Carrie Underwood Feat. Randy Travis, “I Told You So”
In April 2009, this collaborative Underwood/Travis version of Travis’s 1988 hit peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Country Duets That Reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100
Written by djfrosty on September 8, 2023
Perhaps more than any other genre, duets have a deep, storied history within the canon of country music, with several men and women artist pairings crafting entire albums’ worth of duets.
But a select few have made strong showings on both the Billboard country charts and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. Most recently, Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves teamed up for “I Remember Everything,” included on Bryan’s new self-titled album. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving both artists their first Hot 100 chart-cresting hit (the song also reached the pinnacle of the Hot Country Songs chart).
Here, we look at other men and women duets that have risen to the upper echelons of the Billboard Country charts, as well as making it to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Artists including Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Eddie Rabbitt, Gabby Barrett and Florida Georgia Line make the list, but the late singer-entertainer Kenny Rogers towers when it comes to crossover duets.
Rogers was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, and earned 21 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart, ranging from 1977’s “Lucille” to his Alison Krauss and Billy Dean collaboration “Buy Me a Rose” in 2000. But early in his career, Rogers was earning pop music success as part of the group First Edition, including the 1968 Hot 100 top five hit “Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In).” So, it is no surprise that in the early 1980s, Rogers’ natural country-pop sensibilities stood out on a trio of hit duets that rose into the top 10 on the Hot 100, including one chart-topping track. These followed his 1980 smash hit “Lady,” written by Lionel Richie, which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was also a No. 1 hit on what was then the Hot Country Singles chart.
By the 1980s, however, the Hot 100 chart was already well-primed for such dual-chart successes, thanks to several (non-duet) Hot 100 chart No. 1s that also peaked on the Hot Country Songs chart in the 1960s and 1970s, including songs from Jeannie C. Riley, Freddy Fender, Glen Campbell, John Denver and Charlie Rich.
Here, we look at several collaborations by men and women artists that rose into the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, listed in ascending order of chart peak.
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Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle, “You and I”
In 1983, this duet from Rabbitt and Gayle climbed into the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 7. The song topped the Hot Country Songs chart.
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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, “It’s Your Love”
In 1997, these two lovebirds and hitmakers reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 with this sultry romantic ballad, while also spending six weeks at No. 1 on what was then called the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
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Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton, “We’ve Got Tonight”
Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton teamed up on this version of the Bob Seger-written song, which was previously included on Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s 1978 album Stranger in Town. In 1983, the Rogers-Easton version reached No. 1 on what was then called the Hot Country Singles chart, but also reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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Kid Rock Feat. Sheryl Crow, “Picture”
Sheryl Crow teamed with Kid Rock on this 2003 hit about love, loss and longing. “Picture” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song didn’t quite crack the top 20 on what was then called the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, as it peaked at No. 21.
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Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer”
This Rogers/Carnes duet reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1980, and rose one spot higher on the Hot Country Singles chart. The song also earned Rogers and Carnes a Grammy nomination for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal.
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Gabby Barrett Feat. Charlie Puth, “I Hope”
“I Hope” was a breakthrough hit for Barrett in April 2020, becoming her first No. 1 Country Airplay hit. That same year, Barrett teamed with pop star Puth for a collaborative version of the track, which reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 in November 2020.
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Florida Georgia Line Feat. Bebe Rexha, “Meant to Be”
This FGL/Bebe Rexha collaboration narrowly missed the pole position of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 2 on the chart in 2018. The song also spent 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
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Zach Bryan Feat. Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”
This song debuted at the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the chart dated Sept. 9, 2023. This marked the first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit for both Bryan and Musgraves.
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Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream”
In 1983, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton crested at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs chart with this enduring track that highlighted the effervescence and undeniable chemistry between these two thousand-watt personality entertainers. “Islands in the Stream” earned a Grammy nomination for best pop performance by a duo or group.