Will Wallen, Combs' Billboard success evolve country's history of mainstream acclaim?

For the first time in 42 years, two country singles are America's No. 1 and No. 2 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. Morgan Wallen's "Last Night" enters its ninth week on top of the countdown, while Luke Combs' cover of Tracy Chapman's 1989 Grammy-winning top-ten folk-rock single "Fast Car" rapidly ascends the mainstream pop charts to No. 2 after only three months.

This era's top-tier double-play advances country music's Billboard chart-topping history in a manner not seen in seven decades.

1955-1975: Country impacts pop and rock's emerging influence

Mitch Miller's "Yellow Rose of Texas" and Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" charted at different times in 1955 and ended the year at No. 3 and No. 13 overall. Elvis' status as a countrified rock-to-pop crossover act is notable, given that he achieved 18 No. 1 Billboard Best-Selling or Hot 100 chart singles between 1955-1969. Outside of Presley, the genre only rang the bell with mainstream and all genre No. 1 hits nine times in 15 years.

The influence of label executives and producers like Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley, Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton's development of the "Nashville sound" that ushered in the "Countrypolitan" era became significant at the same time British Invasion pop, Motown's sounds and hippie-era rock grew popular.

Reducing the influence of country's traditional fiddles, steel guitar and nasal-sounding lead vocals while increasing the presence of pop-aimed string sections, background vocals and crooning led to an era between 1970-1974 wherein, with the added influence of folk balladeers like John Denver, country's singers and songwriters achieved multiple chart-topping songs in just five years.

1975-2020: Country's mainstream pop appeal peaks, then fades

On May 31, 1975, Mexican-American country star Freddy Fender's cover of the country classic "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" hit the top of Billboard's Hot 100 charts. At No. 2 that week was John Denver's eventual No. 1 hit, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."

Fender's bilingual version having the ability to "occupy different worlds and different cultures" by blending "roots music and different styles" led to its success, The Dallas Morning News wrote upon his October 2006 passing.

"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" was one of six 1975 songs topping the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. Others were Denvcer's previously mentioned single and "I'm Sorry," plus "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B.J. Thomas, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell and "Convoy" by C.W. McCall.

With ten consecutive weeks on top of the charts, Debby Boone's 1977 ballad "You Light Up My Life" -- is still the genre's longest-standing consecutive-week No. 1 hit.

Boone, whose success bridged Christian, country and pop music, was the daughter of pop-chart icon Pat Boone.

Following Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love A Rainy Night" and Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" achieving the rare 1-2 punch in 1981, plus Kenny Rogers and Parton's Bee Gees-penned success with "Islands In The Stream" in 1983, the genre achieved chart-topping success only three times in 37 years.

In 2000, Lonestar's ballad "Amazed" was a No. 1 hit, while in 2019, Lil Nas X achieved contentiously-debated No. 1 success with "Old Town Road."

Also, 2000 was notable because, though it never was a No. 1 single for any week of the year, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's collaboration for "Breathe" came in at No. 1 on the Year-End Hot 100 Songs chart.

In the era between 1980-2020, the surge in pop-chart influence of unprecedented factors like music videos, European pop, heavy metal, plus the impact of house music and hip-hop culture, diminished country's power.

In a 2021 Nashville Scene interview, Spotify's Rachel Whitney noted that country music's desire to compete in the commercial pop market constantly influenced the genre's broadest-impacting musical aims.

2020-present: Country, via streaming's influence, rules the pop roost

"When the entire world was impacted by the same tragedy, people gravitated towards empathetic sounds that made them feel good and hopeful," singer Walker Hayes told The Tennessean. He was discussing why songs like his hip-hop styled pop-country track "Fancy Like," alongside other country songs by Combs, Wallen, Kane Brown, Jordan Davis, Chris Stapleton and Cole Swindell connected with people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Released in March 2023, Wallen's 36-track album "One Thing At A Time" "is definitely meant for those who have leaned in to what [Morgan] is doing," stated Big Loud CEO and co-founder Seth England to The Tennessean.

Unlike the "Countrypolitan" era's desire to move away from fiddles and steel guitar, 36-track albums in the age of streaming allow the genre to satisfy both traditionalists plus those looking for four decades of pop influences upon the sound.

Wallen's current hit "Last Night" errs in a much more non- "Countrypolitan" direction. However, as England continues, "[Wallen's] voice does not limit how far his talent can reach. He makes every genre sound like his own."

Combs' appeal is in blending the country's uniquely Southern, rural-feeling pop edge with the genre's well-worn traditions.

He's also not new to chart-topping acclaim, having seen 13 consecutive singles hit the top of Billboard's Country Airplay charts in five years.

His cover of Chapman's "Fast Car" would be his first Hot 100 No. 1 single.

If Hayes' thoughts about what is causing country's appeal to grow in the modern era hold true, it won't be his last.

At a May 8, 2023, concert in Pittsburgh, Combs stated the following:

"['Fast Car'] always [makes me] think about [spending time with] my dad. As soon as I could play guitar, I tried to learn how to play this song."

To Broadcast Music Inc.'s Vice President of Creative in Nashville -- and Owen Bradley's grandson -- Clay Bradley, country's pop-crossover run on top of Billboard's Hot 100 will continue for a much more significant reason.

"Fans don't care about genre anymore. Fans just want to hear the truth. For a century, nothing has told the truth like country music."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Wallen, Combs' Billboard success evolve country's history of mainstream acclaim?