Has there ever been anybody to burst onto the country music scene like Luke Combs?
Luke dropped his first single to country radio in October 2016. It hit the top of the charts in May 2017, and since then EVERY SINGLE that he’s released has been a number one.
His latest single, “Doin’ This,” became Luke’s 13th consecutive chart topper when it hit #1 on the Mediabase chart (and it will be #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart tomorrow too). And he did it on the fifth anniversary of his first single, “Hurricane,” reaching the top of the charts.
Absolutely insane.
(Luke actually has 14 number ones, because “Cold Beer Callin’ My Name,” his duet with Jameson Rodgers, also reached the top of the charts, though he was only a featured artist on that one so it was technically Jameson’s single).
I can’t ever recall an artist having this many chart toppers to start a career. Blake Shelton had 17 consecutive #1 singles, but that didn’t start until “Hillbilly Bone” in 2010. And the record for #1 singles in a row is held by Alabama, who had an incredible 21 songs in a row reach the top of the charts between 1980 and 1987.
But none of those artists started their streak with their very first single. Hell, even the King George Strait, who has an incredible 60 #1 hits, didn’t get his first chart topper until his seventh single with “Fool Hearted Memory.”
Most artists don’t get to see their first song hit #1. A lot of artists NEVER get to experience what it’s like to have a chart topper. Yet Luke Combs has released 13 singles in only 5 short years and STILL doesn’t know what it feels like to not have a song hit #1.
Just an incredible run, one that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before. One that we may not ever see again.
Oh, and one that’s still not over yet. How long can he keep this streak up? Stay tuned, because with a new album, Growin’ Up, coming on June 24, I have a feeling Luke’s run of #1 hits isn’t ending at 13.
