Max Martin has overtaken George Martin for the most Hot 100 No. 1s produced in the chart's history, reaching 29 compared to George Martin's 25, according to updated figures from Billboard's charts department and Fred Bronson's The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, current through the chart dated Oct. 10, 2026. Max Martin's run as a producer stretches from Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" in 1999 to the more recent "Hate That I Made You Love Me."
George Martin's legacy remains tied closely to The Beatles, who hold the record for most Hot 100 No. 1s by any recording artist with 20. He produced 19 of those 20 — the lone exception being the group's final chart-topper, 1970's "The Long and Winding Road," which Phil Spector produced instead. George Martin's other four No. 1s as a producer came from America's "Sister Golden Hair" (1975), Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's "Ebony and Ivory" (1982), McCartney and Michael Jackson's "Say, Say, Say" (1983-84), and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997-98).
As songwriters, McCartney and John Lennon still dominate the all-time list thanks to their combined Beatles and solo output. McCartney leads with 32 Hot 100 No. 1s written, while Lennon sits third with 26. Max Martin ranks second as a writer with 31, a tally built from "...Baby One More Time" through Taylor Swift's "Patient Zero."
Among artists, Mariah Carey remains the top soloist and second overall behind The Beatles, with 19 Hot 100 No. 1s. Her numbers got a boost when "All I Want for Christmas Is You" finally reached No. 1 in December 2019, 25 years after its release. Carey also has 18 No. 1s as a writer and 15 as a producer; her only chart-topper she didn't help write is her 1992 cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There."
Other key names on the list include Barry Gibb, whose total includes the Bee Gees' nine No. 1s, seven of which were also produced by Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, who additionally helped produce all three of Andy Gibb's chart-toppers alongside Gibb. James "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Lewis cowrote and coproduced 14 No. 1s together, including nine by Janet Jackson; adding George Michael's 1988 hit "Monkey" and Usher's 2001 song "U Remind Me" brings their producer total to 16, while cowriting Carey's 1996 hit "Always Be My Baby" gives them 15 as writers.
Motown's Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland also feature prominently, with Eddie Holland credited on 13 No. 1s as a writer. The trio wrote — and Brian Holland and Dozier produced — the first 10 of The Supremes' 12 total No. 1s during the 1960s.
A special mention also goes to Steve Sholes, who doesn't appear on the main rankings but produced 10 No. 1s by Elvis Presley on the Hot 100's predecessor charts between 1956 and 1958, along with six of Presley's seven Hot 100 chart-toppers after the survey began.
Photo: United Press International, photographer unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
