The Billboard Hot 100 has been tracking the most popular music in America for nearly 60 years. And while thousands of artists have succeeded to get a song on the list, barely 600 have managed to score a No. 1 hit.
To send multiple singles to the top of the charts is even more rare. In fact, only 50 artists have managed to have more than three singles reach the No. 1 spot in the history of the Hot 100.
To identify the artists with the most No. 1 hits, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed chart rankings going back to 1960.
Click here to see the artists with the most No. 1 hits.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
50. Roxette
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 5
> First chart topper: The Look (4/8/1989)
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49. John Denver
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 5
> First chart topper: Sunshine On My Shoulders (3/30/1974)
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48. Britney Spears
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 5
> First chart topper: …Baby One More Time (1/30/1999)
47. The Temptations
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 6
> First chart topper: My Girl (3/6/1965)
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46. The Beach Boys
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 6
> First chart topper: I Get Around (7/4/1964)
45. Bon Jovi
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 8
> First chart topper: You Give Love A Bad Name (11/29/1986)
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44. Cher
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 9
> First chart topper: Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves (11/6/1971)
43. Jackson 5
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 10
> First chart topper: I Want You Back (1/31/1970)
42. Blondie
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 10
> First chart topper: Heart Of Glass (4/28/1979)
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41. Lionel Richie
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 12
> First chart topper: Truly (11/27/1982)
40. Bobby Vinton
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 12
> First chart topper: Roses Are Red (My Love) (7/14/1962)
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39. Justin Timberlake
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 12
> First chart topper: SexyBack (9/9/2006)
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38. Christina Aguilera
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 16
> First chart topper: Genie In A Bottle (7/31/1999)
37. Destiny’s Child
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 17
> First chart topper: Bills, Bills, Bills (7/17/1999)
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36. Olivia Newton-John
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 17
> First chart topper: I Honestly Love You (10/5/1974)
35. TLC
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 18
> First chart topper: Creep (1/28/1995)
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34. Jennifer Lopez
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 20
> First chart topper: I’m Real (9/8/2001)
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33. Nelly
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 23
> First chart topper: Dilemma (8/17/2002)
32. Adele
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 24
> First chart topper: Rolling In The Deep (5/21/2011)
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31. Boyz II Men
> No. 1 hits: 4
> Total weeks at No. 1: 34
> First chart topper: End Of The Road (8/15/1992)
30. Eagles
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 5
> First chart topper: Best Of My Love (3/1/1975)
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29. KC And The Sunshine Band
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 6
> First chart topper: Get Down Tonight (8/30/1975)
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28. Diana Ross
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 11
> First chart topper: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (9/19/1970)
27. George Michael
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 12
> First chart topper: Faith (12/12/1987)
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26. Prince
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 12
> First chart topper: When Doves Cry (7/7/1984)
25. Barbra Streisand
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 13
> First chart topper: The Way We Were (2/2/1974)
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24. Bruno Mars
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 16
> First chart topper: Just The Way You Are (10/2/2010)
23. Taylor Swift
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 18
> First chart topper: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (9/1/2012)
22. The 4 Seasons
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 18
> First chart topper: Sherry (9/15/1962)
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21. Eminem
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 25
> First chart topper: Lose Yourself (11/9/2002)
20. Beyoncé
> No. 1 hits: 5
> Total weeks at No. 1: 36
> First chart topper: Crazy In Love (7/12/2003)
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19. Daryl Hall John Oates
> No. 1 hits: 6
> Total weeks at No. 1: 14
> First chart topper: Rich Girl (3/26/1977)
18. Phil Collins
> No. 1 hits: 6
> Total weeks at No. 1: 14
> First chart topper: Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (4/21/1984)
17. Paula Abdul
> No. 1 hits: 6
> Total weeks at No. 1: 15
> First chart topper: Straight Up (2/11/1989)
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16. Paul McCartney
> No. 1 hits: 6
> Total weeks at No. 1: 22
> First chart topper: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (9/4/1971)
15. Stevie Wonder
> No. 1 hits: 7
> Total weeks at No. 1: 11
> First chart topper: Superstition (1/27/1973)
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14. Elvis Presley
> No. 1 hits: 7
> Total weeks at No. 1: 20
> First chart topper: A Big Hunk O’ Love (10/8/1959)
13. Janet Jackson
> No. 1 hits: 7
> Total weeks at No. 1: 21
> First chart topper: When I Think Of You (10/11/1986)
12. Elton John
> No. 1 hits: 7
> Total weeks at No. 1: 26
> First chart topper: Crocodile Rock (2/3/1973)
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11. The Rolling Stones
> No. 1 hits: 8
> Total weeks at No. 1: 17
> First chart topper: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (7/10/1965)
10. Bee Gees
> No. 1 hits: 9
> Total weeks at No. 1: 27
> First chart topper: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (8/7/1971)
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9. Katy Perry
> No. 1 hits: 9
> Total weeks at No. 1: 33
> First chart topper: I Kissed A Girl (7/5/2008)
8. Usher
> No. 1 hits: 9
> Total weeks at No. 1: 47
> First chart topper: Nice & Slow (2/14/1998)
7. The Supremes
> No. 1 hits: 11
> Total weeks at No. 1: 20
> First chart topper: Where Did Our Love Go (8/22/1964)
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6. Whitney Houston
> No. 1 hits: 11
> Total weeks at No. 1: 31
> First chart topper: Saving All My Love For You (10/26/1985)
5. Rihanna
> No. 1 hits: 11
> Total weeks at No. 1: 43
> First chart topper: SOS (5/13/2006)
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4. Michael Jackson
> No. 1 hits: 12
> Total weeks at No. 1: 31
> First chart topper: Ben (10/14/1972)
3. Madonna
> No. 1 hits: 12
> Total weeks at No. 1: 32
> First chart topper: Like A Virgin (12/22/1984)
2. Mariah Carey
> No. 1 hits: 18
> Total weeks at No. 1: 79
> First chart topper: Vision Of Love (8/4/1990)
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1. The Beatles
> No. 1 hits: 20
> Total weeks at No. 1: 59
> First chart topper: I Want To Hold Your Hand (2/1/1964)
Detailed Findings & Methodology
The artists on our list have reached the top of the charts in every decade since the 1950s. Several of the artists who rank higher up on the list are more recent, however, despite being younger and having less time to release music. Fourteen of the 50 artists had their first No. 1 hit in the last two decades. Taylor Swift is the artist with the most recent No. 1 on the list with “Look What You Made Me Do.” The song topped the charts approximately four months after Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like,” the second most recent No. 1 by an artist on the list.
The musicians with the most No. 1 hits are not necessarily the same as those who spend the most time with a top single. Mariah Carey doesn’t have the most No. 1 hits, yet she has spent more time in that position than anyone else at 79 weeks. Usher – who had his first chart topping hit, “Nice & Slow” in 1998 – has spent a total of 47 weeks in the No. 1 position, the third most among all artists. Yet seven musicians have released more chart-toppers.
Certain artists had No. 1 hits as both solo artists and part of a music group, but such hits were not necessarily combined on our list. For example, Beyoncé is on the list and so is her former group, Destiny’s Child. Similarly, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 both appear on the list, as does Paul McCartney and The Beatles. However, a number of hits by Paul McCartney and Wings were attributed to Paul McCartney.
To identify the artists with the most No. 1 hits, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Billboard Hot 100 rankings going back to August 1960. In cases where artists have the same number of No. 1 hits, the artist who spent more overall weeks in the No. 1 position was given the higher rank. In some cases, ties still remain. Collaborative tracks were attributed to the primary artist or whichever artist released the album that the track appears on. Certain songs were attributed to artists if they appeared on their Spotify pages. For instance, songs released by Paul McCartney and Wings were attributed simply to Paul McCartney. Similarly, songs released under Prince and the Revolution and Prince and the N.P.G. were tallied under Prince.
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