnny Bond – 741
376. (370) Mindy McCready – 736
377. (371) Bobby Wright – 730
378. (372) Moon Mullican – 727
379. (373) Mark Gray – 722
380. (374) Lari White – 714
381. (375) Judy Rodman – 709
382. (376) Mavericks – 704
383. (377) Chad Brock – 703
384. (378) Dottsy – 702
385. (379) Little David Wilkens – 695
386. (381) Marion Worth – 690
387. (382) Zella Lehr – 687
388. (383) Stella Parton – 687
389. (384) Ted Daffan – 687
390. (386) Doug Supernaw – 685
391. (388) Linda Davis – 680
392. (389) La Costa – 678
393. (390) Lyle Lovett – 672
394. (391) Larry Boone – 667
395. (392) Jim Nesbitt – 665
396. (393) Joe Sun – 664
397. (394) Sheb Wooley – 664
398. (395) Hoyt Axton – 662
399. (396) Margie Singleton – 657
400. (397) Sherry Bryce – 656




Notes on #301 to #400:

- There were three top 400 entries in all in 2010, but of course, one (Lady Ant) didn't spend much time in this section, before shooting for the top 300. They, the Zac Brown Band, and Darius Rucker all appear to have a bright future in front of them, and they'll soon be chasing down veteran acts, that are creeping up the list in much lower gears. But other than them, there wasn't a lot of action going on in this section this year.

- Little Big Town recaptured some of their magic from 2006, and was able to complete a long march back into the top 10. That gave them an okay 127 points, but it sure beat the tiny 15 pts that they got out of all of 2009. They certainly have the talent and chops to make it to the top 300, it'll just likely take them until early 2012 before it can come true.

- The Zac Brown Band won't be waiting that long, and they scored the second highest point total of 2010, with 356. They were the only artist to score three #1s within the calendar year, and appear to have another rock-solid contender coming out next. They also endeared themselves to me personally, by tossing some chart love in AJ's direction (who really needed the help), and got him a much-needed #1. Maybe next year, they'll follow another fellow newbie's lead, and release a Christmas album to cash in with charting songs, like Lady Antebellum did this December. With or without that, they'll sail into the top 300 in 2011, and might land near Billy Joe Royal's #275.

- We'll skip over the crumbs that Jimmy Wayne, Josh Gracin, and Jack Ingram are settling for, and move on to Darius Rucker. He took 3+ months off during the year, hindering his point potential to only 223, or else he'd have been keeping closer pace with Zac Brown. He sailed to an easy #1, and should have another imposing contender moving up the charts now. That will easily crack the top 300 for him, maybe a couple of months after Zac. His point ceiling in '11 might be a little lower than Lady Ant and Zac, but he should easily get over 1000 points, and maybe aim for Pat Green's #284.

[Jonsolo]

#401 to #456:

401. (398) Robin Lee – 655
402. (399) Ray Pillow – 654
403. (400) R.C. Bannon – 653
404. (-) Luke Bryan - 653 (220)
405. (401) Terri Gibbs – 649
406. (402) Roy Rogers – 649
407. (403) Radney Foster – 645
408. (404) Peggy Sue – 635
409. (405) Ned Miller – 635
410. (406) Lila McCann – 634
411. (407) Keith Stegall – 626
412. (408) Billy Parker – 619
413. (409) Bobby Borchers – 619
414. (410) Jimmie Skinner – 619
415. (411) Tony Booth – 615
416. (412) T Texas Tyler – 615
417. (413) Michael Peterson – 615
418. (414) Johnny Wright – 608
419. (415) Spade Cooley – 606
420. (416) Jack Reno – 604
421. (417) Big Al Downing – 599
422. (418) Foster & Lloyd – 599
423. (419) Hawkshaw Hawkins – 599
424. (451) Steve Azar - 598 (77)
425. (420) Mary Lou Turner – 592
426. (-) Kellie Pickler - 592 (84)
427. (421) Becky Hobbs – 588
428. (-) James Otto - 587 (125)
429. (422) Burl Ives – 586
430. (423) Charlie McCoy – 584
431. (424) Mike Reid – 582
432. (-) Eric Church - 579 (85)
433. (425) Trick Pony – 576
434. (426) O'Kanes – 575
435. (427) Keith Anderson - 574
436. (428) Ronnie Sessions – 572
437. (429) Paul Brandt – 570
438. (430) Kris Kristofferson – 569
439. (431) Dorsey Burnette – 567
440. (432) Penny DeHaven – 564
441. (433) Tom Wopat – 563
442. (-) Jake Owen - 561 (56)
443. (434) Kentucky Headhunters – 560
444. (435) Darrell McCall - 555
445. (437) Bill Monroe - 552
446. (438) Carl Belew - 550
447. (439) Ray Sanders - 547
448. (440) Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - 547
449. (441) Hugh X. Lewis - 543
450. (442) Stoney Edwards - 542
451. (443) Lane Brody - 539
452. (444) Leon Ashley - 538
453. (445) LaWanda Lindsey - 537
454. (446) SKO - 533
455. (447) Sonny Curtis - 530
456. (448) Mason Dixon - 527
457. (450) Ricky Nelson - 526
458. (452) Bandana - 519
459. (453) Brian Collins - 515
460. (454) Warren Brothers - 511
461. (455) Kenny Starr - 509

And the Contenders for the above ranked portion of the Whitburn list:

Sherrie Austin - 491
Chris Young - 491 (149)
Blaine Larsen - 475 (102)
Carolyn Dawn Johnson - 439
Jason Michael Carroll - 439 (13)
Bucky Covington - 428 (63)
Trent Tomlinson - 344
Cross Canadian Ragweed - 326
Trent Willmon - 298



Notes on #401 on down:

- Six artists moved up from the "Contenders" list, to the ranked portion of the main list, in 2010. At this rate, we'll have enough for a full top 500 in less than 7 years!

- Luke Bryan won't be waiting on the top 400 for too long, probably just a few more weeks. He made solid progress with 220 points, from two huge hits, and should have another one that'll perform nicely into the spring. I'm liking his "long term" potential, to the point of wondering if I should have included him as a "darkhorse" candidate on my predicted "top 10 of the 2010s" post last year, or at least a solid top 15 contender. He should be able to reach the #340's Wayne Kemp by the end of 2011.

- We saw a lot of "incremental" progress made by other artists, who could be within reach of the top 400 in 2011, if they can uncover one moderate hit. Steve Azar is one top 40 song away, as is Kellie Pickler, who's likely to be the second artist after Luke to crack that barrier next year. James Otto would need a top 15 song, so he'll likely have to wait until he charts two songs. Eric Church would also need a top 15 song to make it, and probably is a stronger bet at finding one than James. Finally, Jake Owen has to be considered a contender in '11, but would likely need two songs to make it. I'm not sure if he'll even get the first one.

- From the "Contenders" portion of the list, Chris Young is starting to gain some solid momentum, and looks like he'll even have some big-time success with the re-release of an old single, Voices. He could leapfrog most of the other artists in the previous paragraph, and might actually beat Kellie to the top 400.

Of course, that's with assuming that Voices' previous chart appearance will be combined with its current chart run, by Joel Whitburn. I'm assuming that it is a continuation, and thus, Chris loses out on 40 points from it hitting #37 in 2009. If Joel ends up treating them as separate entities, the extra 40 points gets added in, and Chris is actually already on the ranked portion of the list. There's pretty much no way of knowing exactly what Joel will do, until he releases his next Country edition. Luckily, that appears to be the only major question that I have right now with crediting points on the entire list. And when I receive that new book, Chris' discography/top decade performers will be two of the first pages that I turn to.

- Blaine Larsen has made steady though unspectacular progress. I'd like to see an artist at least get one top 15, if not a top 10 single, before making the top 400. All Blaine has managed was a #18 from five years ago.

- I added Bucky Covington (along with Chris Young) to the "Contenders" list earlier in the year, and he's promptly disappeared. I'm continuing to hold off on calculating the totals for Chuck Wicks, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, David Nail, and Justin Moore, until they put up one more nice-sized hit. However, I'll probably have to go and figure out Easton Corbin's total, as soon as his Can't Love You Back has peaked, since his perfect chart start makes it appear he's in for the long haul. The Band Perry, Lee Brice, and Steel Magnolia are other names that might be warranting attention by the end of 2011. I did go and figure up what they scored in 2010, to see how they ranked on the list of the top point-earners of the year.

- Conversely, since it's been four years since his last charting song, I removed Jeff Bates from the Contenders list. The two Trents, Tomlinson and Wilmon, are also in danger of being removed, if they don't do anything in 2011. I should do the same thing to Sherrie Austin and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, but having them so close to 500 points, I keep chickening out with removing them.

[Jonsolo]

Top Point Earners of 2010 (their 2009 ranking is in parenthesis, for those that made the top 20):

1. (8) Lady Antebellum - 431
2. (9) Zac Brown Band - 356
3. (7) Taylor Swift - 347
4. (10) Jason Aldean - 342
5. (15T) Kenny Chesney - 338
6. (3T) Brad Paisley - 324
7. Miranda Lambert - 304
8. (2) Keith Urban - 290
9. (19) Blake Shelton - 280
10. (1) Carrie Underwood - 277
11. (15T) Reba McEntire - 273
12. (20) Alan Jackson - 268
13. Josh Turner - 261
14. (5) Rascal Flatts - 251
15. Easton Corbin - 241
16. (14) Billy Currington - 240
17. (6) Darius Rucker - 223
18. Luke Bryan - 220
19. (11) George Strait - 197
20. (17) Tim McGraw - 196
21. The Band Perry - 193
22. (3T) Toby Keith - 190
23T. (13) Trace Adkins - 188
23T. (18) Sugarland - 188
25. Jerrod Niemann - 183
26. Joe Nichols - 156
27. Chris Young - 149
28. (12) Dierks Bentley - 148
29. Craig Morgan - 142
30. Gary Allan - 136
31. Uncle Kracker - 131
32. Little Big Town - 127
33T. Clay Walker - 125
33T. James Otto - 125
35. Lee Brice - 122

Nice shake-up on the standings, compared to 2009, with no one repeating in the top 5. The two hottest new groups claimed the top two positions, and it won't be their only time there in that rarefied air in the future.

After having ten artists get over the 300 mark in '09, only seven made it there this year (and only two over 350, compared to six in '09). It does appear that the point allotments are getting more and more spread out over the last few years, and while the new artists are able to emerge and post big numbers, the older artists like Toby, Timmy, and George are still able to post respectable totals.

Next up, here are the top point-earners for the new decade, 2010-2019. As covered in the first posts of this update, the numbers are slightly different from this previous, yearly list.

[Jonsolo]

Top Point Earners of the Decade, 2010 - 2019:

1. Lady Antebellum - 426
2. Brad Paisley - 424
3. Jason Aldean - 415
4. Zac Brown - 406
5. Reba McEntire - 382
6. Miranda Lambert - 381
7. Taylor Swift - 347
8. Keith Urban - 345
9. Blake Shelton - 339
10. Kenny Chesney - 338
11. Darius Rucker - 335
12. Josh Turner - 333
13. Carrie Underwood - 325
14T. Billy Currington - 309
14T. Easton Corbin - 309
16. Alan Jackson - 304
17. Toby Keith - 283
18. Tim McGraw - 270
19. George Strait - 265
20. Chris Young - 254
21. Rascal Flatts - 251
22. Trace Adkins - 247
23. The Band Perry - 240
24. Dierks Bentley - 239
25. Luke Bryan - 216
26. Joe Nichols - 211
27. Gary Allan - 206
28. Sugarland - 188
29. Jerrod Niemann - 183
30. Lee Brice - 179
31. Steel Magnolia - 174
32. Uncle Kracker - 169
33. Clay Walker - 165
34. Gretchen Wilson - 162
35. Kellie Pickler - 145

So let's check to see how my "predicted top 10 of the decade", that I posted here on page 5 last February, is looking:

1. Carrie Underwood - 13th
2. Brad Paisley - 2nd
3. Taylor Swift - 7th
4. Sugarland - 28th
5. Dierks Bentley - 24th
6. Jason Aldean - 3rd
7. Kenny Chesney - 10th
8. Billy Currington - 14Tth
9. Lady Antebellum - 1st
10. Darius Rucker - 11th

Carrie will charge to the top, once her next album comes out and the charting album cuts that come with it. Sugarland stayed parked in the driveway for most of the year, but should still be a safe bet to reach the top 10. Dierks Bentley, on the other hand, is a bit of a question mark, and his next album will be crucial.

Miranda is off to a great start, but I don't think she'll be able to consistently post the 300+ point years during the decade, to maintain that high of a ranking. The same goes for Reba, as it will still be a huge challenge for her to reach 9000 points.

Zac Brown was obviously an oversight on my part, to not put him in my projected top 10, but I did put him at #11.

George Strait, hoping that the end of this decade will find him at least in the #2 all-time position, has a good enough start, and probably needs to stick around that top 20 boundary, in order to be putting up enough points to chase down George Jones.

There were only ten artists who scored 2000+ pts last decade (okay, Martina had 1999), and I'm thinking there will be quite a few more this decade, at least sixteen.

[Jonsolo]

And that does it, for my annual end-of-year update on this thread. The next scheduled update (well, a mini-update, as I just make comments on each of the notable active artists, rather than re-posting the entire list) will come at the end of June. That would be as soon as the 6/25/2011 chart is released, and I'll give a six-month status report. I also could revive this thread, from time to time, to tell of any notable moves that occur before then. Reba passing Dolly would certainly qualify, as will whenever Trace Adkins cracks the top 100. And, if there's anyone that's truly interested in hearing about how their favorite artists are doing on the list, perhaps after a high debut, or when a song leaps to #1, they could always PM me, and I'll let you know. Of course, as long as that feature wasn't abused. No daily mediabase updates on the Pulse board, and no weekly Whitburn updates, from me!

As always, hope you all enjoyed this update as much as I enjoy putting it together. It's always a good way to "take stock", of how the year went for the stars of country music. Later!

[Zazie]

I want the honor of getting in the first response, but I'm not ready to do it. So I'll put in this placeholder and I'll come back and modify this when I have time to say something.

Great job, that's obvious. And I like calling Reba a "greybeard." Outstanding term for her.

[onebuffalo]

Dec 15, 2010 9:47:42 GMT -5 Zazie said:

I want the honor of getting in the first response, but I'm not ready to do it. So I'll put in this placeholder and I'll come back and modify this when I have time to say something.

Great job, that's obvious. And I like calling Reba a "greybeard." Outstanding term for her.

Excellent reading as always. To call Reba a greybeard puts a new spin on If I Were A Boy.

[carrieidol1]

this is great, and very accurate! Glad to see Reba and Carrie dominating! :)

[Marv]

SUPERB work, Jonsolo---very nicely done.

Thanks!

[HeyHeyHey]

Nice job Jonsolo.I enjoyed reading it.

[Zazie]

That was a terrific update, and I'm going to do a forward-looking set of comments. I'll try to guess who'll post the most Whitpoints in 2011.

Let's say 300 ranks #8 again, following the 2010 pattern. Keith Urban was just below that in 2010, and I'll say he can get just about 300 this year as well. He's got bonus points coming from Put You In A Song and then the full chart run of 2 more singles, at least one of which is sure to be a #1. Even if he has no duets this year, I think he'll be in the 280 to 310 range, and I'll put him in as our anchor at #8.

It's easy to find a few artists to rank ahead of that. Lady A is a good bet to finish first, as they get so much help from their Christmas EP that charted all of its songs. That's about a 140-pt head start, plus their Hello, World won't be worse than a top 5. So with 2 more charting singles, one of which being perhaps a lead single from a new album, I don't see Lady A scoring less than 420 or so. And if they dip into the Christmas bucket-of-points, they could score a lot more. I'll say they will be #1.

Darius Rucker's well-placed to get three songs on this year, probably 2 #1's leading the way. He doesn't get the full run of This but he looks like a good bet to score more than 300. Sugarland has similar timing to Darius but their album is a lot less radio-friendly, so I won't invite them into the 300 club. I can hope, but I can't be confident. On the other hand ZBB timed their pursuit of Whitpoints perfectly, as they began their run with Colder Weather on the first chart of the new year. I'm confident they'll score more than 300.

Kenny Chesney, like Urban, is able to score the biggest part of his bonus points for Somewhere With You, and he'll also get two more charting singles. Maybe a 4th song, since he does tend to have speedy chart runs nowadays. I'm going to give him 375.

So let's see, we've got Lady A and Kenny, ZBB and Darius, and now let's look at Taylor and Carrie. Swift has more bonus points coming to her with December, and then she has 2 more full chart runs to enjoy, plus maybe another song that has part of its run at the end of the year. Plus maybe a Christmas song or two, or some other album track appearance. I'll rank her in the 350+ group. Carrie will start with (presumably) the 5th single from her album, plus she has time for a lead single and an album track or two. And another late-year partial chart run. She'll be over 300 but under 400. Oh, wait, she does Christmas songs too. I might rank her higher.

Now I need to find a few more artists. The older artists have bad timing (Reba and Strait scoring too many points in Dec-Jan and having room for only 2 more songs) or are otherwise a bit limited (AJ, unless he scores another duet, and Martina) and I can't rank them too high. RF's timing doesn't look good either. I think I'll pad out my list with a few of the "usual suspects" without a long description of why:

1. Lady A 450+
2. Carrie Underwood 420+
3. Taylor Swift 400+
4. Brad Paisley 375 (has time for 3 songs)
5. Kenny Chesney 375
6. Jason Aldean 350 (4 songs, but 2 of them had pts in 2010)
7. Darius Rucker 330
8. Keith Urban 300
9. Billy Currington 280
10. Blake Shelton 280

Miranda doesn't move fast enough to rank high again. Luke Bryan's timing doesn't look right. Last year's newcomers don't have the timing down, unless songs by The Band Perry climb a lot faster this year. (I'd like to pick Jerrod Niemann for this list but he also moves slowly.) Tim McGraw doesn't have back-to-back big hits nowadays, and Toby is in a rut. I don't see Josh Turner repeating 2010. Unless Sugarland manufactures 2 more hit singles after Little Miss, I think I've got my list. Dierks, Gary, feel free to prove me wrong. Alison, I know you've got some chart appearances in you.

Jon, no need to go back to this list in June to tell me how far off I was....

[smack]

Jonsolo, thanks a bunch for the mega update. I used to keep track of this stuff, but my interest has gone away, so nice to see someone else doing it. Whitburn's office is about 3 blocks from my house. I'm off tomorrow, if I have time I can see if I can walk over and find out when the next book is scheduled. Hell, I could even print this and tell him to offer you a job!

[Jonsolo]

Dec 30, 2010 21:24:15 GMT -5 smack said:

Jonsolo, thanks a bunch for the mega update. I used to keep track of this stuff, but my interest has gone away, so nice to see someone else doing it. Whitburn's office is about 3 blocks from my house. I'm off tomorrow, if I have time I can see if I can walk over and find out when the next book is scheduled. Hell, I could even print this and tell him to offer you a job!

I've got my resume all ready to go, and can email it as soon as they ask for it....!

And if you're not able to get a response on when their next Hot Country Songs book is coming out, I'd just settle for finding out if they're going to be treating Chris Young's two appearances with Voices as one continuous chart run, or as two separate chart entries. I'm giving them free advertising here for their books, after all!

[Deleted]

FANTASTIC! Thank you very much! Great updates :)

[Zazie]

A big chart for old-timers, the 2/5 Billboard. George Jones charts, moving closer to 12,000 and farther away from George Strait. Alabama charts, moving over 7,000.

And Charlie Daniels charts, which I think will be added to his credits for Charlie Daniels Band and will move him up 6 positions, from 210 to 204.

Loretta didn't stay on too long. Let's see how long these artists stay on. Merle, Willie, Dolly -- come on in. It's cold outside the chart.

[Jonsolo]

Jan 24, 2011 17:55:36 GMT -5 Zazie said:

A big chart for old-timers, the 2/5 Billboard. George Jones charts, moving closer to 12,000 and farther away from George Strait.

Drat, and just after I noted the milestone two weeks ago, of Strait passing the "halfway"point to Jones, when he hit 10,686. Now, with Jones still a moving target, and moving the goalposts a further up the field, the new halfway point is 10,701. Basically, George needs to get his next single out, and maybe this will give him some motivation to do just that.