Blake Shelton Ties A Country Music Legend–With Help From Post Malone

Blake Shelton at the 2023 CMT Music Awards held at Moody Center on April 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Blake Shelton scores his twenty-ninth No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, tying Tim McGraw for the second-most champions ever, behind only Kenny Chesney. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

Variety via Getty Images

Blake Shelton has been working his way steadily toward legendary status in the country music world for decades. He inches closer to that title this frame, as one of his most recent releases hits a very special new high–and its success helps him match a musician who is certainly referred to as a legend with some frequency.

“Pour Me a Drink” rules the Country Airplay chart this week. The tune lifts from third place to No. 1 on Billboard’s ranking of the most successful singles at country radio stations across the U.S.

“Pour Me a Drink” is fronted by Post Malone, and it credits Shelton as a featured artist. Malone relied on a number of high-profile collaborations with well-known figures in the country space, such as Shelton, to help grant his jump from hip-hop and pop into the genre legitimacy, and it worked brilliantly.

Malone collects his second No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. He led for the first time earlier this year with “I Had Some Help,” which introduced him to the country audience. That tune also stars Morgan Wallen, who may be the hottest hitmaker in the field at the moment.

“Pour Me a Drink” marks Shelton’s twenty-ninth career No. 1 on the Country Airplay tally. That’s one of the most impressive accumulations of winners of all time on what is known as one of the most competitive charts published by Billboard–especially when looking specifically at airplay.

Billboard reports that with his new No. 1, Shelton matches Tim McGraw on the list of artists who have reached the summit on the Country Airplay list most frequently. At the moment, the two musicians are tied for the second-most rulers ever, coming in behind only Kenny Chesney. That superstar is in the lead by four more chart-toppers.

“Pour Me a Drink” serves as the second official single from Malone’s first country album F-1 Trillion. Since it was selected as a promotional cut, two more songs have also been chosen for the same honor. Third single “Guy For That,” which features Luke Combs, returns to its No. 26 high point this frame on the Country Airplay chart.