The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in Billboard magazine. Billboard biz, the online extension of the Billboard charts, provides additional weekly charts. There are also Year End charts.
The basic formula used to calculate the popularity of songs includes the combination of single sales, radio airplay, digital downloads, and streaming activity (including data collected from YouTube and various other video sites). Only the crème de la crème of music artists receives honorable mention on the national Billboard charts. Over the past years, several Mormon artists have held that honor.
In this article, only six of the Mormon artists who have made the national Billboard charts will be mentioned, along with some of their accomplishments in the music industry. For a more complete listing, please go to “The Ultimate List of Latter-day Saint Musiciansians on the Billboard Charts” on LDS Living.com.
Hilary Weeks
In 2011, with her album Every Step, Hillary Weeks became the first Mormon to ever reach Billboard’s Christian Albums Top 10 chart. In 2013, her album Say Love reached #9 on the Contemporary Christian Billboard Charts.
She made the following comments, “Breaking the top 10 on the Christian Billboard charts for a second time is an exciting surprise! For me, the most important word in the prior sentence is ‘Christian.’ It has only been in the last two years that I’ve been able to say that I charted on Billboard, but I’ve always been able to declare I am a Christian.” Her inspirational music video “Beautiful Heartbreak” from her Every Step album landed on five Billboard charts, including the #1 spot on the “Top New Artists Indie” chart and #6 on the “Top Current Contemporary Christian” chart.
Gentri
Gentri – the Gentlemen’s Trio – was established in June 2014. The group is comprised of Brad Robins, Casey Elliott, and Bradley Quinn Lever, all of whom are distinguished tenors. According to their official website, their music can be described “only as ‘Cinematic Pop,’ a fusion of lush, epic orchestrations coupled with rich, dynamic three-part harmonies.”
Their self-titled debut EP released on 31 March 2015, remained in the top 10 on two different charts for 10 consecutive weeks, including three weeks at the #2 spot on both the “Classical” and “Classical Crossover” charts. Their Merry Christmas album also garnered success with their mashup of “What Child Is This?” with “I Wonder As I Wander” earning them the #1 spot on Billboard’s “Hot Single” chart. They have recently released a full-length album called Rise.
Kaskade
Ryan Raddon is best known by his stage name Kaskade. He took his stage name from a nature book when he saw a picture of a waterfall and a co-worker agreed “cascade” was a good choice, but he later changed the spelling. Through the years, he has managed to achieve an astounding level of success, at times making as much as $200,000 per night.
He was voted America’s Best DJ 2011 by D.J. Times and Pioneer D.J. He was also voted America’s Best DJ 2013 by D.J. In 2014, Forbes ranked him as the No. 8 highest paid DJ in the world, raking in $17 million in that year alone. He’s had five songs reach the Billboard “Hot Dance Airplay” chart, including his #1 hits “Move for Me” and “I Remember.”
Jenny Oaks Baker
Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America’s most accomplished and beloved violinists. She received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School in New York City and her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Throughout her astounding career, several of her albums have ended up on Billboard charts, including Then Sings My Soul (2010), Noël: Carols of Christmas Past (2012), and Classic: The Rock Album (2014). Her 10th album, Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney, was nominated for the 54th Grammy Awards’ Best Pop Instrumental Album. Her upcoming album, Awakening, will be released at the end of April 2016.
Josh Wright
Josh earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. He earned a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Utah. He has released six albums, including Meditation, a collaboration with his wife (2015), My Favorite Things (2013), Josh Wright (2011), Gaspard (2010), The Complete Chopin Etudes (2003), and Josh Wright Debut (2000).
His self-titled album “Josh Wright” topped the Billboard Classical Traditional chart just three weeks after its release in April 2011. His album My Favorite Things reached #13 on the “Classical Albums” chart.
Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author. She is currently ranked number eighteen in the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records’ list of the most successful female musical artists of all time, and is well-known as the “Empress of Soul.” She is best known for her soulful recordings with the Pips on both the Motown and Buddah record labels.
Gladys has been in the music business for over 6 decades. Over the years, she has had 28 albums and 35 songs reach the Billboard charts. In 1991, she released a successful solo LP, Good Woman, which hit #1 on the “R&B Album” chart and featured the #2 R&B hit “Men.” She has also won four Grammy Awards. In 2014, Gladys released a new solo album titled Where My Heart Belongs—a heartfelt mix of gospel and inspirational songs. Speaking of the album she commented, “This is my testimony. I wanted to remind people of Christ and what He’s done for us. We need to be reminded all the time of His grace, His mercy, His love, and the way back home.”
