The Decade in Gospel Charts: Hezekiah Walker Deserves ‘Praise’ and Tamela Mann Is ‘Best’
Hezekiah Walker's "Every Praise" reigns as the No. 1 hit for the 2010s on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart, while Tamela Mann's Best Days leads the decade's Top Gospel Albums review.
Hezekiah Walker‘s “Every Praise” reigns as the No. 1 hit for the 2010s on Billboard‘s Hot Gospel Songs chart, while Tamela Mann‘s Best Days leads the decade’s Top Gospel Albums review.
As the 2010s come to a close, Billboard has compiled 30 charts encompassing the decade, including the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200 and those covering Christian and gospel; all-genre streaming, radio airplay and song sales; all-genre social and touring activity; and the top songs and albums in country, rock, Latin and dance/electronic. (See below for decade-end chart methodologies.)
WORTHY ‘PRAISE’
“Every Praise” became Walker’s second of three Hot Gospel Songs leaders to date, topping the tally for 26 weeks beginning in August 2013. Overall, it spent 102 weeks on the survey, its longevity on the list helping spark its No. 1 ranking for the decade.
“Won’t He Do It” by Koryn Hawthorne, a finalist on NBC’s The Voice in 2015, is the decade’s No. 2 track on Hot Gospel Songs. It hit No. 1 for its first of 41 weeks on top in March 2018, and stands as the longest-leading hit by a female act in the chart’s history, which dates to 2005.
J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise’s “You Deserve It” places at No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs for the decade, having led the list for 26 weeks starting in February 2017.
Mann’s “Take Me to the King” ranks at No. 4 for the past 10 years on Hot Gospel Songs, after it ruled for 25 weeks starting in September 2012, while Kirk Franklin‘s “Wanna Be Happy?” wraps at No. 5. “Happy” dominated for 45 weeks beginning in September 2015, a No. 1 residence second only to Marvin Sapp‘s “Never Would Have Made It” (46 weeks, 2007-08) in the chart’s archives.
‘BEST’ IS BEST
Mann’s third studio album, Best Days, is No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums for the 2010s, having led the list for 30 weeks beginning in September 2012 and spent 296 weeks on the chart so far. Mann’s first of two No. 1 sets includes “Take Me to the King.”
Tasha Cobbs’ Grace owns the No. 2 spot for the decade on Top Gospel Albums, as the EP ruled for two weeks in 2014 and has tallied 294 total weeks to date.
Travis Greene‘s The Hill, from 2015, ranks at No. 3 on the recap, thanks to a two-week reign and 209 frames on the survey; Cobbs’ 2015 release One Place: Live ranks at No. 4, following its six-week command among 219 total weeks; and Playlist: The Very Best of Marvin Sapp, from 2011, is No. 5, having reached No. 3 and totaled 225 weeks on the chart, and counting.
TOP ARTISTS: STAY TUNED!
For overall Top Artists and genre-specific artist recaps, including Top Gospel Artists, acts ranked Nos. 11 through 50 on each are viewable in our decade-end charts menu, while those at Nos. 10 through 6 will be revealed monthly leading up to the Billboard Music Awards, airing live on NBC on April 29, 2020, when No. 1 for each category will be announced from among five remaining finalists.
How We Charted the Decade: Billboard‘s decade-end recaps encompass chart performance from Dec. 5, 2009, through Sept. 28, 2019 (except for those for the Social 50, which began on Dec. 11, 2010, and Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and Streaming Songs, each of which launched on Jan. 26, 2013).
On the decade-end Hot Gospel Songs and Top Gospel Albums recaps, titles are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 on weekly charts earning the greatest value and weeks at lower positions earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology and title turnover rates over the decade, certain periods were weighted differently.
Top Artists recaps are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all their chart entries. Specifically, the overall Top Artists category ranks the best-performing artists based on activity on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and the Billboard 200 albums tally, as well as social media data and touring revenue from Billboard Boxscore, while genre-focused Top Artists rankings blend acts’ decade-spanning performance on each genre’s main song and album charts (such as, for gospel, Hot Gospel Songs and Top Gospel Albums).
Billboard‘s decade-end touring charts are based on Billboard Boxscore data for performances between Dec. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2019.
More From Pro
