Countdown number 181 is in the books, with a busy and lively chart this week.

We’ve got two songs debuting on the countdown, along with nine returning favourites, based on the BluegrassToday airplay survey of the world’s most influential bluegrass DJs, conducted last week and published on Friday.

This week’s countdown features new and returning music from Billy Strings, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Trey Hensley, Milan Miller, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, and many more — plus a strong showing from independent artists alongside major bluegrass labels.

🔹 Longest-running song this week:
Shelby Means’ Streets of Boulder, now 18 weeks on the chart and already a two-time #1.

🔹 Big movers:
Rebekah Speer jumps from #20 straight into the Top 10.
Several songs continue to dominate the upper reaches of the chart, spending most of their time in the Top Four.

🔹 This week’s #1 song:
Buddy Melton – Blue Skies
Now in its ninth week on the chart, this marks its second visit to the top spot.

To round out the show, we also feature the Top 5 songs from the BluegrassToday Gospel Chart, adding nearly twenty minutes of uplifting bluegrass gospel from Authentic Unlimited, Ashleigh Graham, Nick Chandler & Delivered, Eighteen Mile, and a tie at #1 between Pitney Meyer and Jeff Tolbert & Primitive Road.

Hosted by Mike Kear, from Sydney, Australia.
Thanks for listening — and we’ll do it all again next week.

This week’s BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown is one of those charts that tells a bigger story.

We’ve got a returning number one, a long-awaited debut, and strong staying power across the board — with more than half the chart made up of songs that listeners and programmers keep coming back to. In fact, eleven tracks return to the countdown this week, proving that connection and longevity still count.

Along the way, we also take time to shine a light beyond the Top 20, with selections from the BluegrassToday Gospel and Grassicana charts — songs that broaden the picture of what’s resonating across bluegrass, Americana, and roots music right now.

From hard-driving tradition to thoughtful songwriting and gospel classics, this episode reflects the depth and diversity of today’s bluegrass world — all wrapped up in a chart shaped entirely by radio airplay.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the music.
Cheers
Mike Kear
Windsor NSW Australia

Welcome to Show #179 of the BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown, coming to you from Sydney, Australia.

This week’s program features:

• 🎵 All 20 songs from the BluegrassToday Weekly Airplay Chart played IN FULL
  
  
• 🎶 Plus seven additional tracks from the BluegrassToday Grassicana Chart played IN FULL
  
  

There’s plenty of movement on the chart this week, with:

• ✅ A brand new number one
  
  
• ✅ Two songs making their debut on the countdown
  
  
• ✅ Eleven songs returning to the chart
  
  

The countdown is based on the BluegrassToday.com radio airplay survey, published Friday evening.

Along the way, you’ll hear new music from Lydia Hamby and NewFound Road, strong climbers from The Infamous Stringdusters, Wyatt Ellis, and Alison Krauss & Union Station, and a dramatic leap to the top of the chart by Chris Jones & The Night Drivers.

Thanks for listening — and be sure to join us again next week for another look at what’s moving on the bluegrass charts.

This week’s edition is a little later than usual — thanks for your patience.

In this episode we count down the Top 20 bluegrass songs from the BluegrassToday.com airplay chart, plus a special feature on the Top 5 songs from the BluegrassToday Weekly Gospel Chart.

An unusual chart week too — for the first time in the history of this countdown there are no debut songs and no new #1, a reminder that strong songs can hold their ground when the field is tight.

You’ll hear music this week from artists including The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Billy Strings, Junior Sisk, Shelby Means, Milan Miller, Ashby Frank, Daniel Grindstaff & The Uptown Troubadours, Appalachian Road Show, Irene Kelley, Trey Hensley, and many more.

Along the way there’s background on the songs, the writers, the recordings, and the stories behind the music — plus a look at what’s happening across the bluegrass charts right now.

🎶 Also this week

We feature the Top 5 songs from the BluegrassToday Weekly Gospel Chart, highlighting some of the strongest current gospel releases being played on bluegrass radio.

🌐 Song list and extras

You can find the full song list in the BluegrassToday charts at BluegrassToday.com/chart for this episode.

📩 Get in touch

Questions, comments, or song suggestions are always welcome.
Mike’s email is bttop20@gmail.com

Thanks for listening — and enjoy the countdown.

— Mike Kear
Sydney, Australia

This week’s countdown is extended slightly with a couple of bonus additions to make up the running time.

🌿 Bonus Track — From the Grassicana Chart

Many songs from the Grassicana chart also appear on the BluegrassToday Top 20 — but this one hasn’t yet crossed over.

Sierra Hull – “Truth Be Told”
From the album A Tip Toe High Wire
Written by Sierra Hull

✝️ BluegrassToday Gospel Chart — Top 4

#3 – Becky Buller
“The Outlaw” (feat. Becky Isaacs Bowman)
Written by Larry Norman
From Becky’s covers album Songs That Sing Me (Dark Shadow Records)

= #2 (tie) – New River Bluegrass
“The Lamb, The Lion And The King”
Written by Gerald Crabb (Sound Biscuit Records)

= #2 (tie) – Daryl Mosley
“I Can Pray”
Written by Daryl Mosley (Pinecastle Records)

#1 – Corrina Rose Logston Stephens (Rrinaco) — Debut
“Angels From The Realms Of Glory”
Written by Henry Thomas Smart
From the new project Rrinaco (Rebel Records)

Episode 175 – Week of December 29, 2025

This week’s BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown reflects a very current and active bluegrass radio chart.

On this week’s show:

• A new number one song, completing a fast climb up the chart
  
  
• Four songs debuting on the countdown
  
  
• Six returning songs, back after time away
  
  
• The longest-running song has reached its 9th week on the chart
  
  

We also take time during the show to:

• Step aside from the countdown to feature Russell Moore, including a classic live performance from his years with IIIrd Tyme Out, before hearing him again in his current role with Alison Krauss & Union Station
  
  
• Look at interesting and unusual happenings on the BluegrassToday Weekly Gospel Chart, including a rare three-way tie for number one

This episode was produced in Sydney, Australia, and showcases the songs bluegrass radio is playing right now — from brand-new releases to established favourites.

Broadcast from Sydney, Australia — hosted by Mike Kear.

This week’s Countdown has a bit of everything — new chart debuts, strong movers, long-running favourites, and a couple of reflective moments along the way.

We include a short tribute to Joe Mullins, who is retiring from touring at Christmas. His latest single, “Lord I’m Thankful” (written by Larry Cordle and Larry Shell, released by Billy Blue Records), is almost certainly his final appearance on the BluegrassToday chart — a fitting and heartfelt way to mark the moment.

Part 1 ended up with a little spare time this week, which the tribute filled nicely, putting the segment just a few seconds over — exactly where I like it for pacing.

You’ll also hear the usual blend of stories, chart stats, and notes behind many of the songs.

If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend — and if your local station doesn’t carry the BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown yet, feel free to give them a nudge. Stations can contact me directly for syndication details.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy this week’s Top 20.

This week: A fresh #1, two former chart-toppers returning, and an unusually busy debut week — eight new songs entering the Top 20.
We also heard four picks from the BluegrassToday Gospel and Grassicana charts during our mid-show feature.

🔥 New #1 This Week

Blue Highway – Is Now the Time
Written by Wayne Taylor & Beth Snapp • Down The Road Records
Up from #2 last week.

📥 Eight Debuts

Artists who had songs entering the chart this week:
Bryan Sutton & Sierra Hull,
Alison Brown and Steve Martin,
Burnett Sisters Band
David Parmley,
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

🎧 Mid-Show Feature — Songs from Other BluegrassToday Charts
• Burnett Sisters Band – Lovesick Blues — #2 Grassicana
• Eighteen Mile – What Mercy Means — #3 Gospel
• Jeff Tolbert & Primitive Road – Heaven Is Waiting For Me — #4 Gospel
• Russ Carson – Father, Son & Holy Ghost — #4 Gospel (tied)