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RIAA Releases Its "Artists Of The Century" List
The Beatles , who have sold 106 million albums in the U.S. alone, are the most successful recording act of the 20th Century, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA's "Artists of the Century" list is based on its sales-tracking Gold, Platinum and Diamond awards.
The Beatles are the only band to log Diamond Awards (10 million copies sold) for five albums, according to the RIAA. ''The Beatles'' (best known as ''The White Album''), ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,'' and ''Abbey Road,'' as well as the 1973 collections ''1962-1966'' and ''1967-1970,'' reached that plateau.
Garth Brooks , who has sold 89 million albums in the U.S. to date, is the most successful male artist. His ''No Fences'' and ''Ropin' the Wind'' are the two top-selling country music albums of the century, according to the RIAA. With a total of five Diamond-certified releases, Brooks tops all other solo artists.
Brooks amassed his astronomical sales numbers in less than 10 years, thanks in part to the aggressive re-packaging of his albums by his label, Capitol Nashville. For instance, Brooks and the label released ''The Limited Series'' in 1998, a low-priced, six-CD box set that contained his first six albums, each of which was re-mastered to include a previously unavailable song. During the initial marketing blitz, the label temporarily stopped replenishing orders for the six individual albums in order to spur sales of the box set.
Repackaging also helped the Beatles' sales figures. When Capitol Records re-issued the original Beatles albums on compact disc, it was the longer, uncut British versions that it pressed and released in the U.S.
Barbra Streisand , with nearly 69 million albums sold, was named the most successful female artist by the RIAA, logging 26 Platinum albums (1 million copies sold), and five of those have sold more than 5 million copies.
The Eagles ' ''Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975'' is the bestselling album of the 20th century with 26 million copies sold, barely edging out Michael Jackson's ''Thriller,'' which held the record from 1984 until last January. ''Thriller'' is the century's bestselling studio album by a solo artist, and Jackson also gets RIAA honors as the top pop artist of the century.
The bestselling single of the century is Elton John 's tribute to the late Princess Diana, ''Candle In The Wind 1997,'' with certified U.S. sales of 11 million copies. Number two on the list is Bing Crosby's ''White Christmas.''
Elvis Presley is the performer with the most Platinum (43) and Gold (80) albums. (Gold status is awarded for 500,000 copies sold.) ''Elvis' Golden Records,'' the bestselling album of the 1950s, and ''Elvis' Christmas Album,'' the 1970 adaptation of a 1957 holiday release, are Presley's bestselling albums, both with over 6 million copies sold. Elvis also leads the pack with 50 Gold-certified singles, 27 of which achieved Platinum status. Presley has sold 77 million albums in the U.S. since 1958.
In other categories, Alabama is the top-selling country artist of the century, and Reba McEntire is the top female country artist. Whitney Houston is the top female artist in the R&B category, with Boyz II Men taking top R&B-group honors.
Also recognized were Whitney Houston's ''The Bodyguard,'' which is the top-selling soundtrack album, and ''Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85,'' which is the top-certified live album and top-certified box set.
Boston's self-titled 1976 release is the century's top-selling debut album. ''In Concert,'' the 1990 release by the Three Tenors (Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti) is the top-selling classical album. Bob Marley & The Wailers' ''Legend'' is the top reggae title; TLC's ''CrazySexyCool'' is the top hip-hop album; and Kenny G's, ''Breathless'' is the bestselling instrumental album.
