Can you name the artists with the most #1 U.S/U.K. singles?

created by Matt

Enter an artist in the box below
Correctly named artists will show up below
Answers do not have to be guessed in order
Sources: Billboard Top 100 and The Official UK Charts Company
Artists charting in a band and solo are counted separately. (ie. The Police and Sting)
Updated July 2011
Also try: Artists Who Hit #1 (2000s)

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Most #1 Singles Quiz

by Matt

Created Jan 8, 2009 in Music
Featured Jan 8, 2009
Game Plays 120,700

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	Aaron:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 20:43 GMT	44 points
	Interesting that each country's major import is the first on the other's list.

	Kicking222:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 21:08 GMT	11 points
	Very interesting, and slightly harder than I would've imagined (I got 15, which upsets me a bit as I should've had around 20). And I have to say this: I have literally never in my life heard of McFly. As Wikipedia now tells me, they have only existed for five years, yet already had fifteen songs reach the UK top 10 (fourteen top 5s, twelve top 3s). So I have to ask... what?! Who?!

	ske_kc:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 21:12 GMT	3 points
	With 14 answers right and 5 seconds left, in desperation mode I started to type Elvis Costello - got Elvis Presley by luck - duh.

	Booger:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 21:22 GMT	5 points
	Fun quiz! More time would be helpful. Lots of musicians to try to think of in 5 minutes.

	Barret:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 21:53 GMT	7 points
	How the F did I miss Elvis? Unreal. And if "Take That" has 11 #1's in the UK, I'm glad I'm American!

	ShepherdBook:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 22:01 GMT	4 points
	Great quiz - would like to see it extended. Surely there can't be that many artists with 7 or 6 number one hits...?

	Statto2:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 22:06 GMT	16 points
	Westlife's 14 number ones is a national disgrace made up of lame covers and bland original songs whose only saving grace is that they're too forgettable to become truly annoying. The Spice Girls may have been musically dire but at least they made an impression beyond girls of a certain age with questionable music taste! Weird how Elton John has sneaked up to 8 number ones in the UK - he only had 1 in his musical prime. While I'm being bitchy Mariah Carey's US figure is pretty shocking as I think she's only made about 3 decent tracks ever & Nilsson's version of "Without you" is vastly superior to hers - she has an amazing voice but uses it dreadfully. I'll get off my high horse & go to bed now!

	Tim Allen:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 22:18 GMT	9 points
	I was shocked that U2 didn't make either list and a little shocked at the last person on the U.S. list. I like him, I'm just shocked that he's done that well. And @Statto: Mariah Carey's pre-crazy days were fantastic. She's just gone a little nutso in the last decade.

	nhrafan:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 22:34 GMT	6 points
	i was shocked too u2 wasn't here. also, i just typed both the last one and the third-to-last on the u.s. side as a joke, not expecting anything. it definitely surprused me to see them.

	SongfromBohemia:	Jan 8th, 2009 at 23:05 GMT	4 points
	Mariah Carey?? Really?? headdesk

	davidr:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 00:47 GMT	6 points
	I have to say, I was surprised by the relatively large number of British acts in the US list and the small number of American acts in the UK list.

	[Deleted]:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 00:48 GMT	4 points
	So, let me get this straight. Led freaking Zeppelin has not had 8 hits in either the US or the UK, but George Michael has?

	chronosaurus:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 01:20 GMT	-1 points
	Yeah, it's mind blogging the kind of names that are missing... and it gets worse, among the ones who missed the cut in the US is, with "only" 6 Paula Abdul... YES, PAULA F****** ABDUL. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_artists_who_reached_number_one_in_the_United_States

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	turkishchick:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 02:37 GMT	2 points
	16/26 yikes. I kept searching for the Doors, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra but I am proud to have found Take That,lol

	sammyhain2364:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 02:41 GMT	2 points
	Got 19 right which given the ones I missed makes my score pretty satisfying. Only missed Usher on the US side. Should have probably gotten Abba and Spice Girls on the UK side but not disappointing at all.

	chillicothe20:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 02:56 GMT	9 points
	why does presley give me elvis, but carey won't give me mariah? Drew Carey certainly isn't an answer...

	debbiedoesnothin:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 04:16 GMT	0 points
	I'm surprised that some of the American artists had more #1s in the U.K. than in the U.S. @Statto - Mariah Carey's once fabulous voice is gone. I think she's become a little bit lazy. Some work with a voice coach and she might get it back.

	JP17mets:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 04:43 GMT	8 points
	i cant believe this wont accept last names. after typing "john", "michael", "jackson" among others and being told none of them were correct, I was thinking there has got to be something wrong with this quiz. at least state that full names are required; i was thrown when "elvis" got accepted but no other partial names

	grant:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 05:41 GMT	3 points
	By my count (according to Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th edition), George Michael only has 7 #1 hits, two of which were duets ("I Know You Were Waiting For Me" with Aretha Franklin and Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" with Elton John). Trivial, I know, but worth noting. Great quiz nonetheless!

	OwenHerring:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 08:41 GMT	5 points
	@smacaskill: Led Zeppelin never released a single in the UK, and possibly not in the US either.

	davidr:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 11:44 GMT	2 points
	@Owen H.: Actually, they released a UK single (`Whole Lotta Love') in 1997 but, you're right that they weren't releasing singles in the UK during the main part of their career. They did release fifteen in the US but none got higher than number four.

	davebesag:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 11:46 GMT	4 points
	Got 15. As a Brit I knew that Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey had a lot of #1 from watching American Top 20 often about 15 years ago or whatever Casey Kasim used to present. In reply to smacaskill there's other acts missing i.e. Bowie, Police, Queen. The singles chart is not an accurate representation of long-term popularity (for example Jive Bunny who has three number ones).

	davidr:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 15:55 GMT	2 points
	@grant: Wikipedia also only lists seven solo #1s for George Michael in the US (and seven in the UK, too). I think the difference has come about because `Careless Whisper' was released under George Michael's name alone in the UK but credited to Wham! featuring George Michael in the USA. Sporcle has probably counted it as a solo hit in the US, as well, which I think shows that the distinction between a solo hit and a group hit is rather arbitrary — in this case, just the same record released in a different sleave!

	jessbowen:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 17:22 GMT	2 points
	I was surprised that Rod Stewart didn't make either list.

	Eleanor:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 20:56 GMT	3 points
	I was a bit surprised that the Beach Boys weren't in there

	worldleaderpretend:	Jan 9th, 2009 at 22:32 GMT	-1 points
	Can't believe that McFly have had 8 no 1s but i guess No.1 doesn't mean what it used to.

	chrismet:	Jan 10th, 2009 at 07:21 GMT	-2 points
	The UK list is pretty shameful. Westlife with 14 Take That with 11. Spice Girls with 9. McFly with 8. Though in the UK the Singles Chart did become something of a joke in the last 90s up until the last few years. I also found the fact that the UKs greatest musical export The Beatles had more US number ones and the greatest US musical export Elvis Presley had more UK number ones. Also that the Bee Gees have had 9 US number ones as I thought the Americans though that 'Disco Suck' ;)

	AdamL:	Jan 10th, 2009 at 16:56 GMT	2 points
	The late 90s early 00s in the UK were an embarrassment but basically it was very easy to get a band to number 1 with cheap CDs and huge promotions. Studios used to think getting a number 1 wouold boost album sales and they were probably right. In the late 90s there would be a new number one every week in the UK. Now downloads count, the chart is more respctable again.

	Tokyo_Sexwhale:	Jan 13th, 2009 at 16:44 GMT	3 points
	The Beatles were neck and neck with Elvis up until a few years ago, when a number of Elvis singles were released for one week only - four or five of them went straight to number one and then bounced out. Another of Elvis's number 1's was a remix of "A Little Less Conversation" which featured in a Nike(?) ad for the World Cup. When The Beatles finally get released on itunes - they may score more number 1s!

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	JohnJF:	Mar 27th, 2009 at 18:10 GMT	0 points
	I find it interesting how much of the British list never really crossed over in the US (and, with the exception of Oasis, I'm thankful of that fact). McFly is essentially a non-factor; Cliff Richard, Take That, and Oasis were essentially one-hit wonders in the US; and we basically regarded ABBA and Spice Girls as novelty jokes.

	MacZidane:	Mar 27th, 2009 at 23:55 GMT	2 points
	@Whole Lotta Sporcle - AC/DC actually have the UK record for the most number of hits without ever reaching the Top 10. I think their highest ever position was Number 12, but I can't remember the song, Heatseeker maybe.

	Bray:	Apr 17th, 2009 at 14:17 GMT	1 point
	Eminem currently has 7 number ones in the UK, and he could be on this list within a few weeks if the rapidly rising 'We Made You' makes number one.

	steve:	Apr 20th, 2009 at 04:41 GMT	0 points
	almost positive that Billy Joel is right up there in the US

	Zalx:	Apr 21st, 2009 at 11:40 GMT	4 points
	So, Presley and Carey give you a point, but Michael and John don't? Pretty annoyed on this one. Either have it one way or the other, but not a mixture of the two. Most other quizes accept last names, so my not this one!

	The_Snakes:	May 4th, 2009 at 07:42 GMT	2 points
	McFly have 8 number ones?

	Jiyuncat:	Jun 11th, 2009 at 02:54 GMT	2 points
	Westlife? Mcfly, you gotta be kidding me.

	tournavy:	Jul 29th, 2009 at 12:48 GMT	2 points
	Don't know for sure how this fits on the list, but Paul McCartney had 9 US number ones AFTER the beatles broke up. The tricky part is, they were with various bands, other artists, or solo: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, My Love, Band on the Run, Listen to What the Man Said, Silly Love Songs, With a Little Luck, Coming Up, Ebony and Ivory, Say Say Say