George Birge’s rookie solo hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, “Mind on You,” hits the top 10, rising to No. 10 on the survey dated Nov. 18. It drew 19 million audience impressions, up 6%, Nov. 3-9, according to Luminate.
Birge, who is based in Nashville and originally from Austin, Texas, is formerly half of the duo Waterloo Revival, with Cody Cooper. The pair released two singles on Big Machine Records, “Hit the Road” and “Bad for You,” which reached Nos. 51 and 52, respectively, on Country Airplay in 2015. Birge signed his solo deal with RECORDS Nashville in June 2021.
“Mind on You,” which Birge co-wrote with Colt Ford and Michael Tyler, marks the first freshman entry to reach the Country Airplay upper tier since Megan Moroney’s “Tennessee Orange,” which hit No. 4 in June.
Among solo men before Birge, Corey Kent last sent a first Country Airplay hit to the top 10 with “Wild as Her,” which climbed to No. 3 in May.
Not Their First ‘Rodeo’
Garth Brooks and Ronnie Dunn’s “Rodeo Man” arrives on Country Airplay at No. 26 with 6.6 impressions after four days of airplay. Dunn is, of course, half of Brooks & Dunn with another notable Brooks, Kix Brooks.
The single arrived Nov. 6 and was helped by hourly plays that day on participating iHeartMedia stations. It’s the lead single from Brooks’ new album, Time Traveler, which was released Nov. 7 as part of his latest Limited Series collection. The seven-disc set was issued exclusively through Bass Pro Shops.
“Rodeo Man” marks Dunn’s 10th solo Country Airplay entry and highest entrance. Brooks banks his 93rd career title on the survey, the third-most dating to the chart’s January 1990 inception, after George Strait (100) and Kenny Chesney (96).
Another Ride for ‘Pickup Man’
Also entering Country Airplay is the late Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man,” featuring Post Malone, at No. 56 with 826,000 audience impressions. The original by Diffie became his fourth of five leaders in December 1994. In one of the highlights of the 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards (Nov. 8), HARDY, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen performed “Pickup Man” in a medley after HARDY and Wallen sang “John Deere Green,” a No. 5 hit for Diffie in March 1994.
Diffie and Post Malone’s virtual-duet “Pickup Man” (with Diffie’s vocals recorded in 2006) and Wallen and HARDY’s version of “John Deere Green” were both released Nov. 9, and preview HARDY’s full Diffie tribute Hixtape Vol. 3: Difftape, due March 29.
Diffie passed away on March 29, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. He was 61.
Pop star Post Malone makes his first appearance on Country Airplay. He boasts 10 No. 1s on the Rhythmic Airplay chart and five leaders on Pop Airplay, among other chart achievements.
All Nov. 18-dated Billboard charts will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
