Fittingly for a man with (almost) two identical names, Phillip Phillips joins an exclusive club of solo males who’ve taken their first two Adult Contemporary chart entries to No. 1, as “Gone, Gone, Gone” ascends 2-1. The 2012 champ of Fox’s “American Idol” led the list with “Home” for 12 weeks beginning in February.
Phillips is just the second solo male to arrive with back-to-back No. 1s since AC adopted Nielsen BDS data in 1993, following Josh Groban (2002).
Dating to the chart’s 1961 launch, only nine male artists have reached No. 1 in at least their first two visits:
Phillip Phillips
“Home” (2013)
“Gone, Gone, Gone” (2013)
Josh Groban
“To Where You Are” (2002)
“O Holy Night” (2002-03)
Aaron Neville
“Don’t Know Much”* (1989)
“All My Life”* (1990)
*Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville
Peter Cetera
“Glory of Love” (1986)
“The Next Time I Fall” (with Amy Grant) (1986)
Lionel Richie
(a record first five among all acts)
“Endless Love” (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie) (1981)
“Truly” (1982)
“You Are” (1983)
“My Love” (1983)
“All Night Long (All Night)” (1983)
Neil Sedaka
“Laughter in the Rain” (1974)
“The Immigrant” (1975)
Barry Manilow
“Mandy” (1974-75)
“It’s a Miracle” (1975)
Gilbert O’Sullivan
“Alone Again (Naturally)” (1972)
“Clair” (1972)
Dean Martin
“Everybody Loves Somebody” (1964)
“The Door Is Still Open to My Heart” (1964)
“You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You” (1965)
Shania Twain
is the last woman to start with a pair of AC leaders (“You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment On,” 1998), while
Wilson Phillips
(“Hold On,” “Release Me,” 1990) is the last group to earn such a double domination.