ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Mark Wills (3 songs)

This Cleveland TN-native singer-guitarist had a brief career in the late 1990s & early 2000s.

#1
After breaking into the country scene with his debut release, 1996’s “Jacob’s Ladder” (#6), his 2nd single missed the Top 30, peaking at #33 (1996’s “High Low & In Between”). Then, 1997’s “Places I’ve Never Been” sparked a string of 6 straight Top 10s. This song was the 3rd of those; it debuted 07/18/1998 & spent 28 weeks on the charts, 2 of those at its peak position, #2 (should’ve been a chart topper, in my opinion, given its message). The 2nd song in the string was 1998’s “I Do” (#2, 2 weeks).

#2
This poignant song debuted 01/23/1999, spent 26 weeks on the charts & claimed #1, his 1st chart topper & 4th straight Top 10. That streak stretched to 6 with 1999’s “She’s In Love” (#7) & 1999-2000’s “Back At 1” (#2). None of his next 4 releases (2 in 2000 & 2 in 2001) cracked the Top 15, but 2 were close: 2000’s “Almost Doesn’t Count” (#19) & 2001’s “Loving Every Minute” (#18).

#3
Hitting the airwaves 10/05/2002, this song spent 34 weeks on the charts, 6 of those at #1. Be sure to watch this memory-making video! What cars do YOU see? For Willis, this was his last Top 10 & most-successful release. None of his last 6 releases cracked the Top 25, though 2 came close: 2003’s “When You Think Of Me” (#28) & 2003’s “& The Crowd Goes Wild” (#29).