Blake Shelton wasn’t even guessing that when he recorded Texas, the song would go on to be his 30th No. 1 hit.
But that’s what happened today when “Texas,” written by Johnny Clawson, Kyle Sturrock, Josh Dorr, and Lalo Guzman, topped the Country AirCheck chart. “Texas,” which Scott Hendricks produced, is the first No. 1 single for Clawson, Sturrock, and Dorr and the second for Guzman.
“30 is a lot of anything, and to have 30 No. 1 songs is unbelievable,” Shelton said on social media. “I’m really trying to take it all in. THANK YOU!!!!”
Shelton switched record labels and signed with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville last year. He had already recorded “Texas” and played it for label executives at one of their earliest meetings.
“They went, ‘Oh my God, this song,’” Shelton said.
He loved their enthusiasm – almost as much as he loves the fact they were right. “Texas” is the lead single from his debut album with the label, For Recreational Use Only, which will be available on Friday.
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Blake Shelton: “It’s Been a Few Years”
“It’s been a few years since I’ve had a solo No. 1 single, and I’m super fired up about this one,” Shelton said in a statement. “I had no idea if ‘Texas’ would be a number one song, but the first time I heard it, I knew that it was something different, and it sounded like nothing else I’d ever done before.”
With 30 No. 1 hits, Shelton joins an exclusive club of artists who can claim that many chart-toppers. The list of icons includes Country Music Hall of Famers George Strait, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, and Ronnie Milsap (based on R&R plus Mediabase statistics kept since 1973).
“I’ve always been a nerd for stats and things like that in country music,” Shelton explained. “I’m always looking up artists’ stats, whether it’s Ronnie Milsap or Alabama or George Strait or Reba, and just to see how many albums they’ve sold or how many No. 1 songs they’ve had. Because of that, the idea of me having 30 No. 1 singles, it blows my mind. I can’t even wrap my head around it because I know how long it takes to get there, how hard it is, and how blessed and lucky you must be to get here.”
While “Texas” is Shelton’s latest No. 1 hit, let’s remember five of his longest-running chart toppers.
Blake Shelton’s Top 5 Chart-Toppers:
“Austin”: Blake Shelton lassoed country radio by the horns with his debut single “Austin,” which became a five-week No. 1 hit. David Kent and Kirsti Manna wrote “Austin,” and it was her first cut and first No. 1 as a songwriter. Shelton released “Austin” in April 2001 and has said it’s the precursor to “Texas,” also a first No. 1 hit for three of its four writers — first No. 1 single for Clawson, Sturrock, and Dorr.
“Honey Bee”: The infectious up-tempo love song buzzed to the top of the country radio airplay charts at camped out there for four weeks in 2011. Written by Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, “Honey Bee” was the first single from Shelton’s 2011 album Red River Blue. The charming singalong even received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Solo Performance. However, Taylor Swift’s “Mean” took the trophy.
“Some Beach”: “Some Beach” turned into a great big tongue-in-cheek hit for Shelton, sitting in the first position for four weeks. Paul Overstreet wrote the profanity-skirting hilarious up-tempo with Rory Feek about daily irritations that can’t be escaped.
Lyrics include: You’re not gonna feel a thing/We’ll give you some Novocaine/ That tooth’ll be fine in a minute or two/ Then he stuck that needle down deep in my gum/ And he started drillin’ before I was numb/ Some beach/ Somewhere
“The Baby”: Written by Michael White and Harley Allen, “The Baby” is as sad as “Some Beach” is funny. The three-week No. 1 hit for Shelton tells of a mother whose dying wish is to see her youngest child before she dies. And he doesn’t make it to her bedside before she passes away.
“God Gave Me You”: Shelton borrowed “God Gave Me You,” another three-week No. 1 country song, from Christian singer Dave Barnes, who released the song first. A walk through London inspired Barnes to write “God Gave Me You” for his wife, Annie. The song’s success encouraged Barnes to spend more time working with Nashville’s songwriters in the country music community. Shelton released the song in 2011 as the second single from Red River Blue. Shelton’s version went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.
(Photo by AFF-USA/Shutterstock)
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