114th and Counting: Willie Nelson Extends His Stunning Chart Record with Latest Release ‘The Border’

Willie Nelson is one of the best songwriters in country music history. The Texas native is also a hard-working and prolific artist who regularly drops multiple albums every year. On May 31, Nelson released his 75th studio album and 152nd album overall. Yesterday (June 12) it became his 114th album to debut on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.

The Border is the third of Nelson’s albums to drop this year. Long Story Short, a live album featuring performances from his 90th birthday bash at the Hollywood Bowl dropped in April. Then, At Midnight: Willie Nelson dropped in mid-May. His latest, though was the first of the three to make the Top Country Albums chart.

[RELATED: Willie Nelson Releases 75th Solo Album: ‘The Border’ Track-By-Track]

Willie Nelson Extends Chart Record with The Border

For many artists, having an album debut on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart is a career goal. With all of the new country albums dropping every week, most artists would be thrilled to know theirs is in the top 100 being consumed by fans across the nation. Willie Nelson, though, had more albums debut on the survey than most artists will ever release.

The Border, which debuted at No. 50 on the chart after a fairly quiet release. Nelson didn’t do much marketing around the album and there was little to no social media buzz about it before it dropped. So, landing midway up the chart is a more-than-respectable debut.

Nelson already held the record for the most albums on the Top Country Albums chart. The Border only served to widen the gap between him and whoever holds the second-place spot.

He’s had 114 albums on the Top Country Albums chart. 53 of those releases have entered the top 10. 18 made it to the top of the chart.

Nelson’s last album to top the chart was God’s Problem Child from 2017. The collection spent a week at the top. Before that, his 2015 collaborative album with Merle Haggard spent a week at the top of the chart. The Border has a long climb to the top but has plenty of time to get there. Only time will tell.

Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for The Smith Center