Most US No.1s for a family of musicians

The Jackson family (USA) have scored 13 No.1 albums on the Billboard 200 and 27 No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The Jackson 5 – Jackie (b. 1951), Tito (b. 1953), Jermaine (b. 1954), Marlon (b. 1957) and Michael (1958-2009) – scored four No.1s with their first four chart entries in 1970: “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There”. Michael the solo artist took six albums to No.1 between Thriller in 1983 and This Is It in 2009 and had 13 No.1 singles between “Ben” in 1972 and “You Are Not Alone” in 1995 (total excludes the USA for Africa charity collective in 1985). Finally, Janet (b. 1966) has scored seven No.1 albums – between Control in 1986 and Unbreakable in 2015 – and 10 No.1 singles – between “When I Think of You” in 1986 and “All for You” in 2001 – during her career. Rebbie (b. 1950), La Toya (b. 1956) and Randy (b. 1961) are the only Jackson siblings without a No.1 album on the Billboard 200 or a No.1 hit on the Hot 100.

The Carters – Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter (b. 1969) and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (b. 1981) – are closing in on the Jacksons’ 40 No.1 albums and singles. As of 6 February 2022, the husband-and-wife duo had notched up a total of 37 chart-toppers: 22 albums and 15 singles between 1998 and 2020. Jay-Z’s 14 albums and four singles (including “Crazy in Love” with Beyoncé) are combined with Beyoncé’s eight albums (including two with Destiny’s Child) and 11 singles (including four with Destiny’s Child and “Crazy in Love”). If either performer fails to add to their tally of No.1s, there’s a new Carter in town who just might: Blue Ivy (b. 2012), who has already secured GWR titles for the youngest chart entrant (US) (“Glory”) and the youngest individually credited winner at the Grammy Awards – aged nine years 66 days in 2021. Twins Rumi and Sir were born in 2017 to the couple.

The Sinatras (Frank and Nancy; 5 albums and 13 singles (since 1940) – including “Somethin’ Stupid” together) and the Gibb brothers (Bee Gees and Andy Gibb; 3 albums – including Saturday Night Fever – and 12 singles) fall some way short of matching the chart-topping success of both the Jacksons and the Carters on the all-genre US albums and singles countdowns.

By weeks at No.1, the Jacksons lead the Carters by 147 weeks (67 for albums, 80 for singles) to 118 weeks (37 for albums, 81 for singles).