Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has achieved historic success on the Billboard charts. It’s currently in its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its 16th week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. Next, we’ll see how it fares at award shows. Nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in early April. Nominations for the Country Music Association Awards are expected in September. Grammy nominations are due in November.
Langley has won four CMA Awards and four ACM Awards, but she has never even been nominated for a Grammy. This year, she could be nominated for several awards for “Choosin’ Texas” – record of the year, song of the year, best country solo performance and best country song.
While Langley would probably love to snare some high-profile Grammy nominations, the Grammys would also stand to benefit by recognizing her. The Grammys have come up short in recent years in recognizing country music in the marquee “Big Four” categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. If they pass over “Choosin’ Texas” – an immaculately crafted, universally relatable song – in the Big Four categories, country fans might well ask, “What does it take for a country song to get major Grammy recognition?” It’s probably not an exaggeration at this point to say the Grammys need to nominate Langley more than she needs the Grammy nod.
Country used to regularly be in the mix in record of the year nominations. At the 1969 Grammy ceremony, three of the five record of the year nominees were No. 1 country hits: Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey,” Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley, P.T.A.” and Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”
But that was long ago. Of the 20 Hot Country Songs No. 1 hits that have landed record of the year nods, 11 were from Grammy ceremonies in the 1960s or 1970s.
Campbell, Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift each released two songs that both topped Hot Country Songs and landed a Grammy record of the year nomination. Among producers, Billy Sherrill, who is often credited for popularizing the “countrypolitan” sound, achieved this double success with two hits – David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded” and Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors.”
Here is every song that made No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart that also landed a Grammy nod for record of the year. But first, a half-dozen near-misses – songs that made the top 10 on that chart that got record of the year nods: Campbell’s sublime “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (No. 2), Olivia Newton-John’s pop-leaning ballad “I Honestly Love You” (No. 6), the Eagles’ superbly harmonized midtempo ballad “Lyin’ Eyes” (No. 8), Linda Ronstadt’s immaculate cover of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” (No. 2), Debby Boone’s megahit cover of the Oscar-winning “You Light Up My Life” (No. 4) and Mary Chapin Carpenter’s spirited feminist anthem “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” (No. 2).
Now, here’s what you came for – every song that made No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (referred to henceforth as “the country chart,” just for simplicity’s sake) that also landed a Grammy nod for record of the year. The year shown in the header is the year of the Grammy ceremony.
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The Browns, “The Three Bells” (1960)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 31, 1959
Weeks at No. 1: 10
Producer: Chet Atkins
And the Grammy went to: Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife”
Notes: This was the only No. 1 country hit for the sibling trio, which consisted of Jim Edward Brown, Maxine Brown and Bonnie Brown. Jim Ed Brown and his duet partner Helen Cornelius landed another No. 1 in 1976, “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You.” Bert Reisfeld and Jean Villard wrote this gentle ballad, which you may remember from its key line, “All the chapel bells were ringing.”
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Jimmy Dean, “Big Bad John” (1962)
Date Reached No. 1: Nov. 20, 1961
Weeks at No. 1: Two
Producer: Don Law
And the Grammy went to: Henry Mancini’s “Moon River”
Notes: Dean wrote this spoken-word saga, which was his first of two No. 1 hits on Hot Country Songs. He returned to the top spot in 1965 with “The First Thing Ev’ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev’ry Night).” Dean went on to achieve even greater fame and fortune for his highly successful line of breakfast sausages.
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Roger Miller, “King of the Road” (1966)
Date Reached No. 1: March 27, 1965
Weeks at No. 1: Five
Producer: Jerry Kennedy
And the Grammy went to: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ “A Taste of Honey”
Notes: This genial daydream about longing for a life with fewer responsibilities struck a universal chord. It was Miller’s second No. 1 country hit, following “Dang Me.” The witty wordsmith wrote both songs.
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David Houston, “Almost Persuaded” (1967)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 13, 1966
Weeks at No. 1: Nine
Producer: Billy Sherrill
And the Grammy went to: Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night”
Notes: This story song about a married man wrestling with temptation to cheat on his wife was Houston’s first of seven No. 1 country hits. In addition to producing the track, Sherrill co-wrote the song with Glenn Sutton. You really don’t know until the end of the song which way the man is going to go. Spoiler alert: He remains faithful.
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Bobby Goldsboro, “Honey” (1969)
Date Reached No. 1: May 25, 1968
Weeks at No. 1: Three
Producers: Bob Montgomery & Bobby Goldsboro
And the Grammy went to: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”
Notes: Another Bobby – Bobby Russell – wrote this unabashed tearjerker, which was Goldsboro’s only No. 1 country hit. This song appeared two years before the blockbuster movie Love Story, which also concerned a man losing his young wife. Goldsboro had another top 10 country hit in 1971 with Mac Davis’ charming “Watching Scotty Grow.” “Honey” was the first record on this list that was produced or co-produced by the artist.
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Jeannie C. Riley, “Harper Valley, P.T.A.” (1969)
Date Reached No. 1: Sept. 28, 1968
Weeks at No. 1: Three
Producer: Shelby Singleton
And the Grammy went to: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”
Notes: This cover of a Tom T. Hall song was Riley’s only No. 1 country hit. The song inspired a 1978 film and a 1981-82 sitcom, both starring Barbara Eden, who at the time this song was a hit was starring in I Dream of Jeannie. The song is a spirited refutation of hypocrisy and judgmental scolds.
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Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman” (1969)
Date Reached No. 1: Dec. 21, 1968
Weeks at No. 1: Two
Producer: Al DeLory
And the Grammy went to: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”
Notes: This was Campbell’s second of five No. 1 country hits. He first topped the chart in 1968 with “I Wanna Live.” Jimmy Webb wrote this superb song, which contains one of the best lyrics ever put to paper: “And I need you more than want you/ And I want you for all time.” Webb also wrote “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston,” “Honey Come Back” and “Still Within the Sound of My Voice,” all big country hits for Campbell. Webb and Campbell are high on the list of the best artist/songwriter combos of all time.
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Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue” (1970)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 23, 1969
Weeks at No. 1: Five
Producer: Bob Johnston
And the Grammy went to: The 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
Notes: This novelty song, written by Shel Silverstein, was featured on Cash’s live album Johnny Cash at San Quentin. It was Cash’s sixth of 10 No. 1 country hits. That tally includes the Highwaymen’s “Highwayman,” a collaboration with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, but does not include four songs that pre-dated the official launch of Hot Country Songs in October 1958.
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Charlie Rich, “Behind Closed Doors” (1974)
Date Reached No. 1: April 28, 1973
Weeks at No. 1: Two
Producer: Billy Sherrill
And the Grammy went to: Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song”
Notes: This elegant and sensuous piano ballad was Rich’s first of nine No. 1 country hits. If you don’t like this record, you simply don’t like country. Kenny O’Dell wrote the song.
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Glen Campbell, “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1976)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 23, 1975
Weeks at No. 1: Three
Producers: Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter
And the Grammy went to: Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”
Notes: For all the success that Campbell and Jimmy Webb had together, it’s notable that Campbell’s biggest hit and signature song was not one of their classics, but rather this song written by Larry Weiss. It was Campbell’s fourth of five No. 1 country hits. Campbell hadn’t had a top 40 hit on the Hot 100 in four years at this point, but he knew he had something here. On the eve of the song’s release, he said, “If this isn’t a hit, put a fork in it. I’m done.” Happily, he wasn’t done.
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Crystal Gayle, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (1978)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 27, 1977
Weeks at No. 1: Four
Producer: Allen Reynolds
And the Grammy went to: Eagles’ “Hotel California”
Notes: Richard Leigh wrote this elegant ballad, which was Gayle’s third of 18 No. 1 country hits. This nearly topped the Hot 100 as well, spending three weeks at No. 2, but it was blocked by another pop/country crossover smash, Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.” Future A-list producer Garth Fundis engineered Gayle’s track.
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Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler” (1980)
Date Reached No. 1: Dec. 16, 1978
Weeks at No. 1: Three
Producer: Larry Butler
And the Grammy went to: The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes”
Notes: This philosophical Don Schlitz song became Rogers’ signature song. It was for him, in many ways, what “My Way” was for Frank Sinatra. The song inspired a series of five TV movies starring Rogers that extended from 1980-94. This was Rogers’ fifth of 21 No. 1 country hits.
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Kenny Rogers, “Lady” (1981)
Date Reached No. 1: Nov. 22, 1980
Weeks at No. 1: One
Producer: Lionel Richie
And the Grammy went to: Christopher Cross’ “Sailing”
Notes: Richie both wrote and produced this ballad, which was Rogers’ 10th of 21 No. 1 country hits. Rogers liked to say that “Lady” expresses what every man would like to say and that every woman wants to hear. The song was one of many Richie songs with one-word titles, along with “Easy,” “Still,” “Truly” and “Hello” – all major hits. In 1987, Richie had a top 10 country hit as a lead artist with “Deep River Woman,” featuring Alabama.
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Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind” (1983)
Date Reached No. 1: May 8, 1982
Weeks at No. 1: Two
Producer: Chips Moman
And the Grammy went to: Toto’s “Rosanna”
Notes: Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley had both recorded this tender ballad before Nelson, but Nelson’s version is definitive. His take on this song by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher and Mark James was his 11th of 21 No. 1 country hits. That tally includes the Highwaymen’s “Highwayman,” a collaboration with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.
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Billy Ray Cyrus, “Achy Breaky Heart” (1993)
Date Reached No. 1: May 30, 1992
Weeks at No. 1: Five
Producers: Joe Scaife & Jim Cotton
And the Grammy went to: Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven”
Notes: This Don Von Tress song was Cyrus’ only No. 1 country hit. The punchy arrangement helps keep the song from veering too far into the novelty realm. In 2020, Cyrus landed another record of the year nod as the featured artist on Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”
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Shania Twain, “You’re Still the One” (1999)
Date Reached No. 1: May 2, 1998
Weeks at No. 1: One
Producer: Robert John “Mutt” Lange
And the Grammy went to: Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”
Notes: Twain teamed with her then-husband Robert John “Mutt” Lange to write this ballad, a celebration of a long-term relationship. It became her sixth of seven No. 1 country hits.
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Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me” (2010)
Date Reached No. 1: Aug. 22, 2009
Weeks at No. 1: Two
Producers: Taylor Swift & Nathan Chapman
And the Grammy went to: Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody”
Notes: Swift teamed with Liz Rose to write this midtempo ballad, which became her fourth of nine No. 1 country hits. Shawn Mendes’ subsequent “Treat You Better” mines similar lyric territory.
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Lady A, “Need You Now” (2011)
Date Reached No. 1: Nov. 28, 2009
Weeks at No. 1: Five
Producers: Lady A & Paul Worley
And the Grammy went to: It won!
Notes: This is, to date, the only No. 1 country hit to win the Grammy for record of the year. The members of Lady A – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott – teamed with Josh Kear to write the song, which depicts people wrestling with emotions and temptation at 1:15 a.m. Best lyric: “I wonder if I ever cross your mind.” The trio teamed with Paul Worley to produce the track, which combined a pop/rock arrangement with a country twang. Like “Choosin’ Texas,” “Need You Now” is a highly relatable song with a sound that appeals to a wide swath of listeners. This was Lady A’s second of six No. 1 country hits. The trio was still known as Lady Antebellum when this song was a smash.
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Taylor Swift, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (2013)
Date Reached No. 1: Oct. 20, 2012
Weeks at No. 1: Ten
Producer: Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift
And the Grammy went to: Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra)
Notes: Swift already had one foot out the Nashville door in her quest for global pop domination when she released this fun song, which she both cowrote and coproduced with Max Martin and Shellback. It became her seventh of nine No. 1 country hits. The use of “Never Ever” in the title tells you that she really means it. It’s well and truly over.
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Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ’Em” (2025)
Date Reached No. 1: Feb. 24, 2024
Weeks at No. 1: Ten
Producers: Beyoncé, Killah B & Nathan Ferraro
And the Grammy went to: Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
Notes: The three producers of this hoedown hit also co-wrote it with Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Atia Boggs, Megan Bülow and Raphael Saadiq. This was Beyoncé’s first (and so far only) No. 1 country hit.
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