THE Home Counties country combination of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, alias The Shires, has made chart history by becoming the first British country act to enter the UK Official Albums Chart’s top 10.

Not surprisingly, last month’s groundbreaking feat with debut album Brave has led to Wednesday’s third appearance at Pocklington Arts Centre inside 10 months selling out on the closing night of the burgeoning duo’s spring tour.

However, The Shires are to return to Pock on July 18 on day three of the Platform Music & Comedy Festival at The Old Station, where they will join Bellowhead, The Magic Numbers, Stornoway, David Ford, Buffalo Skinners and more besides.

Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot greeted The Shires’ entry at number 10 by saying: “This is a fantastic feat by this young British country duo. No country act has ever made this kind of impact on the chart before; it is truly remarkable.”

BBC Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris enthused: “I’ve been doing the country show for 15 years now, and in the whole of that time I’ve never known things to be quite as exciting as they are today. Country is now appealing to a completely new, young generation.”

Crissie and Ben, from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire respectively, heard the news of their success as they played the Country 2 Country country music festival at The O2 in London. “There wasn’t the expectation that we’d make the top 10, but that was the goal,” says Ben. “Everyone was working towards it, and we knew we’d be the first British country act to do it.”

Formed in 2013 when Ben made a Facebook appeal for a female country singer to join him, The Shires signed to Decca after a bidding war and also became the first British country band to be snapped up by a major Nashville label, Universal Music Group Nashville. However, they are quick to stress they are not overnight sensations. “We don’t want to be known as just springing out of nowhere, because behind the scenes, we’d worked really hard,” says Crissie. “We’ve done our legwork, and the two of us finding each other has just worked.”

Both 26, Crissie and Ben are inspired by the old-school workmanship of the best modern country songwriters. “When I was growing up, I loved big songs,” says Ben. “Generally ballads, but quite structured, really well-written songs with that big pay-off line at the end of the chorus. I never really realised that was country.”

Ben had ten years of paying his dues as a solo singer-songwriter and Crissie had years of experience on the live circuit before she replied to his Facebook plea and came round the next day, whereupon they discovered an instant chemistry. All paths led to Nashville, then Sweden for further recording work, and onwards to the release of Brave, an album whose title has been chosen carefully. “We had a few in mind, like Made In England, but we thought that might alienate people,” says Ben. “Not to say that it was made in Nashville and Sweden and not in England,” says Crissie.

“We’ve always said it’s quite a brave move to be doing country, so Crissie said, ‘why not call it Brave?’,” says Ben. “And she came up with the name of The Shires, so it’s 2-0 to Crissie.”

The duo had clicked instantly. “Right from day one, we’d each found another person who loved country music and had the same goals,” says Crissie. “It was a really exciting time. The first day we met, we sat and played country songs and Ben played me his songs too and I was really struck by them.”

“I don’t think we’d found ourselves as artists until we came together, as it hadn’t really worked out for me as a solo artist,” says Ben. “But now it’s all fallen into place, just by doing things naturally.”

The instant bond filtered into the songwriting. “When we write, sometimes it feels like a conversation, like the song I Just Wanna Love You,” says Ben.”There’s no magical formula. We just write how we feel. That’s the thing about country: it has honesty and that’s why people like us, as we’ve been strong in putting a British spin on it. We think country is about honest, confessional songs; in America they think of the rhinestone stereotype...

... “Which people still think of as country,” says Crissie. “But the thing that hit home to me is that the UK country audience seems to be changing. They don’t feel they have to wear the Stetsons to be into country.

“Initially it was a surprise to see so many young people getting into country music, but I think Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift have had a big impact.”

Ben concurs: “Country has changed hugely. Nashville is not as insular as it once was. There’s now a really broad range of people working there, and they’re singing about things we can all relate to.”

The Shires, like many before, write of love and loss and the promise of a good time at the weekend. They know that love in particular makes the world of music go round. “That’s why we chose How Many Love Songs as the closing song on the album,” says Crissie. “I think it sums up that Ben and I really love a ballad, a soppy love song! We definitely have a few on the album. We just thought that was a nice one to end with.”

As The Shires for from strength to strength, they have another landmark on the horizon. On June 6, they will play the Grand Ole Opry. Nashville, the British are coming.

• The Shires play Pocklington Arts Centre on Wednesday, 8pm, sold out. The Pocklington Platform Music and Comedy Festival runs from July 16 to 18; box office, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk