Chris Young photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

When Chris Young hit No. 1 this week with “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” the honor recognized his single as the most-played country release across the U.S.

That’s a big event for the moment, but it means even more to him because of its historical value. Chris expects to get a plaque for the accomplishment that he can hang as a permanent reminder at home. But when he made his first visit to his record company, he saw a long line of No. 1 wall decorations for the likes of Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood, and that helped him recognize that he was in a new league as an artist.

If that wasn’t enough, some of the other acts that record for the Sony BMG labels have expressed their congratulations, making the last few days a little overwhelming. The first instance came when Chris called a record executive from baggage claim at the Nashville Airport.

“[He] was in the process of tellin’ me congrats on it,” Chris notes. “He goes, ‘Hang on! Somebody wants to talk to you.’ [He] hands the phone to someone [who] proceeds to start talkin’ about when he got his first No. 1. He was like, ‘Man, I remember, I was in Puerto Rico, and no one knew what I was doin’ there, nobody knew my song. This one guy recognized it, startin’ freakin’ out about it.’ And he said, ‘I just wanted to tell you congrats on your first No. 1,’ and it was Kenny Chesney. So that was pretty cool!”

But it wasn’t the only time he heard from a label mate.

“Within 36 hours,” Chris continues, “here I am in the [label office], Brad Paisley walks by and tells me congrats on the No. 1. So just how I found out and the people that I’ve seen since then has been really, really cool.”

One of the best ways to celebrate a No. 1 is to go out and play it live, and Chris has performances slated for six of the next seven days. The itinerary includes Kansas City; Lexington, Ky.; Maryville, Tenn.; Birmingham; Chicago; and Buffalo.

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