The Beatles and Robbie Williams are tied for the most No. 1 albums on the UK Albums Chart, with 15 each, with Williams equaling the legendary band's record with his 2025 Better Man soundtrack. The Rolling Stones are close behind with 14, followed by Elvis Presley with 13, and Madonna with 12.
This list shows the twenty-seven artists with the most number ones on the UK singles chart. American singer-actor Elvis Presley has most number one singles with twenty-one. English band The Beatles have the most number one singles for a band, with eighteen.
Here are the best-selling British and Irish artists of all time:
English band The Beatles and English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, have the most number one albums with fifteen. American musician Bruce Springsteen and Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue are the two solo artists to score a number one album in five consecutive decades.
100 Greatest British Artists Of All Time
"Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John is the best-selling single in the UK. The best-selling single in the UK is "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997", a double A-side released by Elton John following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Progression of most weeks at number one
The current record holder is "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey at 22 weeks, and the longest record held is "One Sweet Day" by Carey and Boyz II Men with 8,554 days. Ref.
#OnThisDay in 1972 – 9-year old Little Jimmy Osmond became the youngest artist to top the UK Singles chart when 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool' started a five- week run at No. 1 The single was also a hit in Australia where it peaked at No. 2 ➡️ soundod.com/december-23-in-music-history/
PPL can reveal that Dua Lipa was the most played artist across radio, TV and public places in the UK throughout 2024. It's the second time in five years she has achieved the accolade, having previously topped the chart in 2020.
Taylor Swift has surpassed Madonna to claim the title of best-selling female artist of all time in ChartMasters' global all-time ranking. The update places Swift fifth overall among all artists, just behind The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Queen.
Garth Brooks has received seven Diamond awards for seven individual albums from the RIAA for selling over ten million units each, a feat only he can claim, and is the No. 1 selling solo artist in U.S. history certified by the RIAA with over 138 million album sales.
Who is the most successful artist of all time?
Jay-Z has 14 number-one albums, tied with Drake for the second-most for a solo artist.
According to Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942) is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
Whitney Houston is the only artist in history to have 7 consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Brenda Lee Is The Oldest Artist To Hit No. 1 On The Hot 100.
There's no single "most popular song," as popularity varies by metric (sales, streams, cultural impact), but Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" holds Guinness records for best-selling single (physical copies), while The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is a modern streaming giant (Spotify) and Xiao Zhan's "Spotlight" is the top-selling digital single. For critical acclaim, songs like Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" often top 'greatest' lists, but ultimately, it's subjective.
The act that has achieved the most number ones is American entertainer Elvis Presley, who has topped the chart 21 times (including 3 re-releases of songs that had previously been number ones) – Presley's second number one, "Jailhouse Rock", was the first single ever to debut at the top of the chart.
Adele's comeback single "Easy on Me" broke Spotify's record for most single-day streams for a non-holiday song. "Easy on Me" earned a staggering 24 million streams in 24 hours on Spotify, dethroning BTS' infectious bop "Butter" when it debuted on October 15, 2021.
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, is one of the most highly acclaimed and successful solo artists of all time. Elton has achieved 1 diamond, 32 platinum or multi-platinum, and 21 gold albums, over 70 Top 40 hits, and he has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.
Oasis have the edge on the albums sold in the UK, but most of those were Morning Glory - Take That have sold more consistently, though with two more albums than Oasis released.