Killing a few minutes before I leave work for the day, I was reading AC/DC's Wikipedia page. Today would have been original lead singer Bon Scott's 63rd birthday, had he not died from drinking too much. (Cautionary tale!)
Down in the Recognition section of the page, it stated:
In 2009 the Recording Industry Association of America upgraded the group's US sales figures from 69 million to 71 million, making AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US history and the ninth best selling artist, selling more albums than Madonna, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson.
That seemed pretty amazing to me -- AC/DC sold more albums in this country than Madonna? Or Michael Jackson? Granted, as a group they've been around since the mid-1970s, but Highway to Hell, their first big hit in the States, wasn't released until 1979. So they had, say, four or five years head start on MJ or Madonna. They were really popular at one point, and still are, and are still putting out albums every now and then, but still.
Curious guy that I am, I checked out the RIAA's page listing the best selling artists in America. Yep! They've sold roughly 8 million more alubms than Madonna, and 10 million more than MJ. What's way more interesting is who is listed above them.
The Beatles are #1, no surprise there, I guess. But #2? GARTH BROOKS. Oh, America, c'mon.
(Also: Billy Joel at #6? Barbara Streisand at #8?)
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