Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart
Beyoncé-Knowles Carter is now the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart after her single "Texas Hold 'Em" debuted at No. 1.
Her other single "16 carriages" hit No. 9 on the chart based on streaming, airplay and sales.
According to Billboard, the superstar now holds the No. 1 spot on seven of the outlet's charts: Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
And she is the first in many regards, including as the first woman to have topped both Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs since the lists' inception.
More:Beyoncé's 'Texas Hold 'Em' debuts on country charts, and it's a big deal
Black artists and country music charts
In 1944, Black male artists Louis Jordan and Nat King Cole topped Billboard's Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart, a country charts progenitor. Those charts covered "Hillbillies, Spirituals and Cowboy Songs."
By 1969, Charley Pride's "All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)" reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and Linda Martell's "Color Him Father" made it to No. 22.
Since then, a half-dozen Black men have reached the pinnacle of Billboard's country charts, while seven Black women have charted. The highest was Mickey Guyton, when her 2015 single "Better Than You Left Me" hit No. 34.
'Texas Hold 'Em' and '16 Carriages'
As fans know, Beyoncé shocked the world when she released two new country songs and announced a full "Act II" album during a Super Bowl commercial on Feb 11.
Within a week, her hit "Texas Hold 'Em" debuted at No. 54 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. On the streaming front, her songs began topping country music playlists and charts on Apple Music and Spotify almost instantly. On YouTube, she reached over 2 million views on each song in just two days.
The album is a part of a three-part project that includes her highly acclaimed "Renaissance" album.
"Act II" will be released March 29.
Contributing: Marcus Dowling
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
