Special Report

Country Star Tim McGraw Has Never Had a No. 1 Hit

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 13, 2023 11:00 am

The success of music artists and bands has usually been defined by two metrics. The first is how many albums have been sold in total over the course of their careers. The other is the number of No.1 hits each has had. Elvis Presley had 30 No.1 hits. The Beatles had 20.

One of the most famous country artists of all time, however, has never had a No.1 hit. That is Tim McGraw. (Here’s a list of 40 of the most popular artists that never had a No. 1 hit.)

A performer doesn’t need to have had a song to summit the Billboard Hot 100 as an imprimatur of stardom or success. Even so, it is always surprising to discover that some of music’s greatest artists have not reached that peak. McGraw, however, has distinguished himself in another way: He has sold over 40 million albums.

McGraw’s arena-packing performances, emphasizing a more empathetic country style, have produced one of country music’s most prodigious careers. His much-publicized and celebrated marriage to country star Faith Hill hasn’t hurt either.

For all his success as a country superstar, though, – including four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and 26 chart-toppers on the Hot Country Songs chart – McGraw has not had a crossover No. 1. He has had three songs get to the top 10, two of which were collaborations. One of these was “It’s Your Love,” featuring Faith Hill – considered one of the best duets in country music history.