These four country albums were the most successful when they were first released and still have major appeal today. Whether you love old-fashioned country or the unique 1990s brand of country-pop, you’ve probably listened to at least one of these country albums and loved them.
Note: If we stuck to the absolute highest-grossing country albums of all time, this list would exclusively feature Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. So, we decided to mix it up a bit and only include Brooks’ and Twain’s top album, respectively.
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1. ‘Double Live’ by Garth Brooks (1998)
To this day, Garth Brooks’ 1998 album Double Live is still the most successful country album of the 1990s, if not of all time! The official US sale count for this stellar album is 23 million. It even peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at no. 1 for several weeks.
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2. ‘Come On Over’ by Shania Twain (1997)
This one isn’t too surprising. Shania Twain’s Come On Over was a huge hit when it was released in 1997, and it’s since pulled in 20 million sales. It also peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 for two weeks.
3. ‘Wide Open Spaces’ by The Chicks (1998)
Formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, The Chicks released Wide Open Spaces to great acclaim back in 1998. The record pulled in 13 million sales and peaked at no. 4 on the charts. It was the group’s first release under a major label and gained certified diamond status shortly after. It’s also considered one of the most iconic albums to mark the cultural change in country music towards country-pop in the mainstream market at the time.
4. ‘Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits’ by Kenny Rogers (1980)
Kenny Rogers’ 1980 release of his biggest hits did well when it was first released. It’s pulled in over 12 million sales and peaked at no. 1 for several weeks on the Billboard charts. It became 12 times certified platinum and is widely considered to be his most successful album release to date.
Photo by Paul Natkin
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