4 Country Artists Who Had a No. 1 Hit Across Three Decades and Beyond

For some country artists, having one No. 1 hit is a dream come true. To have a few is even more cause for celebration. But there are some country artists who continue to have hit after hit, for years and years.

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These four country artists have all had a No. 1 in at least three decades.

George Strait

In 1982, George Strait had his first No.1 hit with “Fool Hearted Memory”. The song is his fourth single, and the first release from his sophomore Strait For The Heart album. Little did Strait know at the time that the song would become the first of 60 No. 1 hits he would enjoy throughout his career.

Strait’s final No. 1 single is “Give It All We Got Tonight”. The song, out in 2012, is on Strait’s Love Is Everything record.

“I didn’t realize we were making history — I just hoped we were putting out music that my fans would enjoy,” Strait said at the time (via MusicRow). “As always, I’m thankful to the fans and country radio for their support on all 60 of these number one songs as well as my entire career. They are the ones who made this happen.”

Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty actually had a No. 1 single in four decades. In 1958, Twitty had his first No. 1 single, with “It’s Only Make Believe“, from his Conway Twitty Sings record. After that, Twitty waited an entire decade, until “Next In Line”, out in 1968, became his second No. 1 hit.

But by the 1970s, Twitty was a mainstay in the No. 1 spot, with songs like “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, “The Games That Daddies Play”, “Happy Birthday Darlin’,” and more. In the 1980s, Twitty continued his streak, with songs like “Slow Hand”, “Ain’t She Somethin’ Else”, and more.

Twitty’s final No. 1 hit of his career came in 1986, with “Desperado Love”.

Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire waited a long time to have a No. 1 single. In 1976, she released “I Don’t Want To Be A One Night Stand”. The song failed to do anything at radio. It wasn’t until 1979 that she had her first Top 20 single as a solo artist, with “Sweet Dreams”.

In 1982, McEntire finally hit the top spot on the charts with her 18th single, “Can’t Even Get The Blues”. Once she hit No. 1, she became quite accustomed to the spot. Throughout the 80s, she had other chart-topping singles with “How Blue”, “Whoever’s In New England”, and “New Fool At An Old Game”, among others.

McEntire became one of the biggest hitmakers in the 90s, with “You Lie”, “Is There Life Out There”, “How Was I To Know”, and more. McEntire’s final No. 1 hit, at least so far, came in 2010, with “Turn On The Radio”.

Tim McGraw

In 1994, Tim McGraw had his first No. 1 single, with “Don’t Take The Girl”. On his second record, Not A Moment Too Soon, the Louisiana native had one more song to hit the top spot from that project, with the title track.

Still, it was the beginning of a career that is still going strong today. In the 90s, McGraw had several No. 1 songs, including “Just To See You Smile”, “Where The Green Grass Grows”, and his iconic “It’s Your Love” duet with his wife, Faith Hill.

In the 2000s, McGraw continues his reign, with “Back When”, “Grown Men Don’t Cry”, and “Southern Voice”. His last No. 1 single, “One Bad Habit”, came out in 2024. The song is his 49th No. 1 single.

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