On This Day in 1966, David Houston Was at No. 1 With One of the Biggest Country Hits of the 20th Century
On 14 August 1966, David Houston was No. 1 on the US Hot Country Songs chart with “Almost Persuaded”, a single that ultimately remained there for nine consecutive weeks. The achievement made it one of country music’s longest-running chart-toppers of the 20th century and established Houston as a major commercial force in the genre.
Written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, the song was Houston’s first No. 1 after several top-40 releases and was followed by six more chart leaders, including his 1967 duet “My Elusive Dreams” with Tammy Wynette. “Almost Persuaded” became widely recorded, while its nine-week run was not matched by another country No. 1 until Taylor Swift’s 2012 hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”; only Webb Pierce and Buck Owens had longer runs before it.
- David Houston’s “Almost Persuaded” led the country chart for nine weeks.
- It was among the century’s biggest country chart hits.
- The song later became a widely covered country standard.