On This Day in 1976, an Outlaw Compilation Becomes the First Country Album to Go Platinum

On this day (November 24) in 1976, Wanted! The Outlaws became the first country album to receive Platinum certification. The album, released by RCA to capitalize on the popularity of the Outlaw Country movement, featured Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser.

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Nelson and Jennings sent shockwaves through the country music world when they wrestled creative control from record label executives. This resulted in three consecutive classic albums from Nelson–Shotgun Willie (1973), Phases and Stages (1974), and Red Headed Stranger (1975). At the same time, Jennings released what is widely considered the first Outlaw Country album, Honky Tonk Heroes, in 1973.

[RELATED: On This Day in 2020, Country Music Lost the Outlaw Country Legend Who Was Covered by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash]

The releases helped establish the new country subgenre. At the same time, the albums’ sales numbers forced label executives to see the value in Outlaw Country. As a result, RCA producer Jerry Bradley contacted Jennings and asked if he would be interested in putting together a compilation album with other Outlaw artists. After some negotiations, Jennings agreed. The finished product contained seven previously-released songs and four new tracks, including “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.”

Outlaw Country Goes Platinum Thanks to Disco

RCA released Wanted! The Outlaws on January 12, 1976. It reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart on February 28. It retained the top spot for six consecutive weeks. Then, roughly ten months later, it became the first country album to receive Platinum certification. However, it wasn’t the first to sell more than a million copies.

The RIAA introduced Platinum certification in 1976. According to the association’s website, the popularity of disco led to a boom in music sales in the 1970s. As a result, more albums and singles were selling millions of copies. To match the quickly expanding market, the RIAA introduced Platinum for albums that sold 1 million copies or singles that sold 2 million copies.

The Eagles’ 1976 greatest hits collection became the first Platinum album. Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady” was the first single to obtain the new certification.

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