Joel Whitburn's all-time Top Country Artists list

[Jonsolo]

The 6/25/11 Billboard chart has been released, which means we're halfway through 2011. And THAT means I can do my usual mid-year update of the Top Country Artists points list, that Joel Whitburn tracks at the back of his chart books.

We'll group my comments together that refer to the separate sections of 100, to make it easier to digest, and the parentheses will list the current list position and current point total. In the ensuing paragraph for each artist, I'll likely list what the point output has been during the first six months of the year, and (if notable) how that ranks them among the other artists. Plus, some quasi-witty/insightful remarks, though I expand a lot further on those during the December end-of-year update.

Notes for #1 to #100:

Since I start from the top of the list, I once again start the update talking about George.... Wahhh??!! Okay, that's strange. It looks like I'll be starting with Mr. Jones, instead of the usual Mr. Strait (of whom there's not much to talk about).

- George Jones (#2, 11975) received a big assist from Staind frontman Aaron Lewis, who included him and Charlie Daniels on his first country single. Those 53 points have drawn Jones back to within 700 points of #1 Eddy Arnold. Never going to catch Eddy, of course, but he is now a viable threat to break the 12K mark.

- George Strait (#3, 10733) did almost nothing during the study period, but gets his high debut in under the wire, to post something on the board, 50 points. So much for him reaching 11K by the end of 2011, and that milestone will be delayed until summer '12. I've said it before, but he badly needs to finally nail down that 45th #1...

- Reba McEntire (#7, 8302) did pass by Dolly Parton in April to become the highest-ranking female artist on the list. However, she's ran into some big problems with her last two singles, which got her 89 points so far this year. Merle can still feel relatively safe, unless she still has a couple of #1s still left in her.

- Alabama (#17, 7135) was passed by Alan Jackson (#16, 7179) late last year, but their inclusion on the Brad song and a low charting single got them 158 pts, good enough for the eighth highest on the list. Definitely couldn't have predicted they still had that amount of a point haul left in them. We'll see if the new exposure will get them another chart appearance or two, and if they're any threat to re-pass AJ (Of course, now AJ is finally releasing a new single...).

- Tim McGraw (#20, 6471) got himself another #1, followed by another flop, but 108 points were enough to get him past Charlie Pride and into the top 20 of all-time. With so many questions with his label, I really have no idea if he has 150 points left in him for his career, or 1500.

- Kenny Chesney (#25, 6157) is about as dependable as they come, and his 246 points were the highest total of any artist on the list for the first six months. He flew by four artists, and could fly by three more by December. The final stretch run of one #1 song, another song that surged to #1, and a third song already in the top 15 made for a busy and productive half-year, and he's got a real shot at scoring five #1s from one album. It will be almost a disappointment if he doesn't reach 450 points for his 2011 total.

- Toby Keith (#30, 5920) continues to be the artist displaying the most ADD symptoms anywhere around, and it appears that singles just cracking the top 15 are good enough for him, and he wants to move on to the next under-performer as quickly as possible. That strategy has gotten him 126 points this year, and he passed Tammy Wynette & Carl Smith for two gained positions. It does seem like he's winding down in terms of being able to score huge hits, though the motivation and drive should still be there to keep him relatively productive.

- "Relatively productive" is also a good description of Martina McBride (#58, 4063), whose 63 pts got her past Lynn Anderson. She still seems like a decent threat to eventually make the top 50.

- Brad Paisley (#66, 3772) apparently had had enough of his little battle with Rascal Flatts over the last four years, and is ready to venture out on his own. His 232 points were the second highest of all artists, and he zipped past five artists, including RF, who are busy munching on his dust. Only with Brad would you feel like his #2 peak for This Is Country Music was a disappointment, and he's answered it with two high-profile duets, one a two-week #1, and the other pretty well certain to match that showing. He's also pointing toward a 400-pt year.

- Charting Christmas songs back in 2009 were responsible for the last pass of Brad by Rascal Flatts (#68, 3685), and that's likely the only way they ever get within a sniff of Brad again. But Brad's been a lot more consistent than they have, so they'll be staring at nothing but his tailights from here on out. Still, their 115 points this year got them past two artists, while getting passed by Brad.

- After being left in the dust by Brad and the Flatts due to his underperforming Love, Pain, Crazy Thing album in 2006-2007, Keith Urban (#79, 3310) has been fighting and scratching to get back to competing with that duo. Brad is a lost cause, but the Flatts should come back into Keith's range within a few years. 168 points from a #1 song and a near-miss gave him a tie with Blake for the sixth highest artist total, and he was able to surge past eight closely-packed artists to gain a lot of ground.

Notes for #101 to #200:

- Trace Adkins (#101, 2808) draws ever closer to the top 100, and will catch Vern Gosdin for it in likely three weeks. 113 is a solid performance for Trace (jumped up eight positions already this year), and it'll be interesting to see just how far into the top 100 he'll wind up climbing.

- Even on years when she takes a lot of time off, Carrie Underwood (#130, 2270) still can't help but make great progress up the list. Finishing off a #2 song, a long-charting album track, and being included on the much-hyped Paisley duet got her 129 points, good enough for the tenth highest artist total. She jumped over eleven artists, and you shudder to think what she'll be producing when she comes out with another album.

- The year's biggest comeback was posted by Sara Evans (#150, 2073), with a #1 song that a majority of people didn't expect. 130 points (ninth highest) sent her into the top 150, a milestone that I was beginning to doubt she'd reach in recent years.

- Blake Shelton (#154, 2025) continues his quick upward movement, joining the big boys in terms of quick chart runs. Two big #1 songs got him 168 points, tying Keith for sixth highest, and moved him up seventeen slots. It looks like he could be on his way to his first-ever 300 pt year, and I'm now calling him a shoo-in for reaching the top 100.

- Taylor Swift (#176, 1806) has been relatively quiet, with a top 5 song, and releasing a previously-charted album cut that has so far reached #2. That previous-release held her back to a point total of 117, while moving her past ten other artists, including nearby Dierks Bentley and Sugarland. She'll finish off the year closing in on #165.

- Now that that experimental "bluegrass" bug is out of his system, Dierks Bentley (#180, 1775) should find the upward mobility much easier. He hasn't roared back with the power he was showing before that 'bluegrassy' album, but 67 points got him past four artists, while Taylor zoomed by.

- Raising significant doubt that they'll be a "top ten" points artist for the current decade, Sugarland (#181, 1767) has gone a while since their last big hit, last fall's Stuck Like Glue. The two big missteps since then (though moving them up four positions) have done nothing but fuel "is Nettles going solo?" speculations, among me and others. At least the act is secure in the top 200 for the next decade.

Notes for #201 to #300:

- The next big beneficiary of Aaron Lewis' generosity, Charlie Daniels (#201, 1562), has parlayed those 53 points into passing nine artists and has come to the brink of crashing the top 200. Charlie's only five points away from Ray Stevens, but after the Lewis single going recurrent this week, I'm not too sure when his next charting song will come along.

- Joe Nichols (#209, 1525) is trying to maintain some sort of momentum after his huge #1 last summer, and produced a top 20 hit and another promising single, for 61 points. If he has some luck, he could still crack the top 200 this year.

- Jason Aldean (#216, 1473) makes his own luck, finishing off the chart run of a #2 song, scoring the big, glitzy duet with Kelly Clarkson, and releasing another song that is sure to be a top contender (though still fairly disliked). His 198 points was the fifth highest artist total, and coming into the year, I had doubts that he'd match the 342 he scored in 2010. Now, it looks like it could be a foregone conclusion. Thirty-two artists were passed by Jason, and the top 200 could easily be within his reach by December.

- Billy Currington (#225, 1413) continues to be a consistent producer, and after posting 240 and 242 points during 2010 and 2009, it's understandable that he'd post a similar-paced 121 during the first six months of 2011. Billy finished off another #1, and has another contender on his hands, with which he leapt up twenty spots. He looks good for hitting #210 or so by December.

- We'll skip over getting into the details of the minor movements of Rodney Atkins (#241, 1337), Gretchen Wilson (#244, 1316), and Josh Turner (#266, 1208), and get right to the heavy hitter, Lady Antebellum (#272, 1184). 226 points from a big Christmas haul, along with a barely-top 10 and a big lead single, gave them the third highest artist total. Might be a bit challenging for them to equal the 431 that they posted in 2010, but even falling a 100 points short of that total makes for an excellent year. They're looking to venture deep into the top 250 by December.

- Miranda Lambert (#277, 1122) has proved her breakthrough in 2010 was not a fluke, with a steady #1 giving her 123 points. She's not going to reach the heights of the 304 from last year, but she could get close to the top 250 as well.

- The final big act in this section, The Zac Brown Band (#289, 1006), crashed into the top 300 in April, and a big #1 and a top 15 song with #1 aspirations gave them 199 points. That's the fourth highest artist total this year, and they're looking at the top 275 by December, at a minimum.

Notes for #301 to #400:

- Understandably, only a couple of artists that I'll bother mentioning in this quiet section of the list. Darius Rucker (#316, 897) has easily proven that he's not a one-album-wonder, and 119 points boosted him up forty positions. His new single might be strong enough to generate the 63 additonal points he needs to crack the top 300. At any rate, he'll get there by late fall.

- Luke Bryan (#357, 777) might have a new song out that a lot of people dislike, but it's not tripping up his momentum too badly. He scored a #1 back in the winter, which shot him deep into the top 400 (and he's up 124 pts this year). He's about six months behind the pace that Darius is on, so we should look for him hitting the top 300 early next spring.

Notes for below #400:

- Just three more mentions, and we'll wrap this thing up. Eric Church (#405, 653) has taken his time, with singles that usually don't crack the top 10, but he's now only two or three weeks from getting into the top 400.

- Jake Owen (#414, 623) appeared ready to slink off into the ether, with an undistinguished track record to his name. However, he's seemed to have discovered a hit with Blue Jeans. It's unlikely he'll be breaking into the upper tiers of the male artists, but that timely top 20 single has him top 400-bound by late fall.

- Chris Young (#418, 619) is becoming pretty consistent, and with his current single nearing the top, he could rack up the points needed for the top 400 by the end of July, passing Jake in the process. He might be the "Most Likely To Succeed" from the current crop of sub-#350 artists.

For the rising contenders: Fresh off two big #1s, and a decently performing third, I went and figured up the points that Easton Corbin has earned (347), and entered him into the bottom of my list, in the "contenders" section. We'll see if his next album can take him the rest of the way, the 300 points he'll need for the top 400.

I'm holding off on adding any of the other young artists to my "contenders" section, until they rack up at least another two big hits. Examples of these youngsters include David Nail, Justin Moore, The Band Perry, Lee Brice, Steel Magnolia, and Thompson Square. I think Justin will likely be the next to be added, and I'll probably be doing that in December.

So that's it for the mid-year update. The next will be the complete wrap-up of 2011, which will be posted here shortly after the 12/31/11 chart comes out. This is a 53-week chart year this year, so everyone gets an extra week to score points!. And I'll be posting the top scoring artists of the year at that time, plus the updated "top point gainers for the decade, 2010 to 2019". I'll in particular be interested in seeing how that last list has changed from 2010's list.

Still no word yet on when the next edition of Joel Whitburn's Top Country Singles book will come out. That previous edition was released in November 2008, and covered all the data/songs up to September 2008. So we're now approaching a full three years of new data since then, which could be enough for Joel to soon come out with the next edition. However, I saw on his website that Joel released a "Top 10 Country Hits" paperback book this spring, which might fulfill their "country" quota for the year. That might be able to delay the next full edition into coming out next summer, and have it cover all the data through December 2011. That would be fine with me!

See you in December!

[onebuffalo]

Epic reading as always. Thank you for the time it takes to put together such a list and commentary.

[Jonsolo]

This is now the sixth annual edition of my time-wasting-but-fun enterprise of continuing to update the Joel Whitburn list of Top Country Artists. The same rules apply, as the veteran readers of these updates know what to expect and can move on to the good stuff. The newbies can look back over the past updates, to get a handle on how everything is calculated out and added up.

What will follow will first be the Whitburn list itself, broken up into sections of 100 positions each, with the last section also having a list of "contenders". Then, we'll get the list of the top point earners of 2011, followed by the list of the top point earners of the decade, for the 2010 to 2019 time period. That decade list is made up of all the points that have been earned the last two years, plus the points for some songs that were on the chart in late 2009, that didn't peak until 2010.

I've been striving to keep this complete list, and the decade list as well, as accurate as possible. That is aided greatly by me teaming up with Zazie to exchange our respective lists a few times during each year, to double-check our work, and correct any errors. So, as always, a bushel of thanks goes out to him. I'm reasonably confident that what we're looking at here, is what the employees at Whitburn Incorporated, i.e., Record & Research, are also looking at.

Still, it's been over three years since the last edition of the Whitburn Hot Country Songs book came out, and an additional three years and three months of charts/data has come out since then. So I wouldn't be surprised if Joel has made a few changes, and/or interpreted the artist credits for a few songs in a different way than I have. But we make do with what we have.

I'll be expecting a new Whitburn Country book to come out sometime this year, maybe in late spring, covering all the charts through 12/31/11, or late fall, covering the charts through June. I will be looking forward to that, as a good "fact check" on what I've been attempting to document here. All the while, I'll keep a close eye on the mailbox, for when that job offer comes from Joel himself!

On to the list...

[Jonsolo]

Joel Whitburn's Top Country Artist points list, updated for 2011


#1 to #100:

1. (#1 at the end of 2010) Eddy Arnold – 12667
2. (2) George Jones – 11976 (54 points gained in 2011)
3. (3) George Strait – 10857 (174)
4. (4) Johnny Cash – 9449
5. (5) Conway Twitty – 9101
6. (6) Merle Haggard – 9058
7. (8) Reba McEntire – 8353 (140)
8. (7) Dolly Parton – 8277
9. (9) Webb Pierce – 7975
10. (10) Willie Nelson – 7888
11. (11) Ray Price – 7773
12. (12) Buck Owens – 7492
13. (13) Marty Robbins – 7306
14. (16) Alan Jackson – 7248 (76)
15. (14) Hank Williams Jr. – 7244
16. (15) Waylon Jennings – 7232
17. (17) Alabama – 7136 (159)
18. (18) Jim Reeves – 6843
19. (21) Tim McGraw – 6556 (193)
20. (19) Ernest Tubb – 6474
21. (20) Charley Pride – 6422
22. (22) Loretta Lynn – 6316
23. (29) Kenny Chesney – 6270 (359)
24. (23) Sonny James – 6205
25. (24) Garth Brooks – 6163
26. (25) Faron Young – 6115
27. (26) Hank Snow – 6088
28. (32) Toby Keith – 6064 (270)
29. (27) Ronnie Milsap – 6025
30. (28) Kenny Rogers – 6014
31. (30) Carl Smith – 5901
32. (31) 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 – 4591 (46)
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. (59) Martina McBride – 4208 (208)
58. (57) Mickey Gilley – 4076
59. (58) Lynn Anderson – 4021
60. (60) Eddie Rabbitt – 3990
61. (71) Brad Paisley – 3909 (369)
62. (61) Anne Murray – 3901
63. (62) Joe Stampley – 3866
64. (63) Dottie West – 3858
65. (64) John Anderson – 3810
66. (65) Emmylou Harris – 3801
67. (69) Rascal Flatts – 3791 (221)
68. (66) T.G. Sheppard – 3746
69. (67) Travis Tritt – 3682
70. (74) Faith Hill – 3619 (84)
71. (68) Sawyer Brown – 3608
72. (70) Bellamy Brothers – 3563
73. (72) Moe Bandy – 3537
74. (73) Tom T. Hall – 3536
75. (75) Billy Walker – 3493
76. (87) Keith Urban - 3493 (351)
77. (76) Earl Thomas Conley – 3482
78. (77) Patty Loveless – 3460
79. (78) Ferlin Husky – 3355
80. (79) Trisha Yearwood – 3303
81. (80) Johnny Paycheck – 3266
82. (81) Gene Watson – 3247
83. (82) Connie Smith – 3218
84. (83) Mark Chesnutt – 3217
85. (84) Freddie Hart – 3209
86. (85) Tracy Lawrence – 3151
87. (86) Johnny Rodriguez – 3145
88. (88) Jerry Reed – 3116
89. (89) Charlie Rich – 3084
90. (90) J.M. Montgomery – 3084
91. (91) Larry Gatlin & Bros. – 3031
92. (95) Clay Walker - 3008 (51)
93. (92) Lonestar – 3006
94. (93) Janie Fricke – 2993
95. (94) Jim Ed Brown – 2963
96. (96) Lefty Frizzell – 2945
97. (97) Ricky Skaggs – 2943
98. (98) Diamond Rio – 2938
99. (99) Joe Diffie – 2911
100. (109) Trace Adkins – 2882 (187)



Notes on the Top 100:

- One artist entered the top 100 this year. It doesn't look likely that any artists will be able to enter the top 100 in 2012.

- The bad news for George Strait is that we're approaching the three-year mark since his last #1 song, easily the longest drought of his career. The somewhat good news, is that the label still thinks he's producing #1 songs (Here For A Good Time on Mediabase), and should thus continue to promote him. George's total of 174 points for the year wasn't too terrible, even though it marked his lowest output since his debut year of 1981. George was absent from the charts for 21 weeks, so that's not too bad of an effort in only 60% of a chart year. George Jones padded his lead a little this year, but George should pull to within 1000 of the Possum by summer, and is on a conservative pace to catch him by the end of 2016 for #2 all-time. It'd be really helpful, on several levels, if Love's Gonna Make It could reach #1 in the spring...

- After a blockbuster 2009-2010 (504 points earned in that two-year period), Reba McEntire returned to Earth with 140, more expected of a longtime veteran in her 5th decade of releasing singles. After another age-defying #1, she produced two underperformers, which still got her the points needed to pass Dolly Parton for 7th place all-time, and cement her status as the most productive female singer in history. Again, I will be doubting that she has another solo #1 song left in her, but she should still produce another couple hundred points. Merle will (and should) remain well out of reach.

- Any other hot new acts want to follow Zac Brown's lead and give Alan Jackson a ring, and include him on a duet? Anybody? Please? Well, as Long Way To Go shows, the time is growing short for AJ being productive as a solo singer, no matter how exquisite the song. Thus, he only could manage a pedestrian 76 point total for the year, and I might have to write off his all-time top 10 chances, as 600 future points is out of the question at this point in time. He did pass by Hank Williams, Jr. and Waylon Jennings for 14th place during the year, and should be able to get one more single to pass Marty Robbins in 2012. Buck Owens, however, will take a bit of a comeback to reach. And Kenny Chesney is now only 1000 points behind and closing fast.

- For Alabama, I had already covered their major accomplishments on the mid-year update, and they didn't really do anything the 2nd half of the year. Still, their 159 points was good enough to rank the ACM Artist of the 80s as the 29th highest of 2011. That didn't move them up any positions, but if there are two more charting songs left in them, somewhere, they could eventually catch Waylon.

- Tim McGraw was another artist who looked like he was going to take the 2nd half of the year off, but he slipped in some late chart entrants, his new single and a Christmas song. That salvaged his year nicely, got him 193 points, and past Charley Pride and Ernest Tubb. He's now entered the Tubb-Reeves gap, and should emerge from the other side within two years. He can't remain under his label's thumb forever, right? I'm guessing that Curb doesn't expend that much energy on the out-the-door McGraw, and this final album. That makes predicting how many points he'll be getting in 2012 a little tricky. Maybe 150, and he tries for 6700?

- Nothing fazes the reliable Kenny Chesney, as the top WhitPoint producer of the 00s is off to a fine start in the 10s. His output for the year was two #1s, a #3, and his current single, which admittedly seems to be struggling. Still, his 359 points ranked him the 6th highest for 2011, and he flew past another huge group of artists in an area of the list where it's tough to move up quickly. Six artists was the total passed, and he's top 20 bound in 2012. He'll aim for that Reeves-Tubb gap next year, and join Timmy in it in the process. I was a holdout for as long as I could be, but I have to consider him a credible threat to eventually crack the top 10, perhaps taking the spot that I was reserving for AJ.

- Toby Keith still befuddles us: how someone who can produce such complete garbage like Red Cup (I also refuse to share part of my username with such an atrocity) can also the same year score a #1, and have a strong output of 270 points (9th highest). I guess there's still a couple more #1s left in Toby somewhere (along with many singles that miss the top 10, like his other two singles in 2011 did), and in 2012 he'll aim for the #23 spot that Kenny will be vacating. He should be hanging around long enough to also enter the top 20, in about four years (as Timmy and Kenny will be raising the bar, and make Jim Reeves, 800 pts ahead of Toby, his target).

- In 2011, Martina McBride surpassed her output from 2009 and 2010 combined (208 points versus 192). That got her past Mickey Gilley and Lynn Anderson. We're on the verge of passing the 10-year-anniversary of her last #1 (Blessed in March 2002), with no expectations of her ending that drought. But she can keep producing singles that peak in the teens on the chart, and still has a chance at cracking the top 50 in the near future. Paisley and Urban will of course be catching up to her within one year and three, respectively, but she probably has another 300 points in her to eventually hit that mark. There's lots of artists bunched up in front of her, so that even a feeble effort in '12 could still gain her four positions, and the #53 slot.

- Brad Paisley continues to look like a good bet to wind up as the top Whitpoint producer of the new decade, and is assured of hitting at least #2 with every single. He was, that is, until Camouflage was ill-advisedly released this fall, and that single looks like it could disappoint, with top 5 being perhaps the absolute best case scenario. Still, Brad racked up two #1s, a #2, and 369 points in '11, the 5th highest total, and vaulted over ten artists. After an entertaining five-year-battle with the Flatts, he's now put them squarely in the rear view mirror. Entering 2012, he's 300 points behind Martina, and it depends on her whether he's able to catch her. He should aim for the space between Jerry Lee Lewis and David Houston. He's a little over a year and a half from the top 50.

- After 366 points in 2009 and 251 in 2010, Rascal Flatts continued their decline in productivity with 221 in 2011. They produced a #1, a #2, and another song headed for the top 2, but it seems like they're having to expend more energy on each release. They only passed three artists, while getting passed themselves by Brad. They're still capable of producing #1 contenders, but the amount of time they have left on the national stage is growing short, with several young new groups grabbing the spotlight. They can reach 4000 points in 2012, but it'll be a challenge if they're able to generate 700 points to eventually crack the top 50 (after Paisley and Urban raise the bar).

- Faith Hill's year only consisted of an album cut back in January, and a new single at the end of the year (which is already struggling), for 84 points (better than the 0 in '10 and 49 in '09). She was able to move up four positions and finally crack the top 70. Not sure how long the "comeback" lasts, but she probably has at least a couple more hundred points left in her, somewhere. It will take some work just to catch Travis Tritt in '12.

- Keith's Urban's rough 2006-2007 stretch is clearly ancient history now, and a 351-point year gave him the 7th highest total (and over 1000 points the last three years). It's always a great year when your only disappointment is a two-week #2 (PYIAS). Add that to two #1s, plus the makings of another top contender, and Keith is working to track back down the Flatts (no chance he'll ever see Brad again). Eleven artists got passed by Keith this year, and a similar performance in '12 would get him by ten, and up to #65. However, his throat surgery last month might delay any new music from him until late 2012, and he might have to release one extra single from his current album. We'll have to wait and see how fast he recovers. I've been thinking he has a chance to eventually top out around the Brooks & Dunn area (#30~#35), before his career is over.

- Modest gains for Clay Walker, who nonetheless cracked the 3000 point barrier, and bought himself some insurance. He'll remain in the top 100 for at least a decade, able to survive the inevitable charges that Carrie, Blake, Taylor, and others will make. A modest goal for him in '12 is the top 90.

- Finally, we welcomed Trace Adkins to the top 100 club back in July, a journey that took him fifteen years to complete. He posted a typically solid year of 187 points (after 188 in 2010). He'll turn 50 in January, which will mean he shouldn't have too many productive years left, and maybe no more #1s. But he'll come close to reaching the top 90 next year, and should be able to reach 3000 points. He's on his way to cementing his top 100 status for perhaps TWO decades...

[Jonsolo]

#101 to #200:


101. (100) Vern Gosdin – 2815
102. (101) Collin Raye – 2796
103. (102) Eddy Raven – 2793
104. (103) Billy Craddock – 2787
105. (104) Lee Greenwood – 2774
106. (105) John Conlee – 2756
107. (106) Stonewall Jackson – 2721
108. (107) Kathy Mattea – 2713
109. (108) Lorrie Morgan – 2709
110. (110) Del Reeves – 2666
111. (111) Roy Drusky – 2658
112. (112) Dwight Yoakam – 2656
113. (116) Shania Twain – 2643 (46)
114. (113) Dave Dudley – 2629
115. (114) Roger Miller – 2624
116. (115) Jean Shepard – 2612
117. (117) Charly McClain – 2553
118. (118) The Judds – 2529
119. (119) Donna Fargo – 2517
120. (120) Roy Clark – 2427
121. (121) Ronnie McDowell – 2420
122. (122) Bob Wills – 2418
123. (126) Montgomery Gentry – 2414 (73)
124. (123) Ricky Van Shelton – 2405
125. (124) Tracy Byrd – 2377
126. (125) Skeeter Davis – 2353
127. (141) Carrie Underwood - 2339 (198)
128. (127) George Hamilton IV – 2334
129. (128) Jack Greene – 2295
130. (129) Mel McDaniel – 2290
131. (130) Johnny Duncan – 2253
132. (131) Dan Seals – 2250
133. (171) Blake Shelton - 2241 (384)
134. (132) Kendalls – 2235
135. (133) Roseanne Cash – 2223
136. (134) Sammy Kershaw – 2209
137. (135) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – 2174
138. (136) Aaron Tippin – 2173
139. (137) Jimmy Wakely – 2171
140. (149) Leann Rimes – 2170 (96)
141. (138) Restless Heart – 2167
142. (139) Dixie Chicks – 2161
143. (142) Gary Allan – 2148 (12)
144. (140) Shenandoah – 2141
145. (143) Tennessee Ernie Ford – 2126
146. (164) Sara Evans – 2110 (167)
147. (144) Johnny Lee – 2107
148. (145) Gary Morris – 2107
149. (146) Jo Dee Messina – 2106
150. (147) Gene Autry – 2101
151. (148) Wynonna – 2092
152. (150) Pam Tillis – 2072
153. (155) Neal McCoy – 2051 (37)
154. (151) Jimmy Newman – 2047
155. (152) Hank Locklin – 2044
156. (153) Wilburn Brothers – 2019
157. (154) George Morgan – 2015
158. (156) Slim Whitman – 1996
159. (157) Al Dexter – 1996
160. (158) Tommy Overstreet – 1995
161. (159) Ed Bruce – 1993
162. (160) Billie Jo Spears – 1993
163. (186) Taylor Swift - 1990 (301)
164. (161) Nat Stuckey – 1989
165. (162) Exile – 1952
166. (163) Narvel Felts – 1947
167. (165) Mary C. Carpenter – 1939
168. (166) Michael M. Murphey – 1911
169. (167) Razzy Bailey – 1908
170. (168) Tex Ritter – 1901
171. (183) Dierks Bentley - 1899 (191)
172. (169) Bob Luman – 1882
173. (170) Doug Stone – 1870
174. (172) Lee Ann Womack – 1852
175. (173) Terri Clark – 1835
176. (174) Sammy Smith – 1814
177. (175) Rex Allen Jr. – 1811
178. (185) Sugarland – 1800 (108)
179. (176) Brenda Lee – 1799
180. (177) Freddy Weller – 1784
181. (178) Marty Stuart – 1781
182. (179) Jerry Wallace – 1761
183. (180) Claude King – 1754
184. (184) Billy Ray Cyrus – 1724 (31)
185. (181) Billy Dean – 1717
186. (182) Tex Williams – 1715
187. (187) Juice Newton – 1688
188. (188) David Rogers – 1675
189. (189) Wynn Stewart – 1670
190. (248) Jason Aldean - 1650 (375)
191. (190) Cal Smith – 1644
192. (191) Jan Howard – 1644
193. (192) Forester Sisters – 1636
194. (197) Phil Vassar - 1636 (60)
195. (193) Red Sovine – 1621
196. (194) Susan Raye – 1616
197. (195) Lacy J. Dalton – 1614
198. (196) Linda Ronstadt – 1600
199. (198) Keith Whitley – 1573
200. (199) Mark Wills – 1571



Notes on #101 to #200:

- Only one artist entered the top 200 this year, a rather low number from the norm. There should be between three and five artists making the top 200 in 2012.

- Shania Twain popped up during the summer, just long enough to rack up a few easy points, but remains a long shot to reach the top 100 (especially with the other artists quickly coming up behind her).

- Changing labels won't get Montgomery Gentry back into the big money, but will keep their faint top 100 hopes alive for perhaps a couple more years. Just 73 points scored by them this year, comparable to the 66 they got last year. They can at least reach #120 next year, but will need a major breakthrough to instill confidence for anything more. They present an interesting promotion challenge for their new label, Average Joe's.

- After a monstrous 476 points in 2009, and dropping to 277 in 2010, Carrie Underwood continued her downward slide with only 198 points earned this year. Clearly, her career is rapidly approaching the end. Well, maybe not. Actually, 198 points is an outstanding total, for someone who in essence took the year off. She only had the end of her Mama's Song run, an album cut that racked up a lot of top 40 weeks, and then the Brad duet. That shows how much power she has, and she rocketed up fourteen slots. You have to assume she'll have new music coming out in early 2012, and she should return to her usual 300+ yearly totals. She'll move past #110 next year, and be poised to crash into the top 100 by late 2013 (taking her only eight years to hit the milestone that Trace needed fifiteen to pass).

- Blake Shelton continues to cement his status in the upper tier of artists, with the best Whit year of his career, 384 points. That was 2nd best among all other artists, trailing only Lady Antebellum, and he continues to be a favorite at the major award shows. He raked in three #1 songs during the year, including two that Zazie will rank in the top 5 on his list of the biggest hits of the year. Plus, he finally mined some easy points via an album cut. That gave him nearly a 40-slot jump, and he's now second in line behind Carrie as the next top 100 entry. Blake's next task is to see if he can score an Entertainer trophy with the help of his Voice show, and enter the top 120 next year.

- A #40 and #47 song isn't much to be proud of, but it was enough to give LeAnn Rimes 96 points and lift her up nine positions. I wouldn't think she'd have that many more chances to score points, and she'll struggle to ever hit the top 125.

- What a difference a year makes, as A Little Bit Stronger was the year's most surprising/unexpected #1 song (okay, I'll vote for a tie between it and Crazy Girl) and it gave Sara Evans new life. Her 167 points tripled her 2010 performance, and she doesn't have to worry if she'll ever make the top 150. She jumped up eighteen positions, to nail down that honor. You'd wish the follow-up, My Heart Can't Tell, was building on that momentum a little better, but she should have bought herself another half dozen chances to chart, and could maybe set 2500 points as a realistic long-term goal.

- Neal McCoy hasn't done much with his new single, but he's worth mentioning here since he's exactly 50 points away from the top 150.

- Taylor Swift had a lower point total than she's had each of the last four years, but at least got to celebrate a rarity for her, a #1 song. It definitely has to be one of those "could win you a bar bet" pieces of trivia, in that out of 14 Billboard top 10 country songs, Taylor's only taken 5 of them all the way to #1. She isn't hurting in all of the other areas of her career, and 301 points was the 8th highest total of all artists, moving her up twenty-three spots. The 2000 point mark will come in January, and the top 150 by mid-spring. Carrie's slow year brings Taylor up to within 350 points of her, or about one big year behind Carrie's pace. So a new album in 2012 could have her aiming at Carrie's current #127 position. She's likely 3rd in line behind Carrie and Blake in entering the top 100, at most three years away.

- Dierks Bentley can consider himself fully back to being a dependable hit producer, after his one-year dalliance with a bluegrass album. The music he produces going forward won't be as interesting and layered as that album was, but he should be a lot more productive on the chart. He returned to the ranks of the #1-scorers, and should have another strong contender on his hands. That #1 led him to 191 points, and moved him up twelve positions. Sticking to the tried and true formula should have him aiming for the top 150 in 2012.

- The red alert sirens are sounding for Sugarland, and the signs are pointing toward them being on the way out as a productive act. They might have taken most of the year off, but that's no excuse for only producing a #11, a #32, and a charting CMA performance cut. That only amounted to 108 points gained during the year, and seven positions on the list. Did I really choose them for scoring a top 10 amount of Whit points for the 2010-2019 decade? What was I smoking back in December '09? And where can I find some more of that???

- Jason Aldean has been on a steep incline to stardom, and his point totals keep on increasing each year: 375 this year (4th highest), after 342 in 2010, 307 in 2009, and 154 in 2008. He's on a streak of eight straight top 2 singles, and vaulted up 58 positions on the list, and into the top 200 during October. He looks to be a safe bet to keep scoring 300+ a year for the time being, and just now needs to branch out to charting album cuts. Oh, and he should get some acceptance speeches ready, as I think he should soon win his first Vocalist trophy at either the ACMs or CMAs, maybe this year if he can get past Blake. Setting an ambitious goal for him: can he reach 2000 points in 2012?

[Jonsolo]

#201 to #300:

201. (200) Ray Stevens – 1566
202. (210) Charlie Daniels – 1563 (54)
203. (201) Kenny Price – 1558
204. (214) Craig Morgan – 1549 (75)
205. (217) Joe Nichols – 1548 (84)
206. (202) Mac Davis – 1545
207. (203) Rodney Crowell – 1541
208. (204) Warner Mack – 1538
209. (205) T. Graham Brown – 1538
210. (206) Dickey Lee – 1527
211. (207) Sylvia – 1527
212. (208) Margo Smith – 1519
213. (209) Wanda Jackson – 1512
214. (211) Jimmy Dean – 1505
215. (212) David Frizzell – 1498
216. (213) John Denver – 1495
217. (245) Billy Currington - 1488 (196)
218. (246) Rodney Atkins - 1469 (185)
219. (215) Charlie Louvin – 1465
220. (216) Highway 101 – 1464
221. (218) Melba Montgomery – 1449
222. (219) Louise Mandrell – 1446
223. (220) Little Texas – 1440
224. (221) Holly Dunn – 1437
225. (222) Lee Roy Parnell – 1428
226. (223) Suzy Bogguss – 1419
227. (298) Lady Antebellum - 1410 (452)
228. (224) Freddie Fender – 1402
229. (225) Everly Brothers – 1402
230. (226) Leon Everette – 1400
231. (227) Gary Stewart – 1399
232. (228) The Browns – 1398
233. (229) Darryl Worley – 1392
234. (230) Dave & Sugar – 1391
235. (231) Mel Street – 1390
236. (232) Gail Davis – 1388
237. (233) Patsy Cline – 1388
238. (234) Barbara Fairchild – 1386
239. (235) Jeannie Seely – 1386
240. (236) Jody Miller – 1348
241. (237) Ernest Ashworth – 1342
242. (238) Johnny Carver – 1337
243. (260) Gretchen Wilson – 1330 (95)
244. (239) Bobby G. Rice – 1321
245. (240) Blackhawk – 1317
246. (241) Shelly West – 1307
247. (242) David Allan Coe – 1302
248. (243) Merle Travis – 1300
249. (244) John Schneider – 1298
250. (247) Jacky Ward – 1283
251. (249) Claude Gray – 1269
252. (250) Cowboy Copas – 1267
253. (251) Ty Herndon – 1265
254. (252) Jeannie C. Riley – 1263
255. (253) Johnny Russell – 1262
256. (254) Tompall & Glaser – 1252
257. (255) John Berry – 1252
258. (256) Marie Osmond – 1246
259. (257) Con Hunley – 1242
260. (258) Charlie Walker – 1241
261. (259) John Wesley Ryles – 1235
262. (288) Miranda Lambert - 1221 (222)
263. (261) Paul Overstreet – 1216
264. (262) Johnny Horton – 1216
265. (263) K.T. Oslin – 1214
266. (264) Flatt & Scruggs – 1212
267. (265) Bryan White – 1211
268. (271) Josh Turner - 1211 (44)
269. (266) Hal Ketchum – 1206
270. (267) Desert Rose Band – 1205
271. (268) Cristy Lane – 1202
272. (269) Jeanne Pruett – 1199
273. (346) Zac Brown Band - 1185 (378)
274. (270) Helen Cornelius – 1183
275. (272) Bobby Goldsboro – 1165
276. (273) Norma Jean – 1160
277. (274) Bobby Lewis – 1156
278. (275) Billy Joe Royal – 1145
279. (276) SheDaisy – 1119
280. (277) Jim Glaser – 1089
281. (278) Little Jimmy Dickens – 1085
282. (296) Jimmy Buffett – 1082 (120)
283. (279) Randy Barlow – 1072
284. (280) Johnnie & Jack – 1067
285. (281) B.J. Thomas – 1060
286. (282) Andy Griggs – 1043
287. (283) Leroy Van Dyke – 1042
288. (304) Steve Holy – 1027 (89)
289. (284) Pat Green - 1010
290. (300) Chris Cagle – 1004 (56)
291. (285) Confederate Railroad – 1003
292. (286) Olivia Newton John – 1001
293. (287) Pee Wee King – 999
294. (289) Johnny Bush – 994
295. (290) Wade Hayes – 986
296. (291) Dick Curless – 981
297. (292) Southern Pacific – 978
298. (293) Buddy Alan – 972
299. (294) Chely Wright – 968
300. (295) Rick Trevino – 964



Notes on #201 to #300:

- Two artists made the top 300 this year, one with a huge splash, and one barely sneaking in at the end of the year. We should have four artists make it during 2012, with legal problems perhaps hindering a fifth.

- Craig Morgan was quiet until the second half of the year, only ringing up 75 points. The top 200 is less than 20 points away, but I have some doubts that This Ole Boy will be lasting long enough to get him there, and it might take the follow-up single later in 2012.

- Joe Nichols should have made the top 200 this past year, capitalizing on the sucess of his smash hit Gimmie That Girl. However, he only could muster 84 points, and will need to chart a song to get there in 2012.

- The first half of 2011 was a lot more successful for Billy Currington than the second half. He notched another big #1 during that time, his fourth in a row. However, his Love Done Gone surprisingly missed the top 10, and his attempt to go the "novelty" route, with Like My Dog, will be lucky to go top 20. That held him down to 196 points for the year, and will delay his entry into the top 200 for about three months longer than I was thinking it'd take him, at this time last year. He'll reach the top 190 by the end of '12.

- Rodney Atkins had a solid first eleven months of the year, with a multi-week #1, that should rank high on the lists of the top songs of the year. However, the country radio audience seems to frown on domestic abuse, even if they are just accusations at this time, and we saw the first signs that his chart performances might be suffering as a result. His follow-up to that #1, He's Mine, lost its bullet this week, in only its 7th week on the chart. We'll have to keep an eye on it in January, to see what the long-term reperecussions are. For that reason, I hesitate on predicting a landing spot for Rodney in 2012 (other than maybe in jail?). Under normal circumstances, he'd be able to stick right behind Currington, and also shoot for the #190 area for next year.

- An impressive back-to-back yearly win for Lady Antebellum, as their 452 points was the highest artist total, matching their accomplishment in 2010. They started off the year on fire, with a ridiculous six Christmas songs being able to chart, and chipping in 141 points during the first two weeks of 2011. That by itself would have almost been enough for a top 30 artist ranking for the year. They also crammed in two big #1 songs, a #6, and the debut of their next single. Without Christmas songs at the ready, they shouldn't post a third consecutive 400 point year, but will be targeting the top 200 by the mid-year mark, and could land in the #185 area by the end of '12. Are they close to being contenders for the Entertainer trophies?

- Gretchen Wilson posted a 95 point gain, which got her into the top 250. She's barely remaining relevant, and I would think the top 200 will be too far for her to eventually reach.

- I did say in last year's update that Miranda Lambert wouldn't be able to surpass in 2011 the 304 points that she scored in 2010. That was indeed the case, but 222 was far from a disappointment. She did chalk up a few more award show wins, and scored a #1 and a #3 (and, of much lesser importance, a new hubby). She'll no doubt keep releasing "unconventional" fare like Baggage Claim in the future, which will keep her from reaching the productive heights of Carrie and Taylor. But she'll be aiming for the top 225 in 2012, and I'm starting to see her as a possible top 100 contender, in six or seven years.

- Josh Turner seems to have disappeared, as he followed up his dynamic 261-pt year of 2010, with only 44 in 2011. It does look like he'll be releasing a new single in January, and that will be crucial if he has any hopes of eventually reaching the top 200.

- Zac Brown crashed the top 300 party back in April, and 378 points was the 3rd highest artist total. They've got an impressive streak of seven #1s in a row going, and all nine of their singles have reached the top 2. They're having every bit as much chart success as Lady Antebellum is having, with a lot less "flash" and hype, i.e, the big awards and attention from the pop genre. We'll see if they take a stab at trying for five #1s from their current album, and could be aiming at #210 as an ending position in 2012. Just think what they'll be able to accomplish once the inevitable Christmas album comes out, plus a few more charting album cuts.

- Good for Jimmy Buffett, in getting an easy 120 points from his duet with Zac Brown. I see that he learned from his "5:00 Somewhere" partner AJ, in knowing to hitch your ride to Zac Brown if you want an easy #1.

- In addition to Zac, the other top 300 entrant during the year was Steve Holy. I don't expect AJ or Buffett to be lining up to record a duet with him....

[Jonsolo]

#301 to #400:

301. (297) Ricochet – 959
302. (299) Margaret Whiting – 953
303. (301) Tommy Cash – 946
304. (302) Ray Griff – 940
305. (303) Elton Britt – 939
306. (356) Darius Rucker - 931 (153)
307. (305) David Lee Murphy – 930
308. (306) Red Steagall – 927
309. (307) Mundo Earwood – 926
310. (308) Patti Page – 918
311. (309) Roy Acuff – 918
312. (310) Alison Krauss – 910
313. (311) Deborah Allen – 909
314. (312) The Whites – 908
315. (313) Susie Allanson – 903
316. (314) Carl Butler & Pearl – 898
317. (329) Big & Rich - 888 (46)
318. (404) Luke Bryan - 888 (235)
319. (315) Roy Head – 887
320. (316) Bill Phillips – 887
321. (317) Mark Collie – 885
322. (318) Bobby Helms – 884
323. (319) Tom Jones – 882
324. (320) Rose Maddox – 881
325. (321) Deana Carter – 878
326. (344) Little Big Town - 877 (63)
327. (322) Henson Cargill – 870
328. (323) Don King – 864
329. (324) Bonnie Guitar – 863
330. (325) Liz Anderson – 859
331. (326) Johnny & Jonie Mosby – 846
332. (327) Jamie O'Neal – 843
333. (328) Johnny Darrell – 842
334. (330) Louvin Brothers – 840
335. (331) David Wills – 837
336. (332) Osbourne Brothers – 834
337. (333) Glenn Barber – 829
338. (334) Lionel Cartwright – 826
339. (335) Sweethearts of the Rodeo – 822
340. (336) Asleep at the Wheel – 822
341. (337) The Carlisles – 820
342. (338) Sons of the Pioneers – 819
343. (339) Daryle Singletary – 818
344. (340) Wayne Kemp – 817
345. (341) Stephanie Winslow – 816
346. (342) McBride & the Ride – 814
347. (343) Lois Johnson – 814
348. (345) Kenny Dale – 807
349. (347) Diana Trask – 804
350. (348) Baillie & the Boys – 803
351. (349) Jessi Colter – 802
352. (350) Arlene Harden – 801
353. (351) J Blanchard/ Morgan – 797
354. (352) Jimmy Wayne - 789
355. (442) Jake Owen - 789 (228)
356. (353) Billy Swan – 783
357. (354) Skip Ewing – 781
358. (355) Dean Dillon – 779
359. (357) Carl Perkins – 775
360. (358) Floyd Tillman – 775
361. (359) Josh Gracin - 773
362. (360) Rhett Akins – 766
363. (361) Wilma Burgess – 765
364. (362) Jack Ingram - 765
365. (363) June Carter – 764
366. (364) C.W. McCall – 763
367. (365) Chris LeDoux – 758
368. (366) Tommy Collins – 757
369. (367) Michael Johnson – 757
370. (368) Emerson Drive - 752
371. (369) Carlene Carter – 751
372. (370) David Ball – 751
373. (371) Debby Boone – 750
374. (372) Ray Charles – 749
375. (373) Jeff Carson – 748
376. (374) Jessica Andrews – 745
377. (432) Eric Church - 745 (166)
378. (-) Chris Young - 744 (253)
379. (375) Johnny Bond – 741
380. (376) Mindy McCready – 736
381. (377) Bobby Wright – 730
382. (378) Moon Mullican – 727
383. (379) Mark Gray – 722
384. (380) Lari White – 714
385. (381) Judy Rodman – 709
386. (382) Mavericks – 704
387. (383) Chad Brock – 703
388. (384) Dottsy – 702
389. (385) Little David Wilkens – 695
390. (386) Marion Worth – 690
391. (387) Zella Lehr – 687
392. (388) Stella Parton – 687
393. (389) Ted Daffan – 687
394. (390) Doug Supernaw – 685
395. (391) Linda Davis – 680
396. (392) La Costa – 678
397. (393) Lyle Lovett – 672
398. (394) Larry Boone – 667
399. (395) Jim Nesbitt – 665
400. (396) Joe Sun – 664



Notes on #301 to #400:

- There were four entries into the top 400 in 2011, which is pretty much the average input each year. Always tough to guess which of the newbies are going to break through in the coming year, but I'd go with three artists making the top 400 in 2012.

- After a blockbuster two years (363 in 2009 and 223 in 2010), and five #1s in his first six country releases, Darius Rucker started showing some growing pains this year. He endured his first disappointment, and it was a big one: I Got Nothin's #17 peak. That was strange to see, after such an excellent start, and a start that had him hanging with fellow young stars Lady Antebellum and the Zac Brown Band. I would assume he'll be going with a new album in 2012, and it will be an important one, to see if he still has plenty of momentum left. He was a late entry into the country game, and is already 45 years old, so his window of opportunity isn't as large as those other two acts. His next chart appearance will put him in the top 300, but I'm hoping he'll be able to bust out a strong 200-pt year in 2012. That would have him looking at #280.

- Luke Bryan moved into the top 400 back in January, and his 235 points was the 11th highest artist total. I've had my eye on him for a couple of years now, pegging him as a newbie that had a good chance of moving up to the middle tier of artists, who are consistent hit producers. Indeed, after scoring his second #1 back in February, I guess nothing else proves that Luke's a bright young star, than seeing him be able to take the hackneyed and creatively-bankrupt Country Girl (Shake It For Me) all the way up to #4. Only someone with a bright future could pull that off! Sure enough, he's come right back with another strong #1 contender. That should put him on pace to crack the top 300 by early spring, and if he can take another step up to 250 points, he'll be aiming at #280 as well.

- Jake Owen's also looking to be building a solid foundation like Luke, and cashed in with his first #1 in 2011, and the follow-up should also make a play for the top 5. His 228 points were as much as he posted the previous two years combined, and he might also be able to edge into the top 300 by the end of 2012.

- I've been rooting for Eric Church ever since 2006's Two Pink Lines, and it looks like all of that work is finally paying off for him. I didn't care for either of his 2011 hits, Smoke and Homeboy, but they got him an entry into the top 400 back in August. He's followed those up with one of his best, and I've had Drink In My Hand labeled as a "dark horse" #1 candidate as early as its 3rd week on the chart. It will take its shot in January at becoming Eric's first chart-topper, but has so far helped him rack up 166 points in 2011. Even if Drink doesn't quite go all the way, Eric could be looking at the #310 area by the end of '12.

- Wrapping up this section is another promising solo male artist, Chris Young. He's caught a serious wave, with two big #1s during the year, upping his current streak to four in a row, and will likely notch another one in February with You. His 253 points was the 10th highest total. It remains to be seen if he's just in the midst of a hot streak, a la Rodney Atkins from 2006 to 2008, and will return to Earth with his next album. But for the time being, he looks like a sure bet for 220+ points in 2012, and could come very close to the top 300.

[Jonsolo]

#401 to #463:


401. (397) Sheb Wooley – 664
402. (398) Hoyt Axton – 662
403. (399) Margie Singleton – 657
404. (400) Sherry Bryce – 656
405. (426) Kellie Pickler - 656 (64)
406. (401) Robin Lee – 655
407. (402) Ray Pillow – 654
408. (403) R.C. Bannon – 653
409. (405) Terri Gibbs – 649
410. (406) Roy Rogers – 649
411. (407) Radney Foster – 645
412. (408) Peggy Sue – 635
413. (409) Ned Miller – 635
414. (410) Lila McCann – 634
415. (411) Keith Stegall – 626
416. (412) Billy Parker – 619
417. (413) Bobby Borchers – 619
418. (414) Jimmie Skinner – 619
419. (415) Tony Booth – 615
420. (416) T Texas Tyler – 615
421. (417) Michael Peterson – 615
422. (418) Johnny Wright – 608
423. (419) Spade Cooley – 606
424. (420) Jack Reno – 604
425. (421) Big Al Downing – 599
426. (422) Foster & Lloyd – 599
427. (423) Hawkshaw Hawkins – 599
428. (424) Steve Azar - 598
429. (428) James Otto - 594 (7)
430. (425) Mary Lou Turner – 592
431. (427) Becky Hobbs – 588
432. (429) Burl Ives – 586
433. (430) Charlie McCoy – 584
434. (431) Mike Reid – 582
435. (433) Trick Pony – 576
436. (434) O'Kanes – 575
437. (435) Keith Anderson - 574
438. (436) Ronnie Sessions – 572
439. (437) Paul Brandt – 570
440. (438) Kris Kristofferson – 569
441. (439) Dorsey Burnette – 567
442. (440) Penny DeHaven – 564
443. (441) Tom Wopat – 563
444. (443) Kentucky Headhunters – 560
445. (444) Darrell McCall - 555
446. (-) Justin Moore - 553 (195)
447. (445) Bill Monroe - 552
448. (446) Carl Belew - 550
449. (447) Ray Sanders - 547
450. (448) Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - 547
451. (449) Hugh X. Lewis - 543
452. (450) Stoney Edwards - 542
453. (451) Lane Brody - 539
454. (452) Leon Ashley - 538
455. (453) LaWanda Lindsey - 537
456. (454) SKO - 533
457. (455) Sonny Curtis - 530
458. (456) Mason Dixon - 527
459. (457) Ricky Nelson - 526
460. (458) Bandana - 519
461. (459) Brian Collins - 515
462. (460) Warren Brothers - 511
463. (461) Kenny Starr - 509

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

Sherrie Austin - 491
Eli Young Band - 486 (205)
Blaine Larsen - 475
Jason Michael Carroll - 470 (31)
The Band Perry - 449 (209)
Lee Brice - 447 (86)
Carolyn Dawn Johnson - 439
The Lost Trailers - 437 (47)
Bucky Covington - 428
Jamey Johnson - 408
David Nail - 382 (116)
Randy Houser - 379 (35)
Trent Tomlinson - 376 (32)
Chuck Wicks - 351
Easton Corbin - 347 (38)
Jerrod Niemann - 343 (98)


Notes on #401 on down:

- After talking with Zazie, I added a lot of artists onto my contenders list this year, as we discovered that there were quite a few artists that had produced the prerequisite three or more fairly large-sized hits. I added Justin Moore, just in time to see that he had already qualified for the ranked portion of the list (over 500 points). And with Trent Wilmon and Cross Canadian Ragweed being quiet for a few years now, and both well below 400 points, I did some housecleaning and took them off the Contenders list.

- Only two artists moved up from the "contenders" list to the ranked portion of the list, Chris Young and the aforementioned Justin Moore. That should grow quite a bit in 2012, with me now monitoring that large handful of young artists. We'll have a top 500 list before the decade is through!

- Kellie Pickler is on quite a different career trajectory from her fellow Idol alum, Carrie. It was just announced that she'll have a new single early next year, and that will finally send her into the top 400. There will have to be a seismic shift in her radio popularity, however, for her to even think about the top 300.

- Justin Moore still has those "crazy eyes" that freak me out whenever I see the ads for him in the BCU and Aircheck Editions, but he seems capable of producing one good hit a year. He's not following up his big #1 from this summer that impressively with Bait A Hook. However, he shouldn't have any problem in 2012 in gathering the 120 points he needs to make the top 400, by autumn at the latest.

- Out of those new artists that I added (Eli Young, Band Perry, Brice, Trailers, Johnson, Nail, Houser, Wicks, Corbin, and Niemann), Band Perry looks to have the brightest future, with some critical accolades rolling in, and exposure in other music genres. A 2012 that is just as productive as their 2011 would put them in the top 400 by a nose. If Eli Young has another charting Christmas song or two, they could also be looking at a top 400 berth.

- Jerrod Niemann presents a bit of a conundrum, with his re-releasing of One More Drinkin' Song. Since it first appeared back in 2010, I only gave it the points that came from it advancing through the chart milestones (top 50, top 40, etc.), and not another +31 just for debuting. We'll see how Joel handles Mr. Niemann, and if the point total I have for him is correct.

Next up, the list of the top artists of 2011...

[Jonsolo]

Top Country Artists of 2011 (their 2010 ranking is in parenthesis):

1. (1) Lady Antebellum - 452
2. (9) Blake Shelton - 384
3. (2) Zac Brown Band - 378
4. (4) Jason Aldean - 375
5. (6) Brad Paisley - 369
6. (5) Kenny Chesney - 359
7. (8) Keith Urban - 351
8. (3) Taylor Swift - 301
9. (22) Toby Keith - 270
10. (27) Chris Young - 253
11. (18) Luke Bryan - 235
12. Jake Owen - 228
13. (7) Miranda Lambert - 222
14. (14) Rascal Flatts - 221
15. (21) The Band Perry - 209
16. Martina McBride - 208
17. Eli Young Band - 205
18. (10) Carrie Underwood - 198
19. (16) Billy Currington - 196
20. Justin Moore - 195
21. (20) Tim McGraw - 193
22. (28) Dierks Bentley - 191
23. (23T) Trace Adkins - 187
24. Rodney Atkins - 185
25. (19) George Strait - 174
26. Sara Evans - 167
27. Eric Church - 166
28. Thompson Square - 164
29. Alabama - 159
30. (17) Darius Rucker - 153
31. (11) Reba McEntire - 140
32. Jimmy Buffett - 120
33T. David Nail - 116
33T. Steel Magnolia - 116
35. (23T) Sugarland - 108

431 points for Lady Ant in 2010, and even better this year, as they easily captured another "#1 for the year" title.

Actually, the top 10 artists from 2010 did pretty well in 2011, with all but Carrie and Miranda repeating in the top 10.

A nice step forward by the youngsters Jake Owen, Chris Young, and Luke Bryan, and Martina enjoyed a semi-comeback year (it'll help if she can finally get another top 10 hit).

Timmy salvages his year, as he had only banked 139 points, before the final two weeks shot him up 10 places and 60 points.

Those 21 weeks of inactivity could have easily boosted Strait up a lot further. That would have been a large enough time period, that he could have squeezed in an entire chart run for an additional single, and he could have threatened the top 10 with 250 points.

There are some interesting observations, if you compare this 2011 list to the 2010 one. It seems like the points were more concentrated near the top of the list, and the lower ranked artists didn't accumulate as much. We had seven artists this year score over 350 points, whereas there were only two last year. However, there were 14 artists in 2010 who scored 250+ points, compared to only 10 this year.


On to the decade list...

[Jonsolo]

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

1. (1) Lady Antebellum - 878
2. (2) Brad Paisley - 793
3. (3) Jason Aldean - 790
4. (4) Zac Brown - 784
5. (9) Blake Shelton - 723
6. (10) Kenny Chesney - 697
7. (8) Keith Urban - 696
8. (7) Taylor Swift - 648
9. (6) Miranda Lambert - 603
10. (17) Toby Keith - 553
11. (13) Carrie Underwood - 523
12. (5) Reba McEntire - 522
13. (20) Chris Young - 507
14. (14T) Billy Currington - 505
15. (11) Darius Rucker - 488
16. (21) Rascal Flatts - 472
17. (18) Tim McGraw - 463
18. (25) Luke Bryan - 451
19. (23) The Band Perry - 449
20. (19) George Strait - 439
21. (22) Trace Adkins - 434
22. (24) Dierks Bentley - 430
23. (16) Alan Jackson - 380
24. (12) Josh Turner - 377
25. Justin Moore - 362
26. (14T) Easton Corbin - 347
27. (29) Jerrod Niemann - 312
28. Eric Church - 306
29. (28) Sugarland - 296
30. (26) Joe Nichols - 295
31. Rodney Atkins - 291
32. (31) Steel Magnolia - 290
33. Martina McBride - 286
34. Jake Owen - 280
35. (30) Lee Brice - 265
36. Thompson Square - 264
37. Eli Young Band - 260
38. (34) Gretchen Wilson - 257
39. (32) Uncle Kracker - 231
40. Sara Evans - 220
41. (27) Gary Allan - 218
42. (33) Clay Walker - 216
43. Craig Morgan - 215
44. (35) Kellie Pickler - 209
45. David Nail - 195


Lady Ant wasn't among the three artists that I pegged two years ago as being favorites to capture the decade title (that would be Paisley, Underwood, and Swift). But they've had the best point totals the last two years, and as a result have an early big lead on the decade list. They primarily accomplished that with the huge Christmas song haul last year. That won't happen every year, and to hold onto the lead, they'll have to uncover a few charting album cuts along the way (something that Kenny mastered on his way to capturing the 2000-2009 title). I'm still doubting that they go wire-to-wire for the whole decade, as it's very tough for a group to stay that red-hot for a full 10 years. Popularity either fades after being sky-high, or members begin to leave. They're still favorites in leading this list at the end of 2012, however.

Some pretty good consistency there, with the top four artists maintaining their positions, and Toby being the only new entrant into the top 10. The bafflingly success of Red Cup will keep him in the top 10 for a while, but it's only a matter of time before Carrie awakens, and kicks him back out.

We'll see if Blake can produce a few more charting "extra songs", and become a strong threat for the final top 3. He would also be advised in releasing a Christmas album along the way.

Outside of Toby, I think the one other current top 10 occupant, whose inclusion is the most shaky, is Miranda. She had her breakout year in 2010, which proves she's capable, but she'll likely have quite a few more Only Prettiers left in her, songs that don't quite catch the attention of widespread radio. Chris Young, Billy Currington, Band Perry, and Luke Bryan could be contenders in the future for Miranda's top 10 slot.

Reba couldn't properly follow up her big #1, and will begin to move down the list. Likewise, with AJ. Martina and Sara had mini-"comeback" years of sorts, and moved onto the list, for the time being.

If George hangs around the top 20 position for the rest of the decade, and scores a similar amount of points that the #19/#20 songs of 2000-2009 did, he'll get about 1500, and that'll be good enough to move him past George Jones on the big list.

The strong years that the unranked-on-last-year's-list artists had, expands the list out from 35, to 45, so that I should hopefully be listing everyone that is close to 200 points. We should be up to a good 50 within two years, and we'll be able to compare that to a new Whiburn book at some point along the way.

[Jonsolo]

And that will do it for 2011's end-of-year update, and the next major update for 2012 will be for the mid-year, after the 6/30/12 chart gets released. We'll keep our eyes peeled, for any talk of the next Whitburn Country book, as I'm thinking it might get released sometime during 2012.

Well, I did forget that Joel did release a country book this past year, the "Top 10 Country Hits 1944-2010", which lists every country song that made Billboard's top 10 during that time period. It was just a softcover book, about one-third of what his typical hardcover complete chart books cost.

So it's possible that that book was meant to "buy some time", and tide over the country fans a little longer until they release the next Hot Country Songs book. Since it came out two years after the 2008 (1944-2008) edition, they might be planning to release the next Songs book two years later, in 2013, and have it cover the charts from 1944 to the end of 2012. That would keep Record & Research from expecting their readers to buy two country books in two consecutive years.

So if that is what's going to happen, we'll have to wait a little longer before I can double-check my work with Joel's. But then, of course, the next book would contain more chart data.

Also, there has been lots of chatter on the Billboard Country Update issues about Billboard starting up an airplay/digital sales hybrid chart, by sometime in late spring. It sounds like we're in no danger of losing the airplay-only chart, but there is the question as to which chart Joel will be considering the "true" one, and using for his points tabulations. It sounds like Billboard will be really pushing to have the hybrid one be the "important" chart, and we'll likely have to just wait until that next Whitbook is released to see if Joel changes chart horses in midstream, and starts using the hybrid chart for his song/point data. Of course, it'll keep things simple if he continues to use the airplay chart as well. Hopefully he has the good sense to ignore any digital sales hybrid chart, and risk messing up his sound and comprehensive way of compiling the list that's worked on for decades now.

Happy holidays to everyone, and until next time!

[ListenToItTwice]

:O

This is beyond impressive. Thank you SO SO much for posting all of this for us.

[.indulgecountry]

Thanks Jonsolo for taking the time to share all of this info with the rest of us!

[carriekins]

Wow, I am absolutely impressed. Thank you so much for taking the time to compile and share this with us. What a treat!

[Zazie]

It's pretty hard to imagine better posts than Jon's twice-yearly Whitburn updates. Thanks for the thought that goes into this, and the labor that is necessary to get all the numbers right.

And I hope you're right, Jon, that Whitburn will stick with the airplay-only chart. I'm worried about that. I wonder if he'll make his deadline for the next edition the final week before the new hybrid chart appears. That will keep us guessing the longest as to his future plans.

[StrongerThanTheTruth]

Ok, so I'm slightly confused. While I'm excited Reba's says (5) but what does it all mean?

[Deleted]

^If you're referencing Jon's 2nd to last post, the (5) just means that Reba was ranked 5th (accumulated the 5th highest points total) for the decade ending in 2010.

[Marv]

Superb work as always, Jonsolo---thanks!

[Jonsolo]

Dec 24, 2011 22:50:50 GMT -5 StrongerThanTheTruth said:

Ok, so I'm slightly confused. While I'm excited Reba's says (5) but what does it all mean?

Just to expand on jhomes' explanation, you can look back near the bottom of page 6 of this thread, where last year at this time I posted the decade list for 2010-2019, just based on the 1st year's data of 2010 (It was the post dated Dec 15, 2010, at 12:14 a.m.). After that one year of data, Reba ranked as the 5th highest artist, and the big #1 Consider Me Gone, #7 I Keep On Lovin' You, a one-week appearance by If I Were A Boy, and 23 weeks of the chart run for Turn On The Radio accounted for that strong showing.

In 2011, Reba only got credit for the final four chart weeks of Radio, the rest of Were A Boy's chart run to #22, and the #40 When Love Gets A Hold and #44 Somebody's Chelsea. Those didn't generate nearly as much points as she got the year before, and a lot other artists had better years. Thus, her decade total wasn't boosted that much, and she fell in the rankings from that #5 (the parentheses'd 5) to #12, ahead of Young and behind Carrie (the list you were referring to, with the '12. (5) Reba McEntire - 522' line).

I would expect her decade ranking to continue to fall, as she was the 25th ranked artist for the 2000-2009 decade (1/3 of the way down of page 5 of this thread), after ranking pretty high on the 80s and 90s list (#11 and #5, respectively). If she can remain in the top 50 when the 10s are all said and done (Joel lists a top 50 for each of the decades in his books), I would consider that an impressive feat, for an artist who first charted way back in 1976.

Hopefully that cleared up some of your confusion, and didn't make matters worse....!

[HeyHeyHey]

Great Job Jonsolo. It was really fun to read and find out where my favorite artists are on the lists.

[onebuffalo]

Question for JonSolo: Tanya Tucker has the most Whitburn points without being in the top 25 for any decade she's charted (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s). Could you please break down her 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s points and if you can, could you please tell us where she would have ranked for those decades. I read your masterpiece last night and as always, was very impressed. Thanks!

[Jonsolo]

Dec 28, 2011 20:11:41 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Question for JonSolo: Tanya Tucker has the most Whitburn points without being in the top 25 for any decade she's charted (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s). Could you please break down her 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s points and if you can, could you please tell us where she would have ranked for those decades. I read your masterpiece last night and as always, was very impressed. Thanks!

If I understand your question, that's an easy one, that Joel has already done the work on. Looking at his decade lists, he has Tanya at #41 with 1733 for the 70s, #45 with 1712 for the 80s, and #28 with 1788 for the 90s. Some very good consistency there, before the 106 pts for the 00s...

Glad you enjoyed the post!

[joey2002]

That was really awesome to read!

Thanks so much for taking the time to post the updates Jon — I always look forward to them each year!

[onebuffalo]

Dec 30, 2011 1:08:35 GMT -5 Jonsolo said:

Dec 28, 2011 20:11:41 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Question for JonSolo: Tanya Tucker has the most Whitburn points without being in the top 25 for any decade she's charted (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s). Could you please break down her 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s points and if you can, could you please tell us where she would have ranked for those decades. I read your masterpiece last night and as always, was very impressed. Thanks!

If I understand your question, that's an easy one, that Joel has already done the work on. Looking at his decade lists, he has Tanya at #41 with 1733 for the 70s, #45 with 1712 for the 80s, and #28 with 1788 for the 90s. Some very good consistency there, before the 106 pts for the 00s...

Glad you enjoyed the post!

Thank you for answering my question. I must not have the same Whitburn book you do. I will have to go get it.

[Jonsolo]

The 6/30/12 Billboard chart has now been released, which means we're halfway through 2012. And that of course means that it's time for me to post my usual mid-year update of the Top Country Artists points list, that Joel Whitburn tracks and publishes in his chart books.

As always, I'll write up some comments about the most notable active artists, who are in each of the sections of 100 on the list. I'll include in parentheses what the artist's current rank on the list is, along with their up-to-date point total, and you can compare those to last December's figures, to see exactly how far and how much they've gained. For the artists that have earned the most during the first six months of the year, I'll mention how they rank on the yearly list.

And as an added bonus for this update, I can point out that, starting with January 2010, we're now 2.5 years into the current decade, and thus, 25% of the way finished with the 10s. So I'll go ahead and list what the decade standings and point totals are right now, for the top artists. You can't quite simply multiply those totals by 4, to get what the projection is for the entire decade, since the songs that are on the chart in late 2019 that don't peak before the end of that year, won't be counted in the final decade totals. Maybe you can multiply by 4, and then subtract a couple hundred, to get a more likely projection for each artist.

Anyway, here we go again:

Notes for #1 to #100:

- I feel like I've been repeating myself for the last three years about George Strait (#3, 10950), but the drought for a Billboard #1 continues. He's posted 93 points for the year, so he's on pace to beat last year's total of 174. But he'll have to find a big song after Drinkin' Man is mercifully put out of its misery. Not sure if that'll be from a new album or not. Anyway, George is 26 points away from reaching the "1000 points to George Jones" mark.

- The WhitPoints have slowed down considerably for Alan Jackson (#13, 7316), but his singles are still lasting long enough for him to keep moving up a little. His 68 points so far in 2012 has almost passed last year's total of 76, and he was able to get past Marty Robbins in May, for 13th place all-time. A lot of work to be done to catch #12 Buck Owens, over 170 points.

- Tim McGraw (#19, 6681) got a whole lot more label support for one of his final Curb singles than I'd have thought, as Better Than I Used To Be backed its way into the top 5 despite losing its bullet. That performance, combined with the awful, yet lucrative duet with Kenny Chesney, gave Timmy 125 points, and has propelled him quickly past the halfway point in the "Reeves-Tubb Gulch" (200 points down, 170 to go).

- Timmy's duet partner, Kenny Chesney (#21, 6450) did get saddled with a non-top 10 single with Feel Like A Rock Star's abbreviated promotion push. But another #1 back in March, plus the quick start of the new album's 2nd single Come Over, has poured in 180 points into Kenny's coffers, good enough for the 3rd highest artist total in the first half of 2012. Kenny moved up two spots, past Loretta Lynn and Charley Pride, and will be entering the Reeves-Tubb Gulch himself within two months.

- Toby Keith (#26, 6154) somehow squeezed a top 10 out of the horrid Red Solo Cup, and his next single looks to be headed for the top three. That's given him 90 points, and he passed Hank Snow and Faron Young back in March, with the Garthman up next, maybe a month away.

- Martina McBride's (#53, 4278) first top 5 single in five years, plus a CMA-performance-fueled chart appearance by Marry Me, gave her 70 points. She jumped up four positions, and now looks to be a sure thing of reaching the top 50.

- I was thinking that, after getting passed in 2011 by Brad Paisley, that Rascal Flatts (#61, 3965) wouldn't be seeing him again. But an extended vacation by Brad, plus a solid #1 showing by their new lead single, shot RF up six positions, and past the aforementioned Mr. Paisley. Their 174 points was the 6th highest total for the year, and a blast from their glory years of '05 to '09. Of course, the smart money continues to be on Brad ending his career much higher on the points list than the Flatts.

- Not much to write about Brad Paisley (#62, 2742), who only logged 8 points from the final run of Camouflage, the lowest peaking single for him in a dozen years. Hopefully he's using this time off to make sure he never makes that big of a mistake in choosing a single again.

- An easy #1, plus a single that might be headed to the top three despite only being on a movie's soundtrack album, gave Keith Urban (#71, 3625) a strong 132 points. That made for a three-way tie for the 12th highest artist total (with Bentley and Aldean), and moved him up five positions, tying Faith Hill. He's still trying to get back up into the mix with Brad and the Flatts.

- Trace Adkins' (#99, 2922) debut this week moved him up one spot, passing Joe Diffie.

Notes for #101 to #200:

- As we know, Carrie Underwood (#120, 2487) took most of 2011 off, and still nearly posted 200 points that year. 2012 has shown that she's back to conducting business as usual, sending horrible songs straight to #1! Good Girl appeared like it was dead in the water several times during its rise, but Carrie can't be denied when she puts her mind to it. Because of that, the race for "the year's worst #1 song" is over before the end of June. Carrie got 148 points (9th highest) and moved up seven positions, and should have an even bigger second half of the year.

- Montgomery Gentry (#121, 2481) appeared to be winding down their chart career in 2011, after getting dropped by their Columbia Nashville label. But 2012 saw them commendably breaking a string of three straight single flops. Where I Come From gave them a nice introduction on their new label, and produced another top 10 for them. That, plus the beginnings of their second single, gave them 67 points for the year, and bumped them up two positions. They also staved off Carrie Underwood's charge by several months (finally getting passed by her this week). Still a long way to go before they can think about the top 100, especially since Carrie and Blake Shelton will get there first and raise the bar.

- After getting passed by Carrie in late 2008, Blake Shelton (#123, 2427) moved up to the top tier of superstars, and has been slowly catching back up to her. An easy two-week #1 for Drink On It, plus the start of another likely #1, gave Blake 186 points, good enough for the top point total of the first half of 2012. If he's to maintain that ranking for the full year, it will mostly depend on how soon the next single after Over comes out. If it's to come from a new album, he can't afford too much of a delay. The top scoring artist each year usually gets at least 400 points, so Blake will have to keep cranking them out quickly to reach that level. He's moved up ten positions this year.

- Taylor Swift (#150, 2102) seems to be taking the same between-album vacation that Carrie was taking during 2011. After scoring a #1 with the 5th and final single from her album, she's used her song from the Hunger Games soundtrack to score some more easy points. That's given her 112 for the year, and how high she's able to ultimately reach in 2012 depends on how much longer the wait is for her next album. She cracked the top 150, and passed thirteen artists on the list.

- It's obvious now that Dierks Bentley (#157, 2031) is all the way back, and should be a threat for #1 almost every time out. He got one of those in March, and 5-1-5-0 is on track to be contending within five weeks. As alluded to earlier, his 132 points was tied for the 12th highest total. He'll have to wait until his next single debuts, before he can crack the top 150.

- Jason Aldean (#181, 1782) was the last of the 12th place trio to score 132 points. He got saddled with an unfortunate six-week stay at #2 with Tattoos, but quickly rebounded with Fly Over States cruising to #1. If he can fit in another #1, plus the debut of another song before December, he can stretch his streak of "300+ points" years to four.

- 61 points isn't a lot to be proud of, but Phil Vassar (#188, 1697) burrowed further into the top 200, and should still have a few more charting opportunities left in him.

- And a quick note on Craig Morgan (#198, 1612), whose 40+ week stay with This Ole Boy sent him into the top 200 in May. A debut on this week's chart gave him 63 points for the year.

Notes for #201 to #300:

- On track to make the top 200 in September is Lady Antebellum (#207, 1543), who got held to a #2 peak with Dancin' back in May. That, combined with a dearth of other charting songs during the year, will keep them from three-peating as the highest scoring country act. 133 points was the 11th highest total, and they'll fall far short of the 400s they posted in 2011 and 2010. I think they were a due a drop in production, after racking up 880 points during those two years.

- Miranda Lambert (#240, 1384) and Zac Brown Band (#241, 1369) are hanging out right next to each other, and had equally impressive six-month gains. Miranda had the 7th highest total with 163, and Zac was in 2nd place, right on Blake Shelton's heels, with 184 points.

Miranda's points mostly came from an easy #1, her fastest-moving one yet. Zac Brown saw their streak of seven straight #1s end, with No Hurry being held to a #2 peak. But they had a thunderous debut for new lead single The Wind, and the album release next month will keep the points flowing steadily. If they can chart any tracks from that album, they'll be a strong favorite to be the top scoring artist in 2012. 1500 points for both Miranda and Zac looks to be a reachable goal by the end of the year.

- Josh Turner (#252, 1291) had a quiet '11, with 44 points, and has already surpassed that output with his 80 for this year. We'll see if his Time Is Love can hang on long enough to get him into the top 250 (reaching top 10 and another month would do it).

- Just scraps being gathered by Steve Holy (#285), Pat Green (#288), and Chris Cagle (#290), so we'll move on to Luke Bryan (#291, 1037), who had a much more eventful half-year. He made the top 300 (and thus getting included in the next edition of Joel's book) in March, and posted the 8th highest point total with 149. He scored a #1 back in February, and looks to be hitting the top again as soon as next week. Technically, his 2nd week at #2 this week would have given him 5 more bonus points (and thus, up to 154 in '12), but I always hold off on crediting those until I see if the artist will get to #1 (and score 10 more instead) in the ensuing weeks.

- Little Big Town (#295, 996) haven't been consistent for several years now, so they've had to branch out to different avenues in order to get some Whitburn points. They had a Christmas song chart back in January, and were able to lend their voices to a duet with Lionel Richie, that charted when his album was released. So their 119 points for 2012 is a little deceptive, but all the points count the same in the totals. They made the top 300 earlier in June, and Pontoon seems to be moving pretty well, for a middle-tier act.

Notes for #301 to #400:

- Jake Owen (#311, 928) is nearing the top 300, and we'll see if The One That Got Away can become the one that gets him there. He needs it to get to the top 5 for that to be true, probably in October. The two-week #1 Alone With You powered him up to 139 points, the 10th highest artist total.

- All those years of toiling on the fringes have finally paid off for Eric Church (#314, 922), as he's the first artist of 2012 to score two #1s. That shot him up to 177 points, the 4th highest total. Finding a third #1 during the second half of 2012 would get him to 300 points, and the same comment I'll make below about Band Perry, applies to me in this situation: I've been a big fan of Eric's the last five years, but even I didn't think 300 was possible for him back in January. As soon as his next single makes the top 30, he'll enter the top 300.

- Chris Young (#333, 854) kept up his surprising roll, with a 5th #1 in a row back in February. It looks like Neon is struggling enough early, that that streak will end, but he's got himself 110 points this year. He'll probably come up just short of reaching the top 300 before the end of the year.

- 40 points isn't that impressive, but it was enough to push Kellie Pickler (#389, 696) into the top 400. Not placing any bets that she eventually makes the top 300, at this point.

Notes for below #400:

- Justin Moore (#412, 645) whiffed with Bait A Hook, and Til My Last Day is taking its time reaching the top 30. But 92 points does position Justin into reaching the top 400 by October. It might take his next single to get him there.

- I'll confess I didn't think much of The Band Perry (#417, 625) when they debuted in 2009, but they've definitely got my attention now. With a variety of point-scoring methods, including Christmas songs, the Star-Spangled Banner, a two-week #1, and another single that's looking like a strong contender, they racked up 176 points, the 5th highest total of 2012. They're headed for 300 points for 2012, and I doubt even their biggest fans would have had them tagged for that kind of output back in January.

- Along with Band Perry, Lee Brice (#443, 568) and the Eli Young Band (#447, 562) made the ranked portion of my list this spring, moving up from the Contenders list. They should make the top 400 by December.

[Jonsolo]

And now, as promised, the Decade list, as of the 25% point:

Top Point Earners of the Decade, 2010 - 2019

1. Lady Antebellum - 1011
2. Zac Brown Band - 968
3. Jason Aldean - 922
4. Blake Shelton - 909
5. Kenny Chesney - 877
6. Keith Urban - 828
7. Brad Paisley - 801
8. Miranda Lambert - 766
9. Taylor Swift - 760
10. Carrie Underwood - 671
11. Rascal Flatts - 646
12. Toby Keith - 643
13. The Band Perry - 625
14. Chris Young - 617
15. Luke Bryan - 600
16. Tim McGraw - 588
17. Dierks Bentley - 562
18. George Strait - 532
19. Reba McEntire - 522
20. Billy Currington - 513
21. Darius Rucker - 488
22. Eric Church - 483
23. Trace Adkins - 474
24. Josh Turner - 457
25. Justin Moore - 454
26. Alan Jackson - 448
27. Jake Owen - 419
28. Easton Corbin - 410
29. Lee Brice - 386
30. Jerrod Niemann - 366
31. Martina McBride - 356
32. Rodney Atkins - 345
33. Eli Young Band - 336
34. Thompson Square - 335
35. Little Big Town - 309
36. Sugarland - 297
37. Joe Nichols - 295
38. Steel Magnolia - 290
39. David Nail - 282
40. Craig Morgan - 278

Won't make too many comments, as I delve more deeply into it at the end of the year.

With Brad's vacation, my top three picks for winning the decade are currently at #s 7 (Brad), 9 (Taylor), and 10 (Carrie). I'm not giving up on them yet, as I do have doubts with the three currently topping the list.

They're racking up points now, but I still hesitate to have faith that groups (like Lady Ant and Zac) will stay intact for (what will be for them, to reach 2019) a dozen years. And Jason's unstoppable on his singles, but has yet to show that he'll be charting the other songs, like Christmas and album tracks, that a points leader needs.

I'd say Blake Shelton has the best chance of competing with my chosen three artists, for the top spot.

Troubles aside, George is still hanging in there, in the top 20, which is the range he needs to hold onto if he's to be expected to earn the points he'll need to catch George Jones on the all-time list.

And with that, I'll wrap this up, and be ready in December for the full update, when 2012 is in the books. The 12/29/12 chart comes out on Monday, December 17th, so look for that full update sometime later that week.

[carriekins]

Thank you for the great info, Jon! Love that you take the time out to compile all of that for us. :)

[Marv]

Superb work as always, Jonsolo; many thanks!

[Zazie]

Someone should write a country song about these updates, Jon. This makes a terrific read, and gives me way too much to study.

Looking forward to seeing Eli Young Band hit the top 400 and Easton Corbin and Jerrod Niemann becoming track-worthy. And of course there will be a big party when George gets within 1000 points of the Possum.

[Kanenrá:ke]

I know you start tracking when they're at 500 or very very close. I've been keeping track of some of the more promising ones below your tracking range and there's quite a few who'll be breaking the 500 point barrier soon (as long as they stay consistent).

David Nail - 469 (One More single will do it)
Bucky Covington - 461 (One More single or if this one takes off)
The Lost Trailers - 457 (Same as the other two)
Kid Rock - 453
Randy Houser - 422 (If this single takes off)
Easton Corbin - 413 (End Of the year perhaps)
Jamey Johnson - 408 (Two decent singles should do it)
Uncle Kracker - 404 (everntually )
Jerrod Niemann - 400 (Next single probably)
Gloriana 361 (Two more singles making the top 30 will get them close)
Josh Thompson - 358 (same as Gloriana)

Also I'm really hoping for Sherrie Austin, Blaine Larsen and Jason Michael Carroll to wake up, a single from any of them will put them in the tracking game.