Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hey, folks, today marks American Idol’s 10th birthday.

The show first aired June 11, 2002, with Season 1, culminating in the coronation of Kelly Clarkson, whose success certainly helped make the show a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

How big of a force?

Well, Billboard today takes a comprehensive look at the 345 number ones credited to Idol contestants during the show’s first 11 seasons.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Kelly and Carrie Underwood are responsible for an awful lot of those chart-toppers (135, to be precise).

But you might be surprised to find out that William Hung turned a notoriously bad Season 3 audition into a two-week stint atop the independent album chart in 2004 when he released a CD called “Inspiration.”

And that Mandisa, who turned a ninth-place finish in Season 5 into a solid Christian music career, is tied with Jennifer Hudson for sixth place with most number ones (15), trailing Carrie, Kelly, Chris Daughtry and two other Idol winners.

And I had no idea that “Some Hearts,” Carrie’s debut album, was locked in the top spot on the country album chart for 27 weeks.

Anyway, take a look at the Billboard piece. It’s like a trip down memory lane, also listing every finalist who has charted since the show began.