Did you know two of the top three best-selling musicians of all time are country music artists?
Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks trail only the Beatles in record sales.
Country music is one of the most popular genres in music, with its own set of stars, award shows, and hall of fame.
We used the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) list of best-selling artists, ranked by albums sold, to pick out the top 25 most successful country musicians of all time.
To qualify as a country star, a musician’s output had to primarily appear on country charts, or the artist had to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, nominated in the country genre at the Grammys, or have received nominations at country award shows like the CMAs or the ACM Awards.
Here’s who made the cut, from No. 25 to No. 1.
25. Hank Williams Jr. — 19.5 million units
24. Luke Bryan — 20 million units
23. Brooks & Dunn — 21.5 million units
22. Carrie Underwood — 22.5 million units
21. Jimmy Buffett — 23 million units
19 (tie). Kid Rock — 23.5 million units
19 (tie). Johnny Cash — 23.5 million units
18. Vince Gill — 24 million units
16 (tie). Toby Keith — 25.5 million units
16 (tie). Faith Hill — 25.5 million units
15. Linda Ronstadt — 30 million units
14. Willie Nelson — 31.5 million units
13. The Chicks — 33 million units
12. John Denver — 33.5 million units
11. Kenny Chesney — 37 million units
9 (tie). Tim McGraw — 41 million units
9 (tie). Reba McEntire — 41 million units
8. Alan Jackson — 44.5 million units
7. Kenny Rogers — 47.5 million units
6. Shania Twain — 48 million units
5. Alabama — 49 million units
4. George Strait — 69.5 million units
3. Taylor Swift — 110 million units
2. Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units
1. Garth Brooks — 162 million units
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