Earnest Pugh Adds Fourth Gospel Airplay No. 1 With ‘Thank You So Much’
Earnest Pugh‘s “Thank You So Much” reaches the summit of Billboard‘s Gospel Airplay chart dated March 5, becoming his fourth No. 1. In the tracking week ending Feb. 27, it increased by 3% in plays, according to MRC Data.
Kevin Davidson wrote the song, and Michael Bereal and Keith Williams produced it.
“What an honor to, once again, sit at the top of Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart,” says Pugh. “While this is my fourth time in this seat of honor, it’s a very special moment because this song has been my post-COVID anthem and expression of gratitude after recovering from a near-death battle with COVID-19.”
The 55-year-old Pugh, who hails from Memphis, contracted the coronavirus in fall 2020, a battle that included a hospital stay.
Pugh last led Gospel Airplay with “God Wants to Heal You” for a week in July 2020. That song and “Much” mark his first set of back-to-back leaders on the list.
In 2010, Pugh’s first entry, “Rain on Us,” ruled Gospel Airplay for two weeks that March. He led again with “I Need Your Glory” for 13 frames starting in September 2011.
Pugh boasts one additional Gospel Airplay top 10, as “Survive” reached No. 9 in May 2018.
He has notched eight top 10s on Top Gospel Albums, including two No. 1s: Earnestly Yours, for two weeks in July 2011, and The W.I.N. (Worship in Nassau) Experience, for two weeks beginning in October 2013.
