Wednesday 5/18/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: George Strait Top 30 Hits (Rev 4)

George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is known as the “King of Country” and is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. He was a prominent and pioneering figure in the neotraditionalist country movement of the 1980s, famed for his simple cowboy image and roots-oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts.

Strait’s success began when his first single “Unwound” was a hit in 1981, signalling the arrival of the neotraditional movement. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.

By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty’s previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty’s 40. Strait has amassed 60 number-one hits. “Give It All We Got Tonight” was number one in 2013, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty. Strait currently holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist in any genre of music.

Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $99 million in three years. His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June 2014, drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.

Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums. His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6× platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall selling over 69 million records across the United States.

This countdown is the fourth revision since 1999, 2006, 2013 and 2022.

1 – “Give It All We Got Tonight” – 2012
2 – “I Saw God Today” – 2008
3 – “Shiftwork” with Kenny Chesney – 2007
4 – “Here for a Good Time” – 2011
5 – “Write This Down” – 1999
6 – “Give It Away” – 2006
7 – “Wrapped” – 2007
8 – “The Best Day” – 2000
9 – “I Hate Everything” – 2004
10 – “Meanwhile” – 1999
11 – “Go On” – 2000
12 – “River of Love” – 2008
13 – “We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This” – 1998
14 – “What Do You Say to That” – 1999
15 – “Desperately” – 2004
16 – “One Night at a Time” – 1997
17 – “I Just Want to Dance with You” – 1998
18 – “You’ll Be There” – 2005
19 – “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” – 2019
20 – “I Got a Car” – 2013
21 – “The Breath You Take” – 2010
22 – “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” – 2011
23 – “Easy Come, Easy Go” – 1993
24 – “Fool Hearted Memory” – 1982
25 – “You Look So Good in Love” – 1983
26 – “Right or Wrong” – 1984
27 – “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together” – 1984
28 – “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” – 1987
29 – “Blue Clear Sky” – 1996
30 – “Love Without End, Amen” – 1990

Tuesday 5/10/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: U2 Top 30 Hits

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in post-punk, U2’s musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono’s expressive vocals and the Edge’s chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.

The band was formed when the members were teenaged pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive School and had limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Subsequent work such as their first UK number-one album, War (1983), and the singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” helped establish U2’s reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. By the mid-1980s, they had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. The group’s fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international superstars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US to date: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.

U2 have released 14 studio albums and are one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.

1 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – 1995
2 – Discothèque – 1997
3 – The Fly – 1991
4 – With or Without You – 1987
5 – Desire – 1988
6 – Beautiful Day – 2000
7 – Vertigo – 2004
8 – Sweetest Thing – 1998
9 – Mysterious Ways – 1991
10 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – 1987
11 – Stay (Faraway, So Close!) – 1993
12 – The Saints Are Coming (with Green Day) – 2006
13 – Even Better Than the Real Thing – 1992
14 – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – 1992
15 – Electrical Storm – 2002
16 – Staring at the Sun – 1997
17 – Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of – 2001
18 – Get On Your Boots – 2009
19 – Please – 1997
20 – Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own – 2005
21 – One – 1992
22 – Elevation – 2001
23 – Last Night on Earth – 1997
24 – Walk On – 2001
25 – Angel of Harlem – 1988
26 – Pride (In the Name of Love) – 1984
27 – Window in the Skies – 2007
28 – When Love Comes to Town (with B.B. King) – 1989
29 – City of Blinding Lights – 2005
30 – Where the Streets Have No Name – 1987

Thursday 5/5/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Top 30 Hits

Robert Clark Seger (born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, breaking through with his first album, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (which contained his first national hit of the same name) in 1968. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the ‘System’ from his recordings and continued to strive for broader success with various other bands. In 1973, he put together the Silver Bullet Band, with a group of Detroit-area musicians, with whom he became most successful on the national level with the album Live Bullet (1976), recorded live with the Silver Bullet Band in 1975 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger’s best-selling singles and albums.

A roots rocker with a classic raspy, powerful voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that dealt with love, women, and blue-collar themes, and is one of the best-known examples of a heartland rock artist. He has recorded many hits, including “Night Moves”, “Turn the Page”, “Mainstreet”, “Still the Same”, “Hollywood Nights”, “Against the Wind”, “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”, “Shame on the Moon”, “Roll Me Away”, “Like a Rock”, and “Shakedown”, the last of which was written for the 1987 film Beverly Hills Cop II and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also co-wrote the Eagles’ number-one hit “Heartache Tonight”, and his recording of “Old Time Rock and Roll” was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001.

With a career spanning six decades, Seger has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. Seger was named Billboard’s 2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, held November 18–19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. He announced his farewell tour in September 2018.

1 – We’ve Got Tonite – 1978
2 – Like a Rock – 1986
3 – The Real Love – 1991
4 – Shakedown – 1987
5 – Fire Lake – 1980
6 – Understanding – 1984
7 – Shame on the Moon – 1982
8 – Still the Same – 1978
9 – You’ll Accomp’ny Me – 1980
10 – Landing in London (3 Doors Down) – 2005
11 – Night Moves – 1976
12 – It’s You – 1986
13 – Even Now – 1983
14 – Against the Wind – 1980
15 – Hollywood Nights – 1978
16 – American Storm – 1986
17 – The Fire Inside (radio edit) – 1991
18 – Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You (live) – 1981
19 – Rock and Roll Never Forgets – 1977
20 – Mainstreet – 1977
21 – Roll Me Away – 1983
22 – Her Strut – 1980
23 – Old Time Rock and Roll – 1983
24 – Chances Are (with Martina McBride) – 1998
25 – Katmandu – 1975
26 – Miami – 1986
27 – Take a Chance – 1991
28 – Wait for Me – 2006
29 – Downtown Train – 2011
30 – Nutbush City Limits – 1976

Thursday 4/28/22 9am ET: Artist Countdown: Willie Nelson Top 30 Hits

Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American musician, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. He worked as a disc jockey at radio stations in his native Texas, and in several radio stations in the Pacific Northwest, all the while working as a singer and songwriter throughout the late 1950s. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including “Funny How Time Slips Away”, “Hello Walls”, “Pretty Paper”, and “Crazy”. In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price’s band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, …And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson grew weary of the corporate Nashville music scene, and in 1972 he moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return to performing, appearing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

1 – To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before (with Julio Iglesias) – 1984
2 – Always on My Mind – 1982
3 – On the Road Again – 1980
4 – Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain – 1975
5 – Good Hearted Woman (with Waylon Jennings) – 1976
6 – Let It Be Me – 1982
7 – Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys – 1978
8 – Everything’s Beautiful (In Its Own Way) (with Dolly Parton) – 1983
9 – City of New Orleans – 1984
10 – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys – 1980
11 – Blue Skies – 1978
12 – Georgia on My Mind – 1978
13 – Midnight Rider – 1980
14 – Pancho and Lefty (with Merle Haggard) – 1983
15 – Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) (with Waylon Jennings) – 1976
16 – Take It to the Limit (with Waylon Jennings) – 1983
17 – Remember Me (When the Candle Lights Are Gleaming) – 1976
18 – Spanish Eyes (with Julio Iglesias) – 1988
19 – Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground – 1981
20 – Forgiving You Was Easy – 1985
21 – Living in the Promise Land – 1986
22 – Nothing I Can Do About It Now – 1989
23 – Heartbreak Hotel (with Leon Russell) – 1979
24 – Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning – 1982
25 – Why Do I Have to Choose – 1983
26 – Help Me Make It Through the Night – 1980
27 – If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time – 1976
28 – All of Me – 1978
29 – Uncloudy Day – 1977
30 – Without a Song – 1983

Tuesday 4/26/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Barbra Streisand Top 30 Hits

Barbara Joan “Barbra” Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an American singer and actress. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).

Streisand began her career by performing in nightclubs and Broadway theaters in the early 1960s. Following her guest appearances on various television shows, she signed to Columbia Records, insisting that she retain full artistic control, and accepting lower pay in exchange, an arrangement that continued throughout her career, and released her debut The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Throughout her recording career, Streisand has topped the US Billboard 200 chart with 11 albums—a record for a woman—including People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), Guilty (1980), and The Broadway Album (1985). She also achieved five number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100—”The Way We Were”, “Evergreen”, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”, and “Woman in Love”.

Following her established recording success in the 1960s, Streisand ventured into film by the end of that decade. She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl (1968), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Additional fame followed with films including the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), the screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc? (1972), and the romantic drama The Way We Were (1973). Streisand won a second Academy Award for writing the love theme from A Star Is Born (1976), the first woman to be honored as a composer. With the release of Yentl (1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical. Streisand also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, becoming the first (and for 37 years, the only) woman to win that award. Streisand later directed The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

With sales exceeding 150 million records worldwide, Streisand is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 68.5 million certified album units tying with Mariah Carey. Billboard ranked Streisand as the greatest female artist on the Billboard 200 chart and the top Adult Contemporary female artist of all time. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, 10 Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award, five Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and nine Golden Globes.

1 – Woman in Love – 1980
2 – You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (with Neil Diamond) – 1978
3 – Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) – 1976
4 – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (with Donna Summer) – 1979
5 – Guilty (with Barry Gibb) – 1980
6 – I Finally Found Someone (with Bryan Adams) – 1996
7 – Second Hand Rose – 1965
8 – Tell Him (with Celine Dion) – 1997
9 – Till I Loved You (with Don Johnson) – 1988
10 – The Way We Were – 1973
11 – Left in the Dark – 1982
12 – Comin’ In and Out of Your Life – 1981
13 – Stoney End – 1970
14 – The Main Event/Fight – 1979
15 – My Heart Belongs to Me – 1977
16 – People – 1964
17 – Memory – 1982
18 – Songbird – 1978
19 – Where You Lead – 1971
20 – Make No Mistake, He’s Mine (with Kim Carnes) – 1982
21 – What Kind of Fool – 1981
22 – Kiss Me in the Rain – 1979
23 – Prisoner (Love Theme from Eyes of Laura Mars) – 1978
24 – New York State of Mind (with Billy Joel) – 2014
25 – Promises – 1981
26 – Flim Flam Man – 1971
27 – Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead – 1972
28 – Emotion – 1985
29 – Funny Girl – 1964
30 – Superman – 1978

Thursday 4/21/22 9am ET: Artist Countdown: Abba Top 30 Hits (Rev2)

ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome. Widely considered one of the greatest musical groups of all time, they became one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1983, and in 2021. ABBA have achieved 48 hit singles.

In 1974, ABBA were Sweden’s first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo”, which in 2005 was chosen as the best song in the competition’s history as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the contest. During the band’s main active years, it consisted of two married couples: Fältskog and Ulvaeus, and Lyngstad and Andersson. With the increase of their popularity, their personal lives suffered, which eventually resulted in the collapse of both marriages. The relationship changes were reflected in the group’s music, with latter compositions featuring darker and more introspective lyrics. After ABBA separated in December 1982, Andersson and Ulvaeus continued their success writing music for multiple audiences including stage, musicals and movies, while Fältskog and Lyngstad pursued solo careers.

Tuesday 4/19/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Roy Orbison Top 30 Hits

Roy Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter who found the most success in the early rock and roll era from 1956 to 1964. He later enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1980s with chart success as a member of the Traveling Wilburys and with his Mystery Girl album which included the hit single “You Got It”. At the height of his popularity, 22 of Orbison’s songs placed on the US Billboard Top 40 chart, and six peaked in the top five, including two number one hits. In the UK, Orbison scored ten top-10 hits between 1960 and 1966, including three No. 1 singles.

Born and raised in Texas, Orbison got his start in a rockabilly band in high school. According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, Orbison’s first release was in March 1956 on the Je-Wel label. He broke into professional music under Sam Phillips at Sun Records in the summer of 1956, but found only marginal success there. After a couple years writing for other musicians (including “Claudette” recorded by The Everly Brothers), Orbison recorded several songs at Monument Records under producer Fred Foster starting in 1959. With Foster, Orbison and his frequent songwriting partners Joe Melson and Bill Dees tailored many of Orbison’s songs for his unique voice; his most popular songs were dramatic ballads ending with emotional crescendos that showcased his powerful vocals. After his biggest hit in 1964, “Oh, Pretty Woman”, Orbison continued to record and chart intermittently in the UK, but it was not until 1987 that he again found the level of popular worldwide success he had known in the early 1960s, when his original recording of “In Dreams” was used in David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet. The following year, Orbison co-founded the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. Lynne produced Orbison’s final album Mystery Girl, which was released posthumously in February 1989.

1 – You Got It – 1989
2 – Oh, Pretty Woman – 1964
3 – It’s Over – 1964
4 – Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel) – 1960
5 – In Dreams – 1963
6 – Blue Bayou – 1963
7 – Crying (with k.d. lang) – 1987
8 – She’s a Mystery to Me – 1989
9 – Handle with Care (Traveling Wilburys) – 1988
10 – Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) – 1962
11 – Goodnight – 1965
12 – End of the Line – 1989
13 – Pretty Paper – 1963
14 – California Blue – 1989
15 – Ride Away – 1965
16 – Twinkle Toes – 1966
17 – Running Scared – 1961
18 – Crying – 1961
19 – Blue Angel – 1960
20 – I Drove All Night – 1992
21 – That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again (with Emmylou Harris) – 1980
22 – I’m Hurtin’ – 1960
23 – Windsurfer – 1989
24 – Candyman – 2017
25 – Ooby Dooby – 1956
26 – Love Hurts – 2017
27 – A Love So Beautiful – 1989
28 – Easy Way Out – 1979
29 – Claudette – 2017
30 – (All I Can Do Is) Dream You – 1989

2017 are remixes with the Royal Philharmonic
2017 Live are taken from Black White Live 30

Tuesday 4/12/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Vince Gill Top 30 Hits

Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a vocalist and musician have placed him in high demand as a guest vocalist and a duet partner.

He has recorded more than 20 studio albums, charted over 40 singles on the U.S. Billboard charts as Hot Country Songs, and has sold more than 26 million albums. He has been honored by the Country Music Association with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. As of 2021, Gill has also earned 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other male country music artist. In 2007 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. On February 4, 2016, Gill was inducted into the Guitar Center Rock Walk by Joe Walsh of the Eagles. In 2017, Vince Gill and Deacon Frey were hired by the Eagles in place of the late Glenn Frey.

1 – House of Love (Amy Grant with Vince Gill) – 1994
2 – Sober Saturday Night (Chris Young featuring Vince Gill) – 2016
3 – I Still Believe in You – 1992
4 – One More Last Chance – 1993
5 – If You Ever Have Forever in Mind – 1998
6 – Feels Like Love – 2000
7 – Whenever You Come Around – 1994
8 – Don’t Rush (Kelly Clarkson featuring Vince Gill) – 2012
9 – Tryin’ to Get Over You – 1994
10 – Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away – 1992
11 – The Heart Won’t Lie (Reba McEntire with Vince Gill) – 1993
12 – What the Cowgirls Do – 1994
13 – You Better Think Twice – 1995
14 – Take Your Memory with You – 1992
15 – No Future in the Past – 1993
16 – Pretty Little Adriana – 1996
17 – When I Call Your Name – 1990
18 – Which Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn) – 1995
19 – Cinderella – 1987
20 – When Love Finds You – 1994
21 – A Little More Love – 1997
22 – Never Knew Lonely – 1990
23 – Liza Jane – 1991
24 – Worlds Apart – 1996
25 – High Lonesome Sound – 1996
26 – Everybody’s Sweetheart – 1988
27 – If It Weren’t for Him (with Rosanne Cash) – 1985
28 – Look at Us – 1991
29 – You and You Alone – 1997
30 – Pocket Full of Gold – 1991

Sunday 4/3/22 3pm ET: Artist Countdown: Marvin Gaye Top 30 Hits

Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., known as Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, earning him the nicknames “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul”.

Gaye’s Motown songs include “Ain’t That Peculiar”, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”. Gaye also recorded duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross. During the 1970s, Gaye recorded the albums What’s Going On and Let’s Get It On and became one of the first artists in Motown to break away from the reins of a production company. His later recordings influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres, such as quiet storm and neo soul. He was a tax exile in Europe in the early 1980s; he released “Sexual Healing” in 1982, which won him his first two Grammy Awards on the album Midnight Love. Gaye’s last televised appearances were at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, where he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner”; Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever; and Soul Train.

On April 1, 1984, the eve of his 45th birthday, Gaye was shot and mortally wounded by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., at their house in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, after an argument. Gay Sr. later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and received a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation.

Many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1 – Sexual Healing – 1982
2 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine – 1968
3 – Got to Give It Up – 1977
4 – It Takes Two – 1966
5 – Too Busy Thinking About My Baby – 1969
6 – You’re All I Need to Get By – 1968
7 – Let’s Get It On – 1973
8 – Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing – 1968
9 – Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – 1971
10 – Once Upon a Time – 1964
11 – Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy to Come By – 1969
12 – What’s Going On – 1971
13 – Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – 1971
14 – My Mistake (Was to Love You) – 1974
15 – Try It Baby – 1964
16 – You Ain’t Livin’ till You’re Lovin’ – 1968
17 – Pretty Little Baby – 1965
18 – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) – 1964
19 – I Want You – 1976
20 – Little Darling (I Need You) – 1966
21 – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – 1967
22 – Chained – 1968
23 – Trouble Man – 1972
24 – Take This Heart of Mine – 1966
25 – Your Unchanging Love – 1967
26 – Your Precious Love – 1967
27 – I’ll Be Doggone – 1965
28 – Ain’t That Peculiar – 1965
29 – Pride and Joy – 1963
30 – You’re a Wonderful One – 1964

Wednesday 3/23/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: The Cars Top 30 Hits

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, it consisted of Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band’s principal songwriter.

The Cars were at the forefront of the merger of 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synthesizer-oriented pop that became popular in the early 1980s. Robert Palmer, music critic for The New York Times and Rolling Stone, described the Cars’ musical style: “They have taken some important but disparate contemporary trends—punk minimalism, the labyrinthine synthesizer and guitar textures of art rock, the ’50s rockabilly revival and the melodious terseness of power pop—and mixed them into a personal and appealing blend.”

The Cars were named Best New Artist in the 1978 Rolling Stone Readers’ Poll. The band’s debut album, The Cars, sold six million copies and appeared on the Billboard 200 album chart for 139 weeks. The Cars had four Top 10 hits: “Shake It Up” (1981), “You Might Think” (1984), “Drive” (1984), and “Tonight She Comes” (1985). The band won Video of the Year for “You Might Think” at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.

The Cars disbanded in 1988. Orr died in 2000 from pancreatic cancer. The surviving original members of the Cars reunited in 2010 to record the band’s seventh and final album, Move Like This, which was released in May 2011. Following a short tour in support of Move Like This, the band once again went on hiatus. In April 2018, the Cars were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and reunited to perform at the induction ceremony. It was the band’s final performance with Ocasek, who died on September 15, 2019 of cardiovascular disease.

1 – Drive – 1984
2 – You Might Think – 1984
3 – Shake It Up – 1981
4 – Hello Again – 1984
5 – Emotion in Motion (Ric Ocasek) – 1986
6 – Tonight She Comes – 1985
7 – Magic – 1984
8 – Just What I Needed – 1978
9 – Let’s Go – 1979
10 – Stay the Night (Benjamin Orr) – 1986
11 – You Are the Girl – 1987
12 – Touch and Go – 1980
13 – My Best Friend’s Girl – 1978
14 – Since You’re Gone – 1982
15 – I’m Not the One – 1986
16 – Good Times Roll – 1979
17 – Why Can’t I Have You – 1985
18 – Something to Grab For (Ric Ocasek) – 1983
19 – It’s All I Can Do – 1979
20 – True to You (Ric Ocasek) – 1986
21 – Jimmy Jimmy (Ric Ocasek) – 1983
22 – Strap Me In – 1987
23 – Heartbeat City – 1985
24 – Sad Song – 2011
25 – Cruiser – 1981
26 – Connect Up to Me (Ric Ocasek) – 1983
27 – Victim of Love – 1982
28 – Coming Up You – 1988
29 – Double Life – 1979
30 – Don’t Tell Me No – 1980

Tuesday 3/15/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Black Eyed Peas Top 30 Hits

Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo and singer J. Rey Soul. Originally an alternative hip hop group, they subsequently refashioned themselves as a more marketable pop-rap act. Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album, Elephunk, in 2003, that they achieved high record sales.

Black Eyed Peas’ first major hit was the 2003 single “Where Is the Love?” from Elephunk, which topped the charts in 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it spent seven weeks at number one and went on to become Britain’s biggest-selling single of 2003. Their fourth album, Monkey Business, was an even bigger worldwide success, and became certified 3× Platinum in the United States. In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the number-one and number-two spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with their singles “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling”, which topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks.

The album The E.N.D. produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with “Imma Be”, making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album, before being followed with “Rock That Body” and “Meet Me Halfway”, which peaked in the top 10 of the Hot 100. “I Gotta Feeling” became the first single to sell more than one million downloads in the United Kingdom. At the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony, held in January 2010, they won three awards out of six nominations. In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning. In February 2011, the group performed in the Super Bowl XLV halftime show.

Black Eyed Peas have sold an estimated 80 million records, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. They were ranked 12th on Billboard’s 2000s Decade-End Artist of the Decade Chart, and 7th on the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade.

1 – I Gotta Feeling – 2009
2 – The Time (Dirty Bit) – 2010
3 – Where Is the Love? – 2003
4 – Boom Boom Pow – 2009
5 – My Humps – 2005
6 – Meet Me Halfway – 2009
7 – Don’t Phunk with My Heart – 2005
8 – Just Can’t Get Enough – 2011
9 – Hey Mama – 2004
10 – Pump It – 2006
11 – Don’t Lie – 2005
12 – Let’s Get It Started – 2004
13 – Shut Up – 2003
14 – Rock That Body – 2010
15 – Don’t Stop the Party – 2011
16 – Mas que Nada (Sérgio Mendes featuring the Black Eyed Peas) – 2006
17 – Ritmo (with J Balvin) – 2019
18 – Mamacita (with Ozuna and J Rey Soul) – 2020
19 – Request + Line (featuring Macy Gray) – 2001
20 – Imma Be – 2009
21 – #Wheresthelove – 2016
22 – Girl like Me (with Shakira) – 2020
23 – Alive – 2009
24 – Gone Going (featuring Jack Johnson) – 2006
25 – Showdown – 2009
26 – Weekends (featuring Esthero) – 2000
27 – Feel the Beat (with Maluma) – 2020
28 – Light Up the Night – 2010
29 – Tonta Love (Feat Jr. Rey Soul) – 2010
30 – Shake Ya Boom Boom – 2020

Friday 3/11/22 4pm ET: Artist Countdown: Carrie Underwood Top 30 Hits

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood’s debut single, “Inside Your Heaven”, made her the only country artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats”, becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007), had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), was preceded by the single “Cowboy Casanova”, which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.

She achieved the second best-selling release by a woman in 2012 and won a Grammy Award with her fourth album, Blown Away (2012). Underwood’s first compilation, Greatest Hits: Decade #1 (2014), spawned the crossover single “Something in the Water”. Her fifth studio album, Storyteller (2015), made her the only country artist to have all studio albums reach either numbers one or two on the Billboard 200 chart. With her sixth album, Cry Pretty (2018), she became the only woman to top the Billboard 200 with four country albums, and had both the biggest week for any album by a woman in 2018. She released her first Christmas project, My Gift, in 2020, and her first gospel collection, My Savior, in 2021.

Underwood has sold 70 million records worldwide. She is the sixth highest-certified female artist and the highest-certified female country artist of all time on the RIAA’s Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, and the female artist with the most number-one entries on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, with 16. Her accolades include seven Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 17 American Music Awards, five Guinness World Records, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards and inductions into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. Billboard named her the top female country artist of the 2000s and 2010s and Some Hearts the top country album of the 2000s. Time listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, while Forbes declared her the most successful American Idol winner. Outside of music, Underwood has ventured into fashion and writing, releasing her fitness clothing line CALIA by Carrie in 2015 and the New York Times best-selling fitness and lifestyle book Find Your Path in 2020.

1 – Something in the Water – 2014
2 – The Fighter (with Keith Urban) – 2017
3 – Blown Away – 2012
4 – Heartbeat – 2015
5 – If I Didn’t Love You (with Jason Aldean) – 2021
6 – Before He Cheats – 2006
7 – Jesus, Take the Wheel – 2005
8 – See You Again – 2013
9 – Smoke Break – 2015
10 – Two Black Cadillacs – 2012
11 – Church Bells – 2016
12 – Dirty Laundry – 2016
13 – Little Toy Guns – 2015
14 – Temporary Home – 2009
15 – Cowboy Casanova – 2009
16 – Good Girl – 2012
17 – Somethin’ Bad (with Miranda Lambert) – 2014
18 – Remind Me (With Brad Paisley) – 2011
19 – Undo It – 2010
20 – I Told You So (featuring Randy Travis) – 2009
21 – Southbound – 2019
22 – Drinking Alone – 2019
23 – Mama’s Song – 2010
24 – So Small – 2007
25 – Last Name – 2008
26 – Inside Your Heaven – 2005
27 – Wasted – 2007
28 – All-American Girl – 2008
29 – Just a Dream – 2008
30 – Don’t Forget to Remember Me – 2006

Wednesday 3/9/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: Paul Revere & The Raiders with Mark Lindsay Top 30 Hits

Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s, with music veering from garage rock to psychedelic pop, but their early sound combined fast-paced, guitar-and-vocal-dominated rock and roll with an intimidating R&B flavor. The band was known for including Revolutionary War-style clothes in their attire.

Originally an instrumental rock combo called the Downbeats, the Raiders were formed in 1958 by organist Paul Revere, and included singer Mark Lindsay. After charting in 1961 with the minor hit “Like, Long Hair” and then in late 1963 just missing Billboard’s Hot 100 with a cover of “Louie Louie”, the band was signed to Columbia Records, under the tutelage of producer Terry Melcher. In January 1966 the single “Just Like Me” — propelled by exposure on Dick Clark’s shows such as Where The Action Is — reached no. 11 on the Hot 100, followed by the consecutive Top Tens “Kicks” and “Hungry”, thus establishing the band as national stars. Clark’s TV shows showcased Lindsay as a teen idol and Revere as the “madman” of the group, and between 1966 and ’69 they reached the top 30 with 12 hits. Bolstered by the success of the singles, the three 1966 albums Just Like Us, Midnight Ride and The Spirit of ’67 all were gold-certified by the RIAA.

However, by the end of the decade, personnel changes and changing tastes contributed to a marked decline in the band’s popularity. Mark Lindsay replaced Terry Melcher as the Raiders’ producer, and the band did manage to score with the 1969 US no. 20 hit “Let Me” and its parent LP Alias Pink Puzz, though most of the output from this period did not sell well. Lindsay embarked on a solo career while still a member of the group, charting with two 1970 top 30 singles including the Top Ten hit “Arizona”. From early 1970 the band were credited as simply Raiders.

In 1971 the hugely successful cover of the song “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)” provided the Raiders with a comeback (albeit non-representative), reaching number one in both the US and Canada; the single was certified platinum in 1996. But their failure to repeat the record’s success led to the band being dropped by Columbia in 1975, when Lindsay opted out. In 1976, following Paul Revere’s retirement from the music industry, the Raiders broke up.

Revere’s retirement was short-lived. In 1978 he went back to live performances with a new line-up of musicians that now includes Revere’s son Jamie and lead vocalist Darren Dowler. In 2014 Revere died of cancer, and the band’s name was changed to Paul Revere’s Raiders.

The garage rock revival and grunge movements – and individual acts such as the Paisley Underground – have cited the Raiders as an influence. In 2004 “Kicks” ranked no. 400 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Paul Revere & the Raiders and their manager Roger Hart were inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on 13 October 2007. In 2010 the band was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, set in 1969, featured three of the band’s hit singles – “Hungry” (1966), “Good Thing” (1966) and “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon” (1969) – and the 1968 B-side “Theme From It’s Happening”.

Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders.

1 – Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) – 1971
2 – Kicks – 1966
3 – Good Thing – 1966
4 – Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be? – 1967
5 – Hungry – 1966
6 – I Had A Dream – 1967
7 – Too Much Talk – 1968
8 – Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon – 1969
9 – Birds of a Feather – 1971
10 – Let Me – 1969
11 – And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind (Mark Lindsay) – 1970
12 – The Great Airplane Strike – 1966
13 – Just Like Me – 1965
14 – Ups and Downs – 1967
15 – Don’t Take It So Hard – 1968
16 – We Gotta All Get Together – 1969
17 – Steppin’ Out – 1965
18 – Country Wine – 1972
19 – Powder Blue Mercedes Queen – 1972
20 – Cinderella Sunshine – 1968
21 – Arizona (Mark Lindsay) – 1969
22 – Just Seventeen – 1970
23 – Love Music – 1973
24 – First Hymn from Grand Terrace (Mark Lindsay) – 1969
25 – Song Seller – 1972
26 – Problem Child (Mark Lindsay) – 1971
27 – Gone Movin’ On – 1970
28 – Miss America (Mark Lindsay) – 1970
29 – Louie Louie – 1963
30 – Louie Go Home – 1964

Friday 3/4/22 3pm ET: Artist Countdown: Chris Rea Top 30 Hits

Christopher Anton Rea (born March 4, 1951) is an English rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough, England. He is of Italian and Irish descent. He is known for his distinctive, husky singing and slide guitar playing, with the Guinness Rockopedia describing him as a “gravel-voiced guitar stalwart”. After learning to play the guitar relatively late, a short burst of local band activity led to his launching a solo career in 1978.

Louder magazine calls Rea “rock’s ultimate survivor”, given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness. He has produced 25 solo albums, with several from his later blues period – such as Blue Guitars (2005) – having multiple discs. British Hit Singles & Albums says that Rea was “one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s” and “already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10 with the release of the [1989] single “The Road to Hell (Part 2)…” his 18th chart entry.”[6] Two of his most successful studio albums, The Road to Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991), topped the UK Albums Chart. His other hit songs include “I Can Hear Your Heartbeat”, “Stainsby Girls”, “Josephine”, “On the Beach”, “Let’s Dance”, “Driving Home for Christmas”, “Working on It”, “Tell Me There’s a Heaven”, “Auberge”, “Looking for the Summer”, “Winter Song”, “Nothing to Fear”, “Julia”, and “If You Were Me”, a duet with Elton John. Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

Rea has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. This success earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, Working On It topped the Mainstream Rock chart. As of 2009, Rea had sold more than 30 million records worldwide.

1 – Let’s Dance – 1987
2 – Auberge – 1991
3 – The Road to Hell – 1989
4 – Fool (If You Think It’s Over) – 1978
5 – I Can Hear Your Heartbeat – 1983
6 – Josephine – 1985
7 – Loving You Again – 1987
8 – ‘Disco’ La Passione (with Shirley Bassey) – 1996
9 – Looking for the Summer – 1991
10 – Que Sera – 1988
11 – On the Beach – 1986
12 – It’s All Gone – 1986
13 – Stainsby Girls – 1985
14 – Julia – 1993
15 – Working on It – 1989
16 – All Summer Long – 1985
17 – God’s Great Banana Skin – 1992
18 – That’s What They Always Say – 1989
19 – Heaven – 1991
20 – Loving You – 1982
21 – Ace of Hearts – 1984
22 – Winter Song – 1991
23 – You Can Go Your Own Way – 1994
24 – Tell Me There’s a Heaven (re-issue) – 1994
25 – Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? – 1978
26 – Johnny Needs a Fast Car – 1994
27 – New Times Square – 1999
28 – The Blue Café – 1997
29 – Texas – 1989
30 – Stony Road – 2009

Thursday 3/3/22 3pm ET: Artist Countdown: Bon Jovi Top 30 Hits

Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John Such quit the band in 1994, and longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013. The band have been credited with “[bridging] the gap between heavy metal and pop with style and ease”.

In 1984 and 1985, Bon Jovi released their first two albums and their debut single “Runaway” managed to crack the Top 40. In 1986, the band achieved widespread success and global recognition with their third album, Slippery When Wet, which sold over 20 million copies and included three Top 10 singles, two of which reached No. 1 (“You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”) Their fourth album, New Jersey (1988), was also very successful, selling over 10 million copies and featuring five Top 10 singles (a record for a glam metal album), two of which reached No. 1 (“Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You”). After the band toured and recorded extensively during the late 1980s, culminating in the 1988–1990 New Jersey Tour, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora released successful solo albums in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

In 1992, the band returned with the double-platinum Keep the Faith. This was followed by their biggest-selling and longest-charting single “Always” (1994) and the album These Days (1995), which proved to be a bigger success in Europe than in the United States, producing four Top Ten singles in the United Kingdom. Following a second hiatus, their 2000 album Crush, particularly the lead single, “It’s My Life”, successfully introduced the band to a younger audience, and the band considered this their comeback album. The band followed up with Bounce in 2002. The platinum albums Have a Nice Day (2005) and Lost Highway (2007) saw the band incorporate elements of country music into some of the songs, including the 2006 single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, which won the band a Grammy Award and became the first single by a rock band to reach No. 1 on the country charts. The Circle (2009) marked a return to the band’s rock sound. The band also enjoyed great success touring, with both the 2005–2006 Have a Nice Day Tour and 2007–2008 Lost Highway Tour ranking among the Top 20 highest-grossing concert tours of the 2000s and the 2013 Because We Can Tour ranking among the highest-grossing of the 2010s. After recording and releasing Because We Can in 2013, lead guitarist Richie Sambora left the band just before an April concert during the Because We Can Tour to spend more time with his family. The band released their thirteenth studio album, Burning Bridges, in 2015 which is their first album without Sambora. Bon Jovi continues to tour and record, as in 2016, Bon Jovi released This House Is Not For Sale, which hit No. 1 and was considered a strong record by the band and primarily reminiscences Bon Jovi’s history. They went on their most recent tour This House Is Not for Sale Tour supporting its album, encompassing 2016–2019. Their most recent album is called 2020, being released in 2020.

Bon Jovi has released 16 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums. They have sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling American rock bands, and performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The band received the Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004, and Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.

1 – Always – 1994
2 – This Ain’t a Love Song – 1995
3 – It’s My Life – 2000
4 – Keep the Faith – 1992
5 – Have a Nice Day – 2005
6 – Everyday – 2002
7 – Livin’ on a Prayer – 1986
8 – Blaze of Glory – 1990
9 – Bed of Roses – 1993
10 – Something for the Pain – 1995
11 – Bad Medicine – 1988
12 – Lie to Me – 1995
13 – We Weren’t Born to Follow – 2009
14 – Miracle – 1990
15 – You Give Love a Bad Name – 1986
16 – In These Arms – 1993
17 – Thank You for Loving Me – 2000
18 – Midnight in Chelsea – 1997
19 – (You Want To) Make a Memory – 2007
20 – Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night – 1995
21 – Misunderstood – 2002
22 – I’ll Be There for You – 1989
23 – All About Lovin’ You – 2003
24 – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1987
25 – Lay Your Hands on Me – 1989
26 – Born to Be My Baby – 1988
27 – Real Life – 1999
28 – Who Says You Can’t Go Home – 2006
29 – Living in Sin – 1989
30 – Welcome to Wherever You Are – 2006