The 1990s was a pretty fun time for country music. Before the country-pop craze hit in the early 2000s, the turn of the century was full of folk-country mashups and debuted a number of legendary artists that are still loved today. Most of these artists are household names, and it would make sense for them to have a whole slew of no. 1 hits under their belts. Surprisingly, each of these four country artists who blew up in the 1990s has only one major hit in their discography. Technically, that makes them one-hit wonders! Let’s take a look at a few of the best country one-hit wonders from the 1990s.
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1. “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus
Even if you’re just slightly country-adjacent, you probably know who Billy Ray Cyrus is, even if you just know him as Miley Cyrus’ dad. (We won’t judge.) But the bemulleted Cyrus became a big deal after he released the country classic “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992. Surprisingly, that track has been his only no. 1 hit to date. He’s enjoyed a fairly successful career in the years since, but nothing hit quite like “Achy Break Heart”.
2. “Nobody Knows” by Kevin Sharp
This single from Kevin Sharp was released in 1996, though it was actually a cover of a Tony Rich song. It quickly rose to the no. 1 spot on charts in the US and Canada. He also scored an ACM Award nomination after his debut of Measure Of A Man for Best New Male Vocalist. Unfortunately, it was his only no. 1 hit, he was soon dropped from Asylum Records, and Sharp suffered from a number of health problems that resulted in his death in 2014.
3. “Don’t Get Me Started” by Rhett Akins
Rhett Akins is a very well-known name in country-music-lovin’ households. He’s quite a talented songwriter and many of his songs from the 1990s are still playing on airwaves today. However, “Don’t Get Me Started” from 1996 was his only no. 1 hit to date. And it spent a whopping 21 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
[See Rhett Akins Live At Country Fest In 2024]
4. “Shut Up And Kiss Me” by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter was a bit of an icon in the 1990s, though she is technically a country one-hit wonder from the 1990s. Many considered her “a spokes-singer for the thirtysomething single woman.” She charted over a dozen songs through the decade, but her only no. 1 hit was “Shut Up And Kiss Me” from 1994. The song even earned her a Grammy Award in 1995. She’s still a legend today, though her last album release was back in 2020.
Photo by Mike Coppola
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