Garth Brooks Claims Top Album and Song This Week
All hail Mr. Brooks -- as the Garthman waves to us from atop both Billboard's country albums and country airplay charts.
His reigning album is The Anthology: Part 1, the First Five Years, which debuted last week at No. 2. His champion song is "Ask Me How I Know." It takes the crown after a 37-week climb.
Brooks' Anthology now stands at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 all-genres chart, the same place it debuted last week.
"Ask Me How I Know" is Brooks' 20th No. 1 single, his first having been "If Tomorrow Never Comes" in 1989.
The ageless Brenda Lee, who first charted as a pop artist in 1957, has this week's highest-debuting album. Her Jingle Bell Rock package rolls in at No. 32.
Also new is Gene Autry's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and other Christmas Classics (No. 40) and Jake Owen's Greatest Hits (No. 46). Autry was the first to score a hit with "Rudolph." He did that in 1949.
Seven albums return to the chart this time around. They are the Eagles' Hotel California (back at No. 5), Alan Jackson's Let It Be Christmas (No. 25), Brett Eldredge's Glow (No. 33), Lady Antebellum's On This Winter's Night (No. 42). Also, Elvis: Ultimate Christmas (No. 44), The Legend of Johnny Cash (No. 45), Tim McGraw's 35 Biggest Hits (No. 48) and Martina McBride's The Classic Christmas Album (No. 49).
There are but two new songs to report -- Shania Twain's "We Got Something They Don't" (No. 59) and Brandon Lay's "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers" (No. 60).
The No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 albums, in that order, are McGraw and Faith Hill's The Rest of Our Life (last week's No. 1), Blake Shelton's Texoma Shore and Thomas Rhett's Life Changes.
Rounding out the Top 5 songs cluster, top to bottom, are Luke Bryan's "Light It Up," LANCO's "Greatest Love Story" (last week's No. 1), Shelton's "I'll Name the Dogs" and Rhett's "Unforgettable."
And here's your final statistical stocking stuffer for the week: There are 14 Christmas titles among the current Top 50 country albums. Now get out there and buy every single one of them. The economy's depending on you.
