What recording artist had at least one top 40 hit for the most consecutive years?

In terms of popularity, he ranks with Elvis Presley and the Beatles among rock and rollers. Moreover, his longevity as an active recording artist surpasses both of them. In 1992, he broke Presley’s old record for the most consecutive years of Top 40 hits on Billboard’s singles chart, having been a continual presence in every year since “Your Song” debuted in December 1970.

Elton John had at least one top forty hit every calendar year from 1970 (beginning with “Your Song”) until 1999 (with “Written in the Stars”, a duet with LeAnn Rimes). (However, this methodology credits one late 1995 hit that extended into the January 1996 chart, and another single whose chart run covered both 1997 and 1998.) Whether John’s streak lasted 26 or 30 consecutive years depends on which criteria are considered; either figure would be the longest in chart history.