List of Hot Country Singles number ones of 1974

Bobby Bare (pictured in 2017) had his only number one single in 1974.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1974, 41 different singles topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.^[1]

At the start of the year, the number one song on the chart was "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard, which had been at the top of the chart since the issue of Billboard dated December 22, 1973. Charlie Rich had the most number ones of 1974, taking five different songs to the top spot, followed by Dolly Parton, who had three solo chart-toppers and one in collaboration with her long-time mentor Porter Wagoner. Wagoner and Parton had achieved a string of duet hits since 1967,^[2] but "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" was their only number one as a duo.^[3] In 1973, Parton had taken the decision to end her working relationship with Wagoner, which served as the inspiration for the song "I Will Always Love You",^[4] one of her three solo number ones of 1974. In 1982 she re-recorded the song and it once again went to number one, making her the first artist to top the country chart with two different recordings of the same song.^[5] Wagoner and Parton's chart-topper was one of two male-female duets to reach number one in 1974, the other being "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone" by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn; all the year's other number ones were by solo artists.

Charlie Rich also spent the highest total number of weeks at number one during the year, spending eight weeks in the top spot with "There Won't Be Anymore", "A Very Special Love Song", "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore", "I Love My Friend" and "She Called Me Baby", all of which also crossed over to Billboard's all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100.^[6] "A Very Special Love Song" was the only song of the year to spend more than two weeks at number one on the Hot Country Singles chart. In June, Ronnie Milsap had his first number one with "Pure Love".^[7] He would go on to become one of the most successful country performers of the 1970s and 1980s, topping the Hot Country Singles chart 40 times.^[7] In the same month, Waylon Jennings reached number one for the first time with "This Time".^[8] Jennings would go on to become one of the mainstays of the successful outlaw country movement of the late 1970s and, like Milsap, is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.^[9][10][11] A third future Hall of Fame inductee to top the chart for the first time in 1974 was Bobby Bare,^[12] who achieved the only number one of his lengthy career in July with "Marie Laveau".^[13] Mickey Gilley, Billy Swan, Melba Montgomery and Billy "Crash" Craddock were also first-time chart-toppers in 1974.^{[14][15][16][17]} The final number one of the year was "What a Man My Man Is" by Lynn Anderson.

Chart history

Charlie Rich had five number ones in 1974.

Ronnie Milsap had the first of forty country number ones.

Billy "Crash" Craddock had one of the few chart-toppers to spend more than a single week at number one.

Dolly Parton (pictured in 2010) had four number ones, including one of her best-known songs, "I Will Always Love You".

See also

• 1974 in music
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. country chart

References