Joel Whitburn's all-time Top Country Artists list

[Jonsolo]

I'll be posting an update for the mid-year this week, through the 6/29/13 BB Airplay chart. A few weeks late this year, but that can be interpretted as just how much my motivation has been sapped, due to the invention of the mongrel chart. Just makes it tough to be excited about writing about a "Whitburn points list" that is no longer being tracked by Joel Whitburn, and only exists on mine and Zazie's computers.

And I'm also hoping for Cruise to last as long at #1 on the mongrel chart as possible, to continue to show how idiotic that chart is. Keep going for well over 20 weeks, which would also have it "break the record" of the longest chart stay of 56 weeks (Brice and Hayes). If you're going to screw up your chart and its historical achievements, you might as well go all-in...

[Marv]

^^^Amen to this!!!

[Kanenrá:ke]

Jul 8, 2013 10:29:38 GMT -5 Jonsolo said:

I'll be posting an update for the mid-year this week, through the 6/29/13 BB Airplay chart. A few weeks late this year, but that can be interpretted as just how much my motivation has been sapped, due to the invention of the mongrel chart. Just makes it tough to be excited about writing about a "Whitburn points list" that is no longer being tracked by Joel Whitburn, and only exists on mine and Zazie's computers.

And I'm also hoping for Cruise to last as long at #1 on the mongrel chart as possible, to continue to show how idiotic that chart is. Keep going for well over 20 weeks, which would also have it "break the record" of the longest chart stay of 56 weeks (Brice and Hayes). If you're going to screw up your chart and its historical achievements, you might as well go all-in...

Yay you're gonna post. :) I wasn't sure and posted my list just in case but looks like it wasn't needed.

[Zazie]

Jon's posting and the world looks brighter. I'm surprised the Whitburn people went strictly by the mongrel chart and didn't give alternative #1 credits for mongrel and for airplay, the way they used to do it back in the 40's and 50's when they had 3 charts they were crediting (disc jockey, sales, and jukebox). Guess they don't look at those old charts and Whitbooks.

So weird seeing so many artists peaking at #7 or thereabouts instead of getting their #1 credits. Well, at least there are a couple of lists that are staying old-school.

[dajross6]

I keep hoping that the new chart is so over the top crazy that Billboard will go back and decide that the Airplay chart makes the most sense. I know it's wishful thinking, but still Cruise has a few more weeks on top yet. It's officially peaked on overall airplay, so now it's a matter of how far ahead it is than all the other country songs for weeks on the top.

Going through Whitburn's book is an awesome exercise every couple days, and I suggest to anyone who is a fan of the charts to pick up his latest edition (it's only tainted by the new chart a little). It's sad that looking at 2013 we are going to see only a handful of songs hit the top of the chart after a period of many years of having 35 songs or so hit the top. Jonsolo, is your list going to just reflect the airplay or is it still an exercise to try to match Whitburn's list?

[Zazie]

We old-school guys are not calculating updates based on the mongrel chart. So we realize that we are no longer documenting the Whitburn list in between editions, because we're calculating based entirely on the airplay chart and Whitburn, at least so far, is using entirely the mongrel chart. Still, using the new chart would be worse than quitting entirely.

Jon is nothing if not old school.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Jul 10, 2013 13:49:18 GMT -5 Zazie said:

We old-school guys are not calculating updates based on the mongrel chart. So we realize that we are no longer documenting the Whitburn list in between editions, because we're calculating based entirely on the airplay chart and Whitburn, at least so far, is using entirely the mongrel chart. Still, using the new chart would be worse than quitting entirely.

Jon is nothing if not old school.

I'm thinking of going back and doing a split to see how much the mongrel chart would effect the standings. If I decide to go through with it I'll let you guys know my findings. :)

[dajross6]

Perhaps the worst part of the new chart is seeing songs debut in the top 20 which have zero chance of having ANY radio airplay. The points are usually based entirely on single sales of remakes due to reality shows. Yeah, having a recurrent song spend 19 weeks @ #1 is bad, but at least have a chart that reflects songs on the radio at least.

+1 to using the airplay only chart...makes me happy

[Jonsolo]

Here comes the 8th edition of my effort to keep the Joel Whitburn points list for Top Country Artists updated. And as everyone knows, that title is no longer completely accurate, since Joel switched over to using the one-year-old "mongrel" Hot Country Songs chart (that Billboard Igor-ed together out of random chart parts) to update his list with. I've continued to use the far superior and meaningful Airplay Chart, which keeps comparisons fairly accurate between now and all the data that comes from the previous several decades (well, pre-October 20, 2012) of Billboard Country charts.

I'm sure Joel's current list is looking much different, as Florida Georgia Line racked up (using the Mongrel stats and Joel's usual point standards) a 396-pt total just from their 24-week #1 Cruise. So they're probably already in the top 400 on Joel's list, and Taylor should also be doing well on the new chart/list (along with the entire cast of the TV-show Nashville...). We can just watch those developments on the mongrel chart with the same fascination that we have that force us to stare at car accidents on the interstate...

As I warned last year, my interest in following the Billboard country chart, and thus, being active on this music discussion board, has waned quite a bit. I failed to post a "mid-year" update back in July for the first time since I started this thread back in 2006. At the time, I was about a quarter through with writing that mid-year update, when I got frustrated and started asking myself dangerously philosophical questions like "What does this all matter?" and "Why am I here?". No mid-year post, but I at least still have enough interest left to see how the point totals wound up at the end of another year.

Everyone should be familiar with the usual format that follows, of dividing the list into sections of 100 artists, with the "previous year's ranking" and "point totals earned during the current year" in parentheses. Then, I write up fairly thorough summaries for the more notably active artists, about their song/point output during the year, while also sneaking in some subjective comments and opinions on their present and future status. Then, at the very end, I list the top point earners of the year, and the top point earners of the decade (2010-2019). Of course, I throw is some more commentary after each of those lists as well!

I can't say with 100% certainty that there will be a 2014 yearly update, so enjoy this while you still can!

[Jonsolo]

Joel Whitburn's Top Country Artist points list, updated for 2013



#1 to #100:

1. (#1 at the end of 2012) Eddy Arnold – 12667
2. (2) George Jones – 11976
3. (3) George Strait – 11158 (153 points gained in 2013)
4. (4) Johnny Cash – 9449
5. (5) Conway Twitty – 9101
6. (6) Merle Haggard – 9058
7. (7) Reba McEntire – 8353
8. (8) Dolly Parton – 8308 (31)
9. (9) Webb Pierce – 7975
10. (10) Willie Nelson – 7919 (31)
11. (11) Ray Price – 7773
12. (12) Buck Owens – 7492
13. (13) Alan Jackson – 7367
14. (14) Marty Robbins – 7306
15. (15) Hank Williams Jr. – 7244
16. (16) Waylon Jennings – 7232
17. (18) Tim McGraw – 7177 (324)
18. (17) Alabama – 7136
19. (20) Kenny Chesney – 6849 (266)
20. (19) Jim Reeves – 6843
21. (21) Ernest Tubb – 6474
22. (22) Charley Pride – 6422
23. (24) Toby Keith – 6398 (128)
24. (23) Loretta Lynn – 6316
25. (25) Sonny James – 6205
26. (26) Garth Brooks – 6199 (36)
27. (27) Faron Young – 6115
28. (28) Hank Snow – 6088
29. (30) Kenny Rogers – 6045 (31)
30. (29) Ronnie Milsap – 6025
31. (31) Carl Smith – 5901
32. (32) Tammy Wynette – 5836
33. (33) Brooks & Dunn – 5641
34. (34) 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 – 4663 (25)
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) Martina McBride – 4278
54. (54) David Houston – 4250
55. (62) Brad Paisley – 4242 (252)
56. (55) Bobby Bare – 4235
57. (56) Barbara Mandrell – 4217
58. (57) Oak Ridge Boys – 4217
59. (60) Rascal Flatts – 4082 (68)
60. (58) Mickey Gilley – 4076
61. (59) Lynn Anderson – 4021
62. (61) Eddie Rabbitt – 3990
63. (63) Anne Murray – 3901
64. (71) Keith Urban - 3886 (243)
65. (64) Joe Stampley – 3866
66. (65) Dottie West – 3858
67. (66) John Anderson – 3810
68. (67) Emmylou Harris – 3801
69. (68) T.G. Sheppard – 3746
70. (69) Faith Hill – 3689 (6)
71. (70) Travis Tritt – 3682
72. (72) Sawyer Brown – 3608
73. (73) Bellamy Brothers – 3563
74. (74) Moe Bandy – 3537
75. (75) Tom T. Hall – 3536
76. (76) Billy Walker – 3493
77. (77) Earl Thomas Conley – 3482
78. (78) Patty Loveless – 3460
79. (79) Ferlin Husky – 3355
80. (80) Trisha Yearwood – 3339 (36)
81. (81) Johnny Paycheck – 3266
82. (82) Gene Watson – 3247
83. (83) Connie Smith – 3218
84. (84) Mark Chesnutt – 3217
85. (85) Freddie Hart – 3209
86. (86) Tracy Lawrence – 3151
87. (87) Johnny Rodriguez – 3145
88. (115) Blake Shelton - 3123 (486)
89. (88) Jerry Reed – 3116
90. (92) Lonestar – 3085 (35)
91. (89) Charlie Rich – 3084
92. (90) J.M. Montgomery – 3084
93. (91) Clay Walker - 3067
94. (93) Larry Gatlin & Bros. – 3031
95. (94) Janie Fricke – 2993
96. (99) Trace Adkins – 2965 (36)
97. (95) Jim Ed Brown – 2963
98. (96) Lefty Frizzell – 2945
99. (97) Ricky Skaggs – 2943
100. (98) Diamond Rio – 2938





Notes on the Top 100:

- One artist entered the top 100 this year. A second artist would have made it if they hadn't taken off the final four months of the year. They'll be the one artist that will make the top 100 in 2014.

And, given that she had a 300-pt lead on him as recently as three years ago, it's a bit of a surprise that that "first artist" was Blake and the "second artist" was Carrie, and not vice versa.

- Perhaps contributing (along with the Mongrel invention) to my increasing apathy toward chart-watching in general, is the continued reduction in chart stature for George Strait. A nearly unprecedented promo blitz dragged Give It All We Got to #2 (and a 60th all-chart #1, if that matters to some people...), and a second straight bad "summer single" choice (I Believe, after summer 2012's Drinkin' Man) went nowhere. Finally, we had a long wait until the release of I Got A Car (which should have been the second single), which is inexplicably struggling mightily. That still got George a respectable 153 points (hey, more than last year's 148!), and he's now nearly 800 points away from the Possum.

With his touring career coming to an end, it's nearly impossible that he'll ever get close to George Jones' 2nd place total, and I've had to scale back my goals to where he ends up. At this point, I'd take an 11,500 final total with open arms. Maybe he'll gain a little more than 100 in 2014, and close the margin to Jones to the 700 point mark. And as a side note, it was at least great to see him get one final Entertainer Of The Year trophy, likely his final "major" award of his career.

- I always try to mention an all-time top 10 artist who gained something during the year, no matter how small. And we got two of them, with Dolly Parton getting a duet with Kenny Rogers to debut on the very last chart week. That got her over the 8300 mark, and within 45 of Reba. Not sure if Dolly has any more points left in her, but Reba would be well-advised to not be completely done with her career, if she wants to remain the all-time highest ranking female. Willie got some points via a Kenny chart cut, and I do hope he's eventually able to hit 8000 points, and get past Webb Pierce in the process.

- For the first time in his career, AJ failed to score a single point during a year. It appears that my other main goal (along with Strait catching Jones), of AJ making it to the all-time top 10, will also have to be laid to rest. Maybe he'll eventually eke out the 130 points to catch Buck Owens for #12.

- What especially makes the diminished current point output of George and AJ all the more tougher a pill to swallow, is the rejuvenation of Tim McGraw's career, post-label change. Out of all the greybeards (i.e., artists who debuted before 2000), why does my old nemesis have to be the only one still knocking them out of the park?! Timmy's big year included the three-week #1 One Of Those Nights (admittedly, not a bad song), the two-week #1 collaboration with Taylor, Highway Don't Care, and the two-week #2 Southern Girl. That raced him out to a bonanza total for the year of 324, the 5th highest artist total. I'm forced to bid him congrats through gritted teeth.

Timmy crossed the 7000 pt mark in May, and passed Alabama back in October for 17th place on the list. If he stays on this roll, he should easily catch AJ in 2014 for 13th place (there go the gritted teeth again...)

- Kenny Chesney was pretty quiet during the year, as his major hits were only a #3 for Pirate Flag (a surprise considering it was a lead single, but not so much if you consider it was a lousy song...) and a #14 for When I See This Bar, his lowest peaking single since the re-release of Tin Man back in 2001. The one thing that salvaged his year, were the three album cuts that he charted back in May with his album's release, an ability that almost no other artist seems capable of consistently duplicating. Those extra 93 points gave him a total of 266, which was the 12th highest of the year. That's Kenny's lowest total since 2009's 231.

Kenny did pass by Jim Reeves for 19th place back in August, and should be able to edge past Alabama by the end of 2014. Back in 2011, the trajectory of their yearly point totals had Kenny catching Timmy by now, but Kenny's going to have to work extra hard to keep that future move a viable possibility.

- I had been hoping that Timmy would be copying the career pattern (and fellow 1993 debuter) Toby Keith. Toby's no longer doing too much, as he hasn't gotten higher than #17 on his last three singles. This year he only managed a #18 for Hope On The Rocks, and matched the disappointing lead single of performance of 2012's I Like Girls That Drink Beer with a #17 for lead single Drinks After Work. Another single made the chart before the end of the year, to get him to 128 for the year. He was only able to pass Loretta Lynn (back in June), and getting past Pride and Tubb for #21 is the goal for next year. Toby's never "felt" like an all-time top 20 artist, so I wouldn't mind him stopping before he reaches Jim Reeves.

- I always do a bulk of the writing of these yearly updates in the few weeks leading up to the final chart's release (what, you think I wrote all of this since last night?!). So I had already wrote here that we could probably expect to see some chart action for Garth Brooks in 2014, with him gearing up a new tour (since those pesky kids will have all graduated from high school by May). Well, he decided to get an early start, and debuted a duet with Trisha Yearwood on the final chart week for 2013. That's got him poised to pass Sonny James in January, and should resume a semi-productive point-producing career. I won't be making any guesses as to what kind of point total he'll be getting in 2014, but it would be nice to see him make some progress toward the all-time top 20 (which "feels" more appropriate for him instead of Toby).

- That "sneaking-under-the-wire" duet with Dolly Parton got Kenny Rogers a late boost, and moved him past Ronnie Milsap for #29.

- Brad Paisley should have finally brought to a close his game of leap frog with Rascal Flatts, and should be putting them far into his rear view mirror. However, for an artist who scored 252 points this year, he sure has a lot of big question marks looming. Southern Comfort Zone managed the impressive feat of plunging all the way recurrent the week after hitting #2. Beat This Summer gave him another #2 (and his 5th runner-up in his last 10 singles), before he failed spectacularly with I Can't Change The World (only a #22). And even though I don't think it harmed his chart performance, the bad press from Accidental Racist didn't help matters (good intentions with that one, but was destined to be an impossible task of pulling off). Even if we did get spoiled a bit by his early run of 10 straight #1s, it feels like Brad lost his mojo with the release of Camouflage, and no longer feels like a sure thing.

Brad gained seven positions this year, and shouldn't have any problems of cracking the top 50 in 2014. I'm hoping he shakes off the signs of struggle he's been showing, and continues back on the track of eventually reaching the top 20. I'd like to think he'll at least be able to reach and match what Toby's done.

- I suppose we can excuse Rascal Flatts' 2013 as a vacation year for them, since they're supposed to release a new album in '14. And they are only 18 months removed from their last #1, so they can't be put out to pasture just yet. But all they got this year was a #20 peak for Changed, and a meager 68 points. They did pass Lynn Anderson and Mickey Gilley, while having Brad zip on by. We'll see how their next album gets received, but I would think they'll have just enough hype and power left to get close to Martina's spot in 2014. I wouldn't mind seeing their band break up before cracking the top 50, but that's not very likely.

- Keith Urban's vacation after wrapping up the Get Closer singles lasted a bit longer than I expected, throughout the first five months of 2013. That kept his point total for the year from being too impressive, but once he reappeared, he was back with a vengeance. He raced to a two-week #1 with Little Bit Of Everything in 15 weeks, and then went even faster with We Were Us, making the trip in 12 weeks. Miranda must be very grateful, in cashing in with a #1 courtesy of Keith. A tad strange that Us didn't get multiple weeks at #1, but he still got a yearly total of 243, and passed seven artists. He should fly into the top 60 next year, perhaps reaching Oak Ridge and Mandrell.

- Trisha Yearwood's duet with Garth gave her her first points since 2008, and there might be a promise for more in 2014. I don't think she'll come out with anything solo, but if Garth's releasing a new album in 2014, it's sure to have multiple duets with Trisha on it, and they'd be threats to chart as well. I wouldn't mind seeing her creep back a little closer to Faith Hill.

- The race for 2013's Top Artist point total was over almost as soon as it began. Blake Shelton debuted three Christmas songs on the 1/12/13 chart (and had five total on the chart that week) to rack up 100 points, which staked him off to a lead he would never relinquish. He was able to cram in three #1s, more than any other artist, into the one-year-period: Mine Would Be You, the truly awful Boys Round Here (still involuntarily shudder when I hear the chew tobacco-spit lyric), and the (apparent!) ode to Matthew McConaughey in Dazed And Confused, Sure Be Cool If You Did. They accounted for six total weeks at the top. Add all that up, and it was a 486-pt bonanza, easily the best showing for the year (his second straight yearly win) and far ahead of the second best artist total. That shot him up 27 positions and well into the top 100.

No Christmas bonanza for him next January, but a modest 2014 would still have him cracking the top 80, and would force me to re-think his career aspirations on the list. Could he actually wind up above Brad Paisley's point total, when all is said and done? I never would have considered that a possibility, as recently as a year ago. But now if just they can stop the boredom at the award shows, and give someone else the Male Vocalist trophy...

- They didn't earn many points, but Lonestar's and Trace Adkins' brief chart appearances moved them up two and three spots, respectively. An important cushion, as they'll soon be weathering the Carrie, Taylor, and Jason hurricanes.

[Jonsolo]

#101 to #200:


101. (100) Joe Diffie – 2911
102. (101) Vern Gosdin – 2815
103. (114) Carrie Underwood - 2811 (168)
104. (102) Collin Raye – 2796
105. (103) Eddy Raven – 2793
106. (104) Billy Craddock – 2787
107. (105) Lee Greenwood – 2774
108. (106) John Conlee – 2756
109. (107) Stonewall Jackson – 2721
110. (108) Kathy Mattea – 2713
111. (109) Lorrie Morgan – 2709
112. (110) Del Reeves – 2666
113. (111) Roy Drusky – 2658
114. (112) Dwight Yoakam – 2656
115. (113) Shania Twain – 2643
116. (116) Dave Dudley – 2629
117. (117) Roger Miller – 2624
118. (118) Jean Shepard – 2612
119. (119) Charly McClain – 2553
120. (121) Montgomery Gentry – 2547 (19)
121. (135) Taylor Swift - 2545 (313)
122. (120) The Judds – 2529
123. (122) Donna Fargo – 2517
124. (123) Roy Clark – 2427
125. (124) Ronnie McDowell – 2420
126. (125) Bob Wills – 2418
127. (126) Ricky Van Shelton – 2405
128. (136) Gary Allan – 2393 (169)
129. (127) Tracy Byrd – 2377
130. (128) Skeeter Davis – 2353
131. (166) Jason Aldean - 2340 (359)
132. (129) George Hamilton IV – 2334
133. (145) Dierks Bentley - 2312 (161)
134. (130) Jack Greene – 2295
135. (131) Mel McDaniel – 2290
136. (132) Johnny Duncan – 2253
137. (133) Dan Seals – 2250
138. (134) Kendalls – 2235
139. (137) Roseanne Cash – 2223
140. (138) Sammy Kershaw – 2209
141. (146) Sara Evans – 2205 (56)
142. (139) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – 2174
143. (140) Aaron Tippin – 2173
144. (141) Jimmy Wakely – 2171
145. (142) Leann Rimes – 2170
146. (143) Restless Heart – 2167
147. (144) Dixie Chicks – 2161
148. (147) Shenandoah – 2141
149. (148) Tennessee Ernie Ford – 2126
150. (149) Johnny Lee – 2107
151. (150) Gary Morris – 2107
152. (151) Jo Dee Messina – 2106
153. (152) Gene Autry – 2101
154. (153) Wynonna – 2092
155. (154) Pam Tillis – 2072
156. (155) Neal McCoy – 2058
157. (156) Jimmy Newman – 2047
158. (157) Hank Locklin – 2044
159. (158) Wilburn Brothers – 2019
160. (159) George Morgan – 2015
161. (160) Slim Whitman – 1996
162. (161) Al Dexter – 1996
163. (162) Tommy Overstreet – 1995
164. (163) Ed Bruce – 1993
165. (164) Billie Jo Spears – 1993
166. (165) Nat Stuckey – 1989
167. (167) Exile – 1952
168. (168) Narvel Felts – 1947
169. (169) Mary C. Carpenter – 1939
170. (170) Michael M. Murphey – 1911
171. (171) Razzy Bailey – 1908
172. (172) Tex Ritter – 1901
173. (173) Bob Luman – 1882
174. (200) Lady Antebellum - 1874 (274)
175. (174) Doug Stone – 1870
176. (175) Lee Ann Womack – 1852
177. (176) Terri Clark – 1835
178. (177) Sammy Smith – 1814
179. (178) Rex Allen Jr. – 1811
180. (179) Sugarland – 1801
181. (180) Brenda Lee – 1799
182. (220) Miranda Lambert - 1797 (305)
183. (181) Freddy Weller – 1784
184. (182) Marty Stuart – 1781
185. (190) Craig Morgan – 1777 (96)
186. (188) Phil Vassar - 1764 (63)
187. (183) Jerry Wallace – 1761
188. (184) Claude King – 1754
189. (221) Zac Brown Band - 1744 (258)
190. (185) Billy Ray Cyrus – 1724
191. (186) Billy Dean – 1717
192. (187) Tex Williams – 1715
193. (189) Juice Newton – 1688
194. (207) Joe Nichols – 1680 (132)
195. (191) David Rogers – 1675
196. (192) Wynn Stewart – 1670
197. (218) Billy Currington - 1668 (172)
198. (259) Luke Bryan - 1651 (394)
199. (193) Cal Smith – 1644
200. (194) Jan Howard – 1644





Notes on #101 to #200:

- After a slow 2012, we were back to seeing a bunch of action with five artists moving into this section. Three of those new top 200 artists should be considered strong contenders for eventually making the top 100 (not quite convinced on Miranda and Billy). Things will be a lot quieter in 2014, with only one artist likely to make the top 200.

- After a torrid first seven years to her career, Carrie Underwood finally took a bit of a vacation, and with her Blown Away album played out, took off the final four months of the year. She finished off the run to #2 with Two Black Cadillacs, and scored another #2 with See You Again (the latter song being much better than the former). That added up to just 168 points, easily her lowest yearly total since her debut year in 2005. So instead of cracking the top 100 like I thought she would, she settled for a move up of eleven positions. She'll have to hope her next lead single scores two weeks at #1, before she can get to #100 (maybe by May?). As for 2014, I would think aiming for Lonestar's #90 is a realistic goal.

- The queen of the mongrel chart, Taylor Swift, had a fairly easy 313 point total, which happens when you piggyback on with another artist for a #1. After slowly taking Begin Again to a #3 peak in March (and charting album cuts in January and April), she cashed in with a #1 courtesy of Timmy's Highway Don't Care. That gave her her 7th career #1 song, a low total after over six years of charting (of course, Mediabase and the mongrel chart have her much higher in profile). Finally, she's had a slow climb to the top 10 with Red, before it plunged during the final chart week of the year. The point gain (which was the 6th highest for the year, and tops among females) moved her up fourteen positions, and kept her on a similar path as Carrie, almost exactly one year behind her. Thus, Taylor will be eyeing the top 100 by the end of '14, but she'll likely wind up just short, in that large gap between Diffie and Gosdin at #102.

- Gary Allan tasted #1 gold for the first time in over eight years, and surprisingly also grabbed that "honor" on the mongrel chart with big hit Every Storm. Faced with that kind of elevated recurrent airplay for a huge hit, it actually wasn't too shabby that he could only get his follow-up, Pieces, to #18. The third single from the album, It Ain't The Whiskey, took its time making the top 40, but still gave Gary a pretty solid year, with 169 points. After only 76 pts in '12 and 12 pts in '11, he'll take that as a gigantic improvement. He moved up eight positions, and keeps his extremely faint hopes of eventually hitting the top 100 alive. He'll need at least three more huge hits, to give him the momentum to make it.

- Jason Aldean's streak of 300-pt years has reached five, with a 359 total this year (4th highest artist total). He's been remarkably consistent over that span, averaging 343. I continue to root against him on the charts (mainly due to not liking his voice and public persona), but he's almost unstoppable. The Only Way I Know collaboration and Night Train offerings weren't too bad of songs, and cruised to #1 without breaking a sweat. '1994' was a complete embarrassment, and contended for the title "worst song of the year". Rightly so, it halted at only #14. I felt sorry for the longtime fans of Joe Diffie, and have to hope that no one concocts a song "honoring" George Strait that is that bad. When She Says Baby is looking to easily be the 4th #1 from the Night Train album. If we assign Jason another 300 points in 2014, that will have him aiming at Dwight Yoakam's spot by the end of the year.

- Dierks Bentley wasn't able to continue the success of 2011-2012, when his first three singles from the Home album hit #1. Tip It On Back had a respectable showing for a fourth single, hitting #5, but the lead single from the Riser album, Bourbon In Kentucky, was a disaster, becoming Dierks' lowest peaking single at #45. He looks like he'll do a bit better with I Hold On, as it seems to be on pace for the top 10. Plus, he got an early Christmas present by being included on the mass collaboration The South that hit the chart in December. That gave Dierks a decent total of 161, and moved him up twelve positions. His chances of top 100 entry are still reasonably strong, and he can get there with three strong years. He'll hope to aim for the gap between Donna Fargo and Roy Clark in 2014.

- Sara Evans' has been taking her single's title to heart, Slow Me Down, which is finally looking to crack the top 30. It's been her only action all year, but the 56 points was still enough to move her up five positions, and should cement her place in the top 150 for as long I'll be interested in following this points list. Wouldn't take too much more from the song to gain her three more positions in 2014. Any more than that, I can't predict.

- Lady Antebellum might have lost a bit of their luster as the "It Group" with the arrival of Florida Georgia Line this year, but they still scored 274 points (10th highest). Downtown was a two-week #1 smash, and then Goodbye Town was a strange underperformer, only getting as high as #11. Compass looks like it'll at least get them back into the top 10. Nice jump from #200 to the top 175 this year, and they should make a similar jump into the top 150 in 2014.

- Miranda Lambert came up just a bit short in catching Taylor for the top female point total for the year. Her 305 ranked as the 7th highest amount. Mama's Broken Heart had a smooth ride to a #2 peak, and while All Kinds Of Kinds stumbled to only a #15, nothing cures one's ills like being included on a smash duet. She teamed with Keith Urban on We Were Us, which cruised to #1. She broke into the top 200 back in April, and shouldn't have much problem reaching 2000 points and the top 160 in '14. And I can't help but wonder if she'll actually have enough staying power to eventually catch up to and pass Taylor. With Taylor's tendency to be interested in other entertainment avenues, the possibility (which would have been ludicrous two years ago) does exist.

- The second top 200 entrant, Zac Brown Band, accomplished that milestone back in March. Like Lady Ant, they might have also taken a backseat this year to the Florida Georgia Line juggernaut, and their 258 points broke a string of four straight 300+ years. They did start the year off fantastically, with the three-week #1 Goodbye In Her Eyes, then followed it with a rather slow (for them) trek to #2 with Jump Right In. Sweet Annie is also taking its sweet time in climbing, and might be a future #1 if it capitalizes on some good timing. Look for them to have a bigger 2014 and possibly catch back up to Miranda, and also vie with her for a spot in the top 160, while getting past 2000 points.

- Any year that a lower-tier artist scores a #1 is a good one for them, and that definitely applies to Joe Nichols. He was absent from the charts for a full 18 months, since fall 2011's Take It Off, but used the extensive vacation to find a big hit, Sunny And 75 (which also qualified as one of my favorite songs of the year). A long trek of 31 weeks to the top (which included 13 weeks that Joe needed to just go from the top 30 to the top 20) had his #1 arrival timed "perfectly", when the majority of the country is seeing temperatures much less than 75(!). Joe made the top 200 in May, but it's a little tough in trying to predict for these type of artists what to expect for them the following year (especially since he was gone all of 2012). He should be able to get a couple of follow-up singles, which probably will get harmed by Sunny's recurrent airplay, but should nonetheless have him aiming for the top 180 in '14.

- The fifth and final top 200 entrant this year, Billy Currington, got in with a debut of We Are Tonight earlier this month, to now rank above the chronological "fourth top 200 entrant". Like Joe, he was also gone a while, over a year since February 2012 when the misstep of Like My Dog knocked him off his game and he headed for the sidelines. Also like Joe, Billy's patience was rewarded when his comeback Hey Girl hit #1 in October. He still has a ways to go (if he gets there) to return to his esteemed status he held in 2009 and 2010 (when he scored 240+ each year). For now, he should also have top 180 as a modest goal for 2014.

- That fourth top 200 entrant, Luke Bryan, wound up with the 3rd highest artist total, and just missed repeating as the 2nd highest total. That late The South collaboration boosted Florida Georgia Line up ahead of him at the last minute. He did even better than 2012 with 394 points, and used that to rocket up an astounding 60 positions on the list, and cracked the top 200 just a few weeks ago. He joined Aldean with Eric Church for the easy #1 The Only Way I Know in February, and had a lightning quick sprint to multiple weeks at #1 with Crash My Party. He scored a couple of weeks at #2 with "the worst song" Zac Brown "had ever heard", That's My King Of Night (I'd put it in a tie with Country Girl Shake It as the worst single Luke's ever released). He then had a great performance of Drink A Beer at the CMAs, and will have no problem at all getting that one to the top. So yeah, a pretty good year for Luke (he even got himself a charted album cut, Buzzkill). Now if he can just break the armlock that Blake has on those Male Vocalist trophies...

Even though it's a bit early, I'd have to tab Luke as sure-bet to reach the top 100 (only 1300 points away). He'll get at least a quarter of the way there in 2014, aiming for 2000 points and join up with Miranda and his "hug-it-out" companion, Zac Brown.

[Jonsolo]

#201 to #300:

201. (195) Forester Sisters – 1636
202. (196) Red Sovine – 1621
203. (197) Susan Raye – 1616
204. (198) Lacy J. Dalton – 1614
205. (206) Rodney Atkins - 1594 (39)
206. (201) Keith Whitley – 1573
207. (202) Mark Wills – 1571
208. (203) Ray Stevens – 1566
209. (204) Charlie Daniels – 1563
210. (199) Linda Ronstadt – 1561
211. (205) Kenny Price – 1558
212. (208) Mac Davis – 1545
213. (209) Rodney Crowell – 1541
214. (210) Warner Mack – 1538
215. (211) T. Graham Brown – 1538
216. (212) Dickey Lee – 1527
217. (213) Sylvia – 1527
218. (214) Margo Smith – 1519
219. (215) Wanda Jackson – 1512
220. (216) Jimmy Dean – 1505
221. (217) David Frizzell – 1498
222. (219) John Denver – 1495
223. (222) Charlie Louvin – 1465
224. (223) Highway 101 – 1464
225. (224) Darryl Worley – 1455
226. (225) Melba Montgomery – 1449
227. (226) Louise Mandrell – 1446
228. (227) Little Texas – 1440
229. (228) Holly Dunn – 1437
230. (229) Lee Roy Parnell – 1428
231. (230) Suzy Bogguss – 1419
232. (231) Freddie Fender – 1402
233. (232) Everly Brothers – 1402
234. (233) Leon Everette – 1400
235. (234) Gary Stewart – 1399
236. (246) Gretchen Wilson – 1399 (69)
237. (235) The Browns – 1398
238. (240) Josh Turner - 1398 (10)
239. (236) Dave & Sugar – 1391
240. (237) Mel Street – 1390
241. (238) Gail Davis – 1388
242. (239) Patsy Cline – 1388
243. (241) Barbara Fairchild – 1386
244. (242) Jeannie Seely – 1386
245. (243) Jody Miller – 1348
246. (244) Ernest Ashworth – 1342
247. (286) Eric Church - 1342 (257)
248. (245) Johnny Carver – 1337
249. (289) Jake Owen - 1323 (255)
250. (247) Bobby G. Rice – 1321
251. (248) Blackhawk – 1317
252. (280) Little Big Town - 1311 (174)
253. (249) Shelly West – 1307
254. (250) David Allan Coe – 1302
255. (251) Merle Travis – 1300
256. (252) John Schneider – 1298
257. (253) Jacky Ward – 1283
258. (254) Claude Gray – 1269
259. (255) Cowboy Copas – 1267
260. (256) Ty Herndon – 1265
261. (257) Jeannie C. Riley – 1263
262. (258) Johnny Russell – 1262
263. (260) Tompall & Glaser – 1252
264. (261) John Berry – 1252
265. (262) Marie Osmond – 1246
266. (263) Con Hunley – 1242
267. (264) Charlie Walker – 1241
268. (265) John Wesley Ryles – 1235
269. (298) Darius Rucker - 1224 (227)
270. (266) Paul Overstreet – 1216
271. (267) Johnny Horton – 1216
272. (268) K.T. Oslin – 1214
273. (269) Flatt & Scruggs – 1212
274. (270) Bryan White – 1211
275. (271) Hal Ketchum – 1206
276. (272) Desert Rose Band – 1205
277. (273) Cristy Lane – 1202
278. (274) Jeanne Pruett – 1199
279. (275) Helen Cornelius – 1183
280. (282) Chris Cagle – 1173 (62)
281. (276) Bobby Goldsboro – 1165
282. (277) Norma Jean – 1160
283. (278) Bobby Lewis – 1156
284. (279) Billy Joe Royal – 1145
285. (281) SheDaisy – 1119
286. (283) Steve Holy – 1098
287. (284) Jim Glaser – 1089
288. (285) Little Jimmy Dickens – 1085
289. (287) Jimmy Buffett – 1082
290. (288) Randy Barlow – 1072
291. (317) Chris Young - 1069 (152)
292. (290) Johnnie & Jack – 1067
293. (291) B.J. Thomas – 1060
294. (292) Andy Griggs – 1043
295. (293) Pat Green - 1043
296. (294) Leroy Van Dyke – 1042
297. (300) Big & Rich - 1024 (36)
298. (295) Confederate Railroad – 1003
299. (296) Olivia Newton John – 1001
300. (297) Pee Wee King – 999







Notes on #201 to #300:

- After six artist crashed into the top 300 in 2012, it was to be expected that 2013 would be a lot quieter. Indeed, we only had one artist make the top 300 this year. Things will pick back up a little in 2014, with three, maybe four artists shooting for this section.

- Rodney Atkins hasn't done much since 2011's Take A Back Road, and another single that's currently struggling doesn't look like it'll be the one that gets him into the top 200. He should find something else later in 2014 that would do the trick, as soon as it debuts.

- Just so there's somebody to talk about in the 40 positions after Rodney, I'll briefly bring up Gretchen Wilson. She only contributed two brief chart appearances, Still Rollin' (though a better song title to describe her movement up the Whitlist would be Still Crawlin') and Crazy. That only gave her 69 points, but luckily for her, she was in an area of the chart with a lot of closely-packed artists. Thus, she was able to move up ten positions with little effort. Not expecting her to get close to the top 200, unless she somehow mounts a career comeback.

- Definitely a tale of two halves for Eric Church in 2013. He was all over the place from January to June, racking up 204 points from several avenues. He was the final singer of the trio on the The Only Way I Know #1, and did well with fifth-single Like Jesus Does, carrying it to a #6 peak. He also cashed in with two album cuts, Keep On and Hungover & Hard Up. Then, he took off a full four months, before unleashing The Outsiders with a promo blitz, that gave it a #25 debut. Of course, all the hype in the world can't save a bad song, and Outsiders fell back and has yet to re-reach that #25 position. We'll see how long they continue to push the lead single, before giving up and trying the next single.

That early action was still enough to give Eric a solid 257 points, not too bad of a follow-up to his breakout total of 340 in 2012. He jumped into the top 250, and should (if he deals with the Outsider situation correctly) be aiming for around #210 in 2014. He doesn't have the mainstream appeal that fellow post-2005 debuter Luke Bryan is boasting, and thus won't be able to keep up with Luke's breakneck pace. But nowadays, few artists can.

- Jake Owen nearly matched Eric's output with 255 points, and enjoyed his fourth straight #1 when Anywhere With You went all the way in July (four for four from that Barefoot album!). He jumped at the chance at joining in on a charting album cut, Summer Jam, with Florida Georgia Line. Then, he made an unfortunate single choice with the downer Days Of Gold, which he was probably lucky in taking it as high as #15, but he needed to do better with a lead single. Just like Church, he also jumped forty spots on the list this year into the top 250, and will also be targeting that #210 area.

- We knew it was going to be impossible for Little Big Town to duplicate the big year it had in 2012, with their first #1 and 260 points, but they did respectably. Fighting through the shadow of Pontoon's recurrent airplay, they impressively took Tornado all the way up to #2 in March. They understandably had diminishing returns from their 3rd and 4th singles from that album, just eking out a #27 with Your Side Of The Bed, and not doing much with Sober in the top 40. Still, that added up to 174 points, not bad for a "hangover" year. They're also nearing the top 250 threshold, and should hold legitimate top 200 aspirations as well. It'll take them at least two full years, however, and can just focus on getting halfway there in 2014, to #225.

- After cooling off quite a bit from his 2009-2011 hot streak to a piddly 66 points in 2012, Darius Rucker staged a bit of a comeback. He came across a bit of gold by covering the old song Wagon Wheel, and cashed it into a two-week #1 during the summer. He followed up with another sturdy performer, Radio, which is currently making noise inside the top 5. That's given him a nice 227 points this year, and that reawakens his previously dimming top 200 hopes. He'll need to have one more successful album after True Believers, to make that possible. In 2014, he'll make the top 250 before summer, and will try for #230 by the end of the year.

- Chris Young was the lone top 300 entrant, making it there back in June (and at same time cracking 1000 points). He was decently productive during the year with 152 points, reaching #4 with the fine I Can Take It From There, and #3 with the much-less-than-fine Aw Naw (even typing that title makes me roll my eyes). He's shifted out of high gear after those five straight #1s, but looks to be sticking around for the long haul. A similar year in 2014 will have him past #270.

[Jonsolo]

#301 to #400:

301. (299) Johnny Bush – 994
302. (301) Wade Hayes – 986
303. (302) Dick Curless – 981
304. (303) Southern Pacific – 978
305. (304) Buddy Alan – 972
306. (390) The Band Perry - 970 (267)
307. (305) Chely Wright – 968
308. (306) Rick Trevino – 964
309. (307) Ricochet – 959
310. (308) Margaret Whiting – 953
311. (309) Tommy Cash – 946
312. (310) Ray Griff – 940
313. (311) Elton Britt – 939
314. (312) David Lee Murphy – 930
315. (313) Red Steagall – 927
316. (314) Mundo Earwood – 926
317. (315) Patti Page – 918
318. (316) Roy Acuff – 918
319. (318) Alison Krauss – 910
320. (319) Deborah Allen – 909
321. (320) The Whites – 908
322. (384) Justin Moore - 907 (181)
323. (321) Susie Allanson – 903
324. (322) Carl Butler & Pearl – 898
325. (323) Roy Head – 887
326. (324) Bill Phillips – 887
327. (325) Mark Collie – 885
328. (326) Bobby Helms – 884
329. (327) Tom Jones – 882
330. (328) Rose Maddox – 881
331. (329) Deana Carter – 878
332. (330) Henson Cargill – 870
333. (388) Lee Brice - 869 (161)
334. (331) Don King – 864
335. (332) Bonnie Guitar – 863
336. (333) Liz Anderson – 859
337. (334) Johnny & Jonie Mosby – 846
338. (335) Jamie O'Neal – 843
339. (336) Johnny Darrell – 842
340. (337) Louvin Brothers – 840
341. (338) David Wills – 837
342. (339) Osbourne Brothers – 834
343. (340) Glenn Barber – 829
344. (341) Lionel Cartwright – 826
345. (342) Sweethearts of the Rodeo – 822
346. (343) Asleep at the Wheel – 822
347. (344) The Carlisles – 820
348. (345) Sons of the Pioneers – 819
349. (346) Daryle Singletary – 818
350. (347) Wayne Kemp – 817
351. (348) Stephanie Winslow – 816
352. (349) McBride & the Ride – 814
353. (350) Lois Johnson – 814
354. (351) Kenny Dale – 807
355. (352) Diana Trask – 804
356. (353) Baillie & the Boys – 803
357. (354) Jessi Colter – 802
358. (355) Arlene Harden – 801
359. (356) J Blanchard/ Morgan – 797
360. (407) Eli Young Band - 793 (132)
361. (357) Jimmy Wayne - 789
362. (392) Kellie Pickler - 789 (93)
363. (358) Billy Swan – 783
364. (359) Skip Ewing – 781
365. (360) Dean Dillon – 779
366. (361) Carl Perkins – 775
367. (362) Floyd Tillman – 775
368. (363) Josh Gracin - 773
369. (364) Rhett Akins – 766
370. (365) Wilma Burgess – 765
371. (366) Jack Ingram - 765
372. (367) June Carter – 764
373. (368) C.W. McCall – 763
374. (369) Chris LeDoux – 758
375. (370) Tommy Collins – 757
376. (371) Michael Johnson – 757
377. (-) Randy Houser - 754 (281)
378. (372) Emerson Drive - 752
379. (373) Carlene Carter – 751
380. (374) David Ball – 751
381. (375) Debby Boone – 750
382. (376) Mavericks – 750
383. (377) Ray Charles – 749
384. (378) Jeff Carson – 748
385. (379) Jessica Andrews – 745
386. (380) Johnny Bond – 741
387. (381) Mindy McCready – 736
388. (382) Bobby Wright – 730
389. (383) Moon Mullican – 727
390. (385) Mark Gray – 722
391. (386) Lari White – 714
392. (387) Judy Rodman – 709
393. (389) Chad Brock – 703
394. (391) Dottsy – 702
395. (393) Little David Wilkens – 695
396. (394) Marion Worth – 690
397. (395) Zella Lehr – 687
398. (396) Stella Parton – 687
399. (397) Ted Daffan – 687
400. (398) Doug Supernaw – 685




Notes on #301 to #400:

- Only two artists entered the top 400 this year, about half of what the typical yearly average is. While we wait for the next batch of newbies to crack this section in 2014 (might have as many as six doing so next year), that leaves not too many active artists in the section to write about.

- The Band Perry was the big mover/shaker in the section, almost traversing the entire length of this list. Their 267 points was the 11th highest artist total, scoring two big #1s during the year. They racked up two weeks at the top at the beginning of the year with Better Dig Two (which didn't age well, and quickly became a station-changer for me), and took Done there during the summer (a little more listenable). Unless they close strongly, it looks like they'll fail in their effort of going three-for-three from the Pioneer album, with Don't Let Me Be Lonely running into some heavy competition in the top 10. They'll make the top 300 as soon as their next single debuts, and #275 should be within their grasp in 2014.

- Justin Moore had most of his success at the beginning and end of the year, keeping his point total from reaching higher than his 181. He hit #1 with Til My Last Day on the very first chart week of 2013, and then took his time taking new lead single Point At You to #2. The next one up, Lettin' The Night Roll, should shape up to be a strong contender next spring. With three #1s and five top 10s out of his first eight singles, he seems to have established a solid foundation to build on. He should make the top 300 by late summer, and could end up at #290 when 2014 ends.

- I don't know if anybody else in 2013 had two singles of such polar opposites in content and theme as Lee Brice's, both of which found success to give him 161 points. I Drive Your Truck hit #1 in April, and quickly took its place among other recent "military sacrifice" classics like Letters From Home and If You're Reading This. It certainly deserved its CMA Song Of The Year award. At the other end of the seriousness spectrum was Parking Lot Party, which I found to be a classic "guilty pleasure". The #6 position it reached in November "felt" about right, for a silly song that was still fun to listen to. He's been sticking close to Justin Moore the last couple of years, and should have the same goals in 2014: top 300 by summer, and #290 by year's end.

- The first top 400 entrant, Eli Young Band, made it there back in June when Drunk Last Night debuted. That song took its time, but was able to hit #1 on the final chart week of the year. That's pretty much all they did all year, but it might give them some momentum to have a couple of hits in 2014. Maybe they can reach #310 in 2014.

- As recognizable a name to the national public that Kellie Pickler has, I wonder just how low of a percentage of them could name any of her last five singles, none of which advanced past #30. It seems silly that she could eventually crack the top 300, with only one top 10 in her career, but it's certainly possible.

- Randy Houser had a breakout year, finishing off a run to his very first #1 with How Country Feels in February, before immediately scoring his second #1 hit with the follow-up Runnin' Out Of Moonlight during the summer. An appearance on a Kristy Lee Cook single, plus the promising start that Goodnight Kiss is off to, had him post the 8th highest artist total, 281 points. He blew through the top 400 barrier back in September, and he might be about 9 months behind the pace that Justin Moore and Lee Brice are on.

[Jonsolo]

#401 to #475:

401. (399) Linda Davis – 680
402. (400) La Costa – 678
403. (401) Lyle Lovett – 672
404. (402) Larry Boone – 667
405. (403) Jim Nesbitt – 665
406. (404) Joe Sun – 664
407. (405) Sheb Wooley – 664
408. (406) Hoyt Axton – 662
409. (408) Margie Singleton – 657
410. (409) Sherry Bryce – 656
411. (410) Robin Lee – 655
412. (411) Ray Pillow – 654
413. (412) R.C. Bannon – 653
414. (413) Terri Gibbs – 649
415. (414) Roy Rogers – 649
416. (415) Radney Foster – 645
417. (416) Peggy Sue – 635
418. (417) Ned Miller – 635
419. (418) Lila McCann – 634
420. (419) Keith Stegall – 626
421. (420) Billy Parker – 619
422. (421) Bobby Borchers – 619
423. (422) Jimmie Skinner – 619
424. (423) Tony Booth – 615
425. (424) T Texas Tyler – 615
426. (425) Michael Peterson – 615
427. (426) Johnny Wright – 608
428. (427) Spade Cooley – 606
429. (428) Jack Reno – 604
430. (466) David Nail - 602 (89)
431. (429) Big Al Downing – 599
432. (430) Foster & Lloyd – 599
433. (431) Hawkshaw Hawkins – 599
434. (432) Steve Azar - 598
435. (433) James Otto - 594
436. (434) Mary Lou Turner – 592
437. (435) Becky Hobbs – 588
438. (436) Burl Ives – 586
439. (-) Florida Georgia Line - 585 (407)
440. (437) Charlie McCoy – 584
441. (438) Mike Reid – 582
442. (439) Trick Pony – 576
443. (440) O'Kanes – 575
444. (441) Keith Anderson - 574
445. (-) Easton Corbin - 573 (117)
446. (442) Ronnie Sessions – 572
447. (443) Paul Brandt – 570
448. (444) Kris Kristofferson – 569
449. (-) Hunter Hayes 569 (280)
450. (445) Dorsey Burnette – 567
451. (446) Penny DeHaven – 564
452. (447) Tom Wopat – 563
453. (448) Kentucky Headhunters – 560
454. (449) Darrell McCall - 555
455. (-) Thompson Square - 554 (152)
456. (450) Bill Monroe - 552
457. (451) Carl Belew - 550
458. (452) Ray Sanders - 547
459. (453) Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - 547
460. (-) Jerrod Niemann - 547 (78)
461. (454) Hugh X. Lewis - 543
462. (455) Stoney Edwards - 542
463. (456) Lane Brody - 539
464. (457) Leon Ashley - 538
465. (458) LaWanda Lindsey - 537
466. (459) SKO - 533
467. (460) Sonny Curtis - 530
468. (461) Mason Dixon - 527
469. (462) Ricky Nelson - 526
470. (463) Bandana - 519
471. (464) The Lost Trailers - 517
472. (465) Brian Collins - 515
473. (-) Kelly Clarkson - 514 (117)
474. (467) Warren Brothers - 511
475. (468) Kenny Starr - 509

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

Uncle Kracker - 508 (61)
Sheryl Crow - 501 (126)
Gloriana - 493 (34)
Sherrie Austin - 491
Kip Moore - 484 (178)
Blaine Larsen - 475
Jason Michael Carroll - 465
Bucky Covington - 461
Kid Rock - 453
Carolyn Dawn Johnson - 439
Love And Theft - 426 (84)
Brantley Gilbert - 421 (49)
Josh Thompson - 417 (63)
Jamey Johnson - 408
Craig Campbell - 360 (94)
Scotty McCreery - 353 (147)
Thomas Rhett - 347 (199)
Brett Eldredge - 338 (169)

Notes on #401 on down:

- Added a few more artists than usual to my Contenders section, and two, Florida Georgia Line and Hunter Hayes, moved immediately up to the ranked portion of the list. The other artists I added were: Sheryl Crow, Kip Moore, Love And Theft, Josh Thompson, Craig Campbell, Scotty McCreery, Thomas Rhett, and Brett Eldredge. I think most of those artists should end up being officially ranked.

- It sure didn't take Florida Georgia Line long to make their mark after debuting on the scene late last year, as they followed up their big #1 Cruise from 2012 with a lot of action in 2013. Get Your Shine On wasted no time being a two-week #1 in May, and Round Here had no problem becoming their third straight #1 in September. Stay looks like it's going to kick off 2014 with becoming their 4th straight chart-topper. They got even richer with charting cuts Summer Jam (with Jake Owen) in the summer, and The South in December. That gave them the 2nd highest artist total, 407 points. Not bad for their first full year of point-producing. Mongrel chart no doubt had them with 600+ points on the year, and already well into the top 400.

But they're doing quite well on the 'sane' chart, and will assume the mantle of "It group" and run with it to some big awards next year, and more big songs. I'm guessing their second album will come out by the summer, which would probably give them a period of rest before the points start rolling back in. I wouldn't expect a repeat 400-point performance, but 300 should be no sweat at all. They'll be looking at cracking the top 400 when their next single peaks (by late spring, depending on what the timeframe is for that next album) and hitting at least the #325 mark by the end of next year. That would be a minimum of 100 positions gained.

- Easton Corbin continues to average about one single per year, and he's by and large making the most of those rare opportunities. All Over The Road had a long 37-week run, but did eventually reach #3. Corbin does continue to boast "breakout" potential, if he can just get known for something other than "that Strait sound-alike...". Top 400 should be within his grasp next year, if he can hit the top 5 the next time out.

- Hunter Hayes' 280 points ranked as the 9th highest artist total, and he made quite a bit of noise with his three songs, making it seem like he'll be around for the long haul (or at least until his voice cracks...). He took a second straight song, Somebody's Heartbreak, to #1 back in April, and then followed that up with I Want Crazy, which boasted one of the highest debuts (#24) of the year (only did a quick scan, but I think Kenny's Pirate Flag's #22 was the only one higher). Randy Houser's huge hit Moonlight, was the only thing that kept Hunter from #1 that time, settling for a #2 peak. Finally, Everybody's Got Somebody looks poised to have a productive run in the top 10 as well. The remainder of that song's run and one more big hit in 2014 will get him into the top 400.

- I guessed on last year's post that we'd have six Contenders move up onto the ranked portion in '13, and we wound up with seven. Needless to say, Florida Georgia was the one that I hadn't counted on. I'll go with five artists becoming ranked in '14, with Kip Moore perhaps having the most longterm promise (and his current song looks like a #1 contender).


Next up, the list of the top artists of 2013...

[Jonsolo]

Top Country Artists of 2013 (their 2012 ranking is in parenthesis):

1. (1) Blake Shelton - 486
2. (24) Florida Georgia Line - 407
3. (2) Luke Bryan - 394
4. (4) Jason Aldean - 359
5. (8) Tim McGraw - 324
6. (15) Taylor Swift - 313
7. (10) Miranda Lambert - 305
8. Randy Houser - 281
9. (18) Hunter Hayes - 280
10. (21) Lady Antebellum - 274
11. (13) The Band Perry - 267
12. (5) Kenny Chesney - 266
13. (7) Zac Brown Band - 258
14. (3) Eric Church - 257
15. (9) Jake Owen - 255
16. Brad Paisley - 252
17. (30) Keith Urban - 243
18. Darius Rucker - 227
19. (31T) Thomas Rhett - 199
20. (27T) Justin Moore - 181
21. (20) Kip Moore - 178
22. (12) Little Big Town - 174
23. Kacey Musgraves - 173
24. Billy Currington - 172
25T. Gary Allan - 169
25T. Brett Eldredge - 169
27. (6) Carrie Underwood - 168
28T. (11) Lee Brice - 161
28T. (14) Dierks Bentley - 161
30. Tyler Farr - 160
31. (31T) George Strait - 153
32T. (27T) Chris Young - 152
32T. (34) Thompson Square - 152
34. Scotty McCreery - 147
35. Parmalee - 145
36T. Joe Nichols - 132
36T. (26) Eli Young Band - 132
38. Charlie Worsham - 131
39. (17) Toby Keith - 128
40. Sheryl Crow - 126


- A little bit more stability in this year's points list, with eleven artists repeating in the top 15, and five in the top 10. Last year's comparable stat was that only four artists repeated from 2011 in the top 14.

- Most exemplifying that consistency from 2012 to 2013, was that Blake Shelton repeated in the #1 slot, and Luke Bryan would have repeated at #2 if not for that late The South chart appearance (which boosted Florida Georgia Line up). Blake's 2012 Christmas album was the gift that kept on giving, as its songs chipped in almost 100 points during the final two weeks of 2012, and then that album bettered that output by charting more songs for almost 100 points during the second week of this year. That Christmas album has been the main reason for Blake's two-year stint as the #1 aritst, during which time he's racked up almost 900 total points.

- Even more consistent than Blake and Luke, is Jason Aldean, who's been #4 on for each of the first four years of this decade(!). His four yearly point totals are all close together: 342, 375, 331, and 359. He's found the right formula of singles, chart cuts, and collaborations, and maybe he'll get out of the #4 "rut" next year and do even better.

- Jason's now the only artist who has ranked in the top 10 all four years of the decade, as Kenny Chesney's streak (#5, #6, #5) and the Zac Brown Band's (#2, #3, #7) were just barely broken this year.

- The most impressive move up the list was obviously Florida Georgia Line, who easily outdistanced Lady Ant to be the highest non-solo act. And that "highest non-solo" title in 2014 could have a nice race in store for it, between those two, Zac Brown, and The Band Perry.

- Nice comebacks by veterans Keith Urban (who simply took an extended vacation last year), Brad Paisley (who's still not back to the level he was pre-Camouflage release), and Darius Rucker. Next year's obvious choice for the top comeback is Carrie Underwood, whose time away has set her up for a monster '14.

- I'll take that consistency by George Strait, another 31st finish. Since he's obviously no longer going to be getting 200+ years, I'll just hope he can stay in that 100 to 150 point range as long as possible.

- As I do every year, it's fun to do a point comparison to the previous year. This year four artists scored over 350 points, compared to only two last year. Just like 2010 and 2012, there were fourteen artists who scored more than 250.

- The top five and top ten artists averaged 380 and 333.4 points this year, compared to 349.8 and 320.1 for those two classifications in 2012. By the time we got to the top 15, the averages for the two years got back closer together (298 to 307).

- And maybe it's morbid curiousity, that makes me wonder just how high Florida Georgia's point total was on the mongrel chart this year. With all those mongrel #1 weeks for Cruise, most of the chart runs of three other singles, and more than a half dozen charting album cuts, it must have been a terrifying (and nauseating) total. Will that act debut in the top 250 in the next Whitburn book (which I won't be buying)?

On to the decade list...

[Jonsolo]

Top Point Earners of the Decade, 2010 - 2019 (their decade ranking at the end of 2012 is in parenthesis)

1. (2) Blake Shelton - 1605
2. (1) Jason Aldean - 1480
3. (3) Zac Brown - 1343
4. (4) Lady Antebellum - 1342
5. (5) Kenny Chesney - 1276
6. (11) Luke Bryan - 1214
7. (6) Taylor Swift - 1203
8. (7T) Miranda Lambert - 1179
9. (7T) Brad Paisley - 1126
10. (9) Keith Urban - 1089
11. (12) Tim McGraw - 1084
12. (10) Carrie Underwood - 995
13. (14) The Band Perry - 970
14. (18) Eric Church - 903
15. (13) Toby Keith - 887
16. (16) Dierks Bentley - 843
17. (17) Chris Young - 832
18. (20) Jake Owen - 814
19. (21T) Darius Rucker - 781
20. (15) Rascal Flatts - 763
21. (19) George Strait - 740
22. (23) Justin Moore - 716
23. (24) Lee Brice - 687
24. (26) Billy Currington - 685
25. (30) Little Big Town - 624
26. Florida Georgia Line - 585
27. (29) Easton Corbin - 573
28. (46) Hunter Hayes - 569
29. (32) Eli Young Band - 567
30. (21T) Josh Turner - 564
31. (33) Thompson Square - 554
32. (49) Randy Houser - 553
33. (25) Reba McEntire - 522
34. (28) Trace Adkins - 517
35. (31) Jerrod Niemann - 516
36. (27) Alan Jackson - 499
37. (40) Kip Moore - 484
38. (43T) Gary Allan - 463
39. (38) Craig Morgan - 443
40. (42) Joe Nichols - 427
41. (36) Brantley Gilbert - 421
42. Josh Thompson - 417
43. (34) Rodney Atkins - 416
44. (39) David Nail - 415
45. (35) Gloriana - 407
46. (52) Kelly Clarkson - 373
47. Craig Campbell - 360
48. (37) Martina McBride - 356
49. Scotty McCreery - 353
50. (47) Uncle Kracker - 349
51. Thomas Rhett - 347
52. (53) Kellie Pickler - 342
53. Brett Eldredge - 338
54. (54) Love And Theft - 331
55. (51) Gretchen Wilson - 326
56. (50) Sara Evans - 315
57. (43T) Montgomery Gentry - 313
58. (41) Sugarland - 297
59. Kacey Musgraves - 291
60. (45) Steel Magnolias - 283


- With me figuring up a lot more newbie career point totals this year, I felt pretty confident about expanding the decade list out to a top 60, and think I shouldn't be overlooking any notable artists.

- Blake's two consecutive yearly wins shoot him straight to the top of the list, and he has to be a pretty big favorite now to winning the decade when it wraps up in six years. At the prime age of 37, and with a big publicity platform with the Voice gig, he should be able to counter the expected challenges he'll be receiving from Jason Aldean (who doesn't quite have the national mainstream appeal of Blake). And with the next closest pursuers being groups, who in general are unreliable in holding up in popularity for a full 10-year period (in Lady A's and Zac's case, they'd need 12 straight "hot" years since their big debuts), Blake's got the smart money riding on him.

In addition, since we're now at the "40% finished" mark of the decade, Blake's the only one on pace to reach 4000 points for the decade. I doubt he'll make it that far, but 3700~3800 should be doable. With Jason keeping so closely to that 340-pt average of his each year, with small variances, I'd give him 2000 more points during the final six years of the decade, and say he'll end up with 3500 points.

- Looks like the competition between Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown should continue to be fierce and entertaining. Unless Band Perry throws it into an unexpected gear, they will be the top two non-solo acts of the decade.

- Kenny Chesney won't be able to hold off Luke Bryan for much longer, as Luke's star is on the rise, and Kenny's no longer an automatic bet for the top (or #2, his second favorite peak position) every time out. Once Luke passes Kenny, it's going to take a major change in the country music landscape for anybody else to disturb that top 5 during the remaining six years of the decade. Taylor's got the firepower behind her to keep up with Luke, but she might get distracted by other pursuits.

- Carrie's time off dropped her back out of the top 10, and Luke was the obvious replacement. But an expected big year in 2014 should put her back in, in place of either Brad Paisley or Keith Urban. And it'll be interesting if we can end up with a final decade ranking of Taylor, Miranda, and Carrie all next to each other, in some order.

- Based on current momentum, I'd guess Brad Paisley will vacate his top 10 spot for Carrie next year. I do think Keith Urban will eventually give up his top 10 spot as well, possibly to the Band Perry, or Florida Georgia Line if they remain on absolute fire.

- It does continue to frustrate me, seeing Tim McGraw so close to the upper portion of this list. If there is to be one big holdover artist from the mid 90s that is having such success this decade, I so much had rather it be Alan Jackson. Or, heck, Toby Keith.

- I've said it on a couple of the past yearly updates, that for George Strait to catch George Jones on the full list (not going to happen, but it's still fun to speculate/project), he'd likely have to stay in the #17~#19 range on the decade list, if we assume that the point totals at those positions are similar to what they were on the 2000s list (he was going to need 1540 from the 2010s to catch Jones during the decade, and Sara Evans was at #17 for the 2000s with 1535 points). Obviously George is slipping out of that range, though he's nearing the halfway point to those 1540 points, before we reach the halfway point of the decade. With I Got A Car struggling so much, it's tough to remain confident that he'll keep putting up 100+ points each year, and will start being passed by artists left and right. He should hopefully at least be able to pass and stay in front of Rascal Flatts, and Toby Keith might be the one other artist that he could somehow get by.

- Florida Georgia Line has a big debut on this list, and they should experience some quick upward movement. They should get close to the top 20 next year.

- Assuming that when this list is complete in 2019, that the point totals will be similar to what was on the 2000s list, we can guess as to what artists have already "locked" up a top 50 position for the decade. Shania Twain was at #50 on my 2000s list, with 838 points, and four other artists were between 843 and 834 points. So I'd guess that a point total of 850 points will end up being enough to be ranked in the top 50 when 2019 is finished. That means that the top 15, from Toby Keith on up, should be considered safe in showing up on the final top 50 list. In addition, we can start to search down the current list and guess which artist will be the first one that's not a "lock" to end up on that list (i.e., should be questionable as to be reaching 850 points).

I think the first artist that makes me have some doubt that they'll reach 850 points, is Josh Turner at #30. Only 10 points for Josh in 2013, and he had a low 44 points in 2011. He needs 290 points in the final six years of the decade to be "safe", and that probably isn't too tall a task. However, he'll need at least a couple more top 10s in the next couple of years, or the low-ranking singles won't get him enough label support.

I think almost everyone would agree that the first artist that should definitely not be making it, is Reba McEntire, at #33 and 330 points shy of that 850 mark. She hasn't produced any points for the last two years, and since she passed Dolly Parton to become the highest ranking female, she's probably reached all the musical goals she has. Alan Jackson's probably in the same boat as well, not likely to gain more than a couple hundred points the rest of the way.

- Next year is of course the halfway point through the decade, and that will make it possible to do even more comparisons to the 2000s list, and guess at the similarities and how the 10s list is shaping up.

[Jonsolo]

That will do it for 2013's end-of-year update, and hopefully everyone enjoyed the rundown of this now "excusive" (available nowhere else) list. I still think it does a pretty solid job of displaying the country artists in an accurate list by the "most productive" characteristic. That belief in the list is why I'm still bothering to update it, now that Whitburn was forced to follow Billboard's silly definition of what constitutes their "Hot Country Songs". For 2014, I wouldn't be surprised if I again don't feel like doing a mid-year update in June, and likely will again just wait until next December, for the full update. I've seen that other posters are also still keeping up with the list, so they're more than welcome to post what the point scoring has looked like throughout the year.

So until next year then!

[dajross6]

You. Are. Awesome.

[Kanenrá:ke]

I'm ever grateful for your updates as they are always entertaining to me. I'm going to be updating my chart for as long as there exists an airplay chart, having said that I don't ever want you to stop doing it either lol. Thanks for the update and I can't wait until next year!

P.S. Does Mike Eli's points for "The South" go to him or to Eli Young Band? I have it as him solo but I thought sometimes they count towards the singers band? Just curious.

[Jonsolo]

Dec 17, 2013 18:11:35 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

I'm ever grateful for your updates as they are always entertaining to me. I'm going to be updating my chart for as long as there exists an airplay chart, having said that I don't ever want you to stop doing it either lol. Thanks for the update and I can't wait until next year!

P.S. Does Mike Eli's points for "The South" go to him or to Eli Young Band? I have it as him solo but I thought sometimes they count towards the singers band? Just curious.

Glad y'all enjoyed it. As far as I know, with what Joel's policy has been in the past, the points just go to Eli as a solo artist, and are apart from the Band. Just like Jennifer Nettles' points are for her and not Sugarland, and Ronnie Dunn's and Kix Brooks' solo efforts the last couple of years are theirs, and not "Brooks & Dunn's".

[Kanenrá:ke]

Thanks I was just making sure, cause I think It was Train/Pat Monahan that I was confused about. I think I have their point totals combined when it should be separate. I'll fix that on my personal chart soon.

[Zazie]

This is the best series of posts that the Pulse Country Music Board has offered readers in the entire year of 2013. Most of the news is not exactly to my liking, but it's fantastic to have all this material gathered in one place. And the return of Garth, Trisha, Kenny, and Dolly, all in the final week of the calendar year, demonstrates that everybody's timing their chart debuts with Jonsolo's thread in mind. With messing up Jonsolo's thread in mind, but they couldn't do it.

That's enough points for FlaGa already, without having to tabulate the mongrel additions. I can't take numbers that high for one year; they make me dizzy. Thanks, Jon.

[Marv]

Wonderful work Jon---thank you very much.

[Zazie]

31 more Whitburn points for Keith Urban, and 36 more for Blake Shelton -- I do think we need an update of this thread every week, not every year.

OK, not too realistic. But it's addictive, updating the Whit-list. Hmm, maybe an hourly update would be a bridge too far, but reading through all this is a reminder of how enjoyable following the charts can be.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Dec 23, 2013 18:25:26 GMT -5 Zazie said:

31 more Whitburn points for Keith Urban, and 36 more for Blake Shelton -- I do think we need an update of this thread every week, not every year.

OK, not too realistic. But it's addictive, updating the Whit-list. Hmm, maybe an hourly update would be a bridge too far, but reading through all this is a reminder of how enjoyable following the charts can be.

I actually update every week and wouldn't be opposed to doing it weekly since I do it anyway. lol

[Kanenrá:ke]

I'm going to update when an artist hits an interesting milestone. For example with this week's chart we have:

Garth Brooks makes it to 6200 points. He is the 25th artist to do so.

Blake Shelton moves past two artists, Johnny Rodriguez & Tracy Lawrence to #86

Keith Urban passes 3900 points and becomes the 64th artist to do so, he passes Anne Murray knocking her down to 64th all time and moving him up to 63rd.

Zac Brown Band moves past Claude King to #188.

Billy Currington moves past Wynn Stewart to #196

The Band Perry passes Buddy Alan & Southern Pacific while tying Dick Curless for #303.

Justin Moore passes The Whites, Deborah Allen & Alison Krauss moving to #319.

Florida Georgia Line passes Burl Ives, Becky Hobbs, Mary Lou Turner, James Otto, Steve Azar, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Foster & Lloyd, Big Al Downing, David Nail, Jack Reno & Spade Cooley moving to #428.

And that's the interesting movements for this week. :)

[Kanenrá:ke]

This Weeks chart accomplishments:

Toby Keith makes it to 6400 points. He is the 23rd artsist to do so.

Trisha Yearwood moves past Ferlin Husky to #79.

Luke Bryan passes Wynn Stewart, David Rogers, Billy Currington, Joe Nichols & Juice Newton moving to #193.

Florida Georgia Line passes Johnny Wright, Tony Booth, T. Texas Tyler, & Michael Peterson, while tying Billy Parker, Bobby Borchers & Jimmie Skinner for #421.

Kelly Clarkson passes Brian Collins, The Lost Trailers, Bandana, Ricky Nelson, Mason Dixon, Sonny Curtis, SKO, LaWanda Lindsey, Leon Ashley, Lane Brody, Stoney Edwards & Hugh X. Lewis moving to #461.

[Zazie]

Kelly's driving for that elusive top 400 position we all know she deserves. This is fun to look at, and I'm glad you're taking on the task. I trust your judgment about what is and isn't noteworthy.

I think the Paisley vs. R Flatts vs. Urban battle will be one of the highlights of 2014. Looking forward to anything interesting that happens there (although they may stay in the same order) -- at least Brad will crack the top 50 and Keith will get past 4,000 points.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Jan 3, 2014 16:29:56 GMT -5 Zazie said:

Kelly's driving for that elusive top 400 position we all know she deserves. This is fun to look at, and I'm glad you're taking on the task. I trust your judgment about what is and isn't noteworthy.

I think the Paisley vs. R Flatts vs. Urban battle will be one of the highlights of 2014. Looking forward to anything interesting that happens there (although they may stay in the same order) -- at least Brad will crack the top 50 and Keith will get past 4,000 points.

I'm pretty sure Kelly is a lock for the top 400 at this point, wether she flys in there quickly or slowly climbs is the real question.

The Brad, RF, & Keith battle has long been an interesting one to watch, I have my money on Keith going the highest though that seems to have been the unpopular opinion in the past. However Brad and RF have significantly slowed down in recent years so that's where my thinking comes from.

And I'm glad you find it interesting Zazie, I've long respected your opinions and predictions so its a great feeling for me to have your trust.

I'm also currently working on doing every artist ever, that way we can have discussions on artists below the current cut off of ~500. This is going to be a while though as I'm only halfway through the c's in the book.

[someguy]

I think Kelly has a good chance at making the top 400 too (and maybe the top 300, depending on where her career takes her). I think she may slowly move into the top 400, but will accelerate more quickly into the top 300.

And I'm glad to see Reba chart with "Silent Night", to offset Dolly's gain. Not that I don't really respect Dolly too, but I want Reba to stay ahead of her.