You’ll Never Believe These Surprising Artists Who Never Had a No. 1 Hit

We assume our favorite musicians have many No. 1 songs, but many great artists go their whole career without landing the top spot on the charts. From famous Grammy upsets to artists who can’t seem to get past No. 2, these are the surprising artists who have never had a No. 1 hit. Not even the boss could get his song to the top (page 10).

1. James Brown

The Godfather of Soul had 90 songs crack the Billboard top-100 list, yet none made it to the No. 1 spot. The closest he got was No. 3 with “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in 1965, followed decades later by “Living in America,” which made the No. 4 spot in 1986. Brown’s first song on the top-100 list was “Try Me,” which ranked No. 48 in 1959.

Next: Knock, knock, knockin’ at the No. 2 spot