Podcast:Best-Selling Debut Country Albums of the 90s
Country music saw a commercial explosion in the 90s and so many new artists came on the scene. What were the best-selling albums by debut artists? Find out in this episode.
9-Minute Listen
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The 90s brought on a commercial boom in country music. Artists could release an album and it would instantly turn to gold.
In this episode, I’m talking about the best-selling debut albums from country artists in the 90s.
This episode focuses on country artists who released their first major label record in the 90s. So, Clint Black and Garth Brooks won’t be on this list because they released their first records in the late 80s.
Do you think you know who has the best-selling debut record from the 90s? Keep listening to find out!
In the early 90s, Billy Dean, Pam Tillis, Aaron Tippin, Tracy Byrd and Hal Ketchum were all super-hot artists, and each earned a gold album for sales of 500,000.
Moving into the mid 90s, when we saw record labels signing many hat acts – every label was looking for the next Garth. During that young country phase – Doug Supernaw, Rick Trevino, Ty Herndon, Gary Allan, and Wade Hayes went gold with their first projects.
It did seem like females were harder to break in the 90s, but Jo Dee Messina, who scored two top ten hits with her self-titled release, scored a gold album. As did Michael Peterson, Ricochet, Andy Griggs, The Wilkinsons, and Paul Brandt who broke out in the late 90s.
The platinum club was a bit bigger - Mark Chesnutt, Diamond Rio, Toby Keith, Sammy Kershaw, Tracy Lawrence, Collin Raye, and Doug Stone all reached that milestone in the early 90s.
Artists like Terri Clark, David Lee Murphy, Clay Walker, John Berry, and Lonestar would hit 1 million in sales in the mid-90s.
Country music was seeing a rise in younger artists - Lila McCann and Bryan White each scored a platinum record with their first album.
Around 1997, Lee Ann Womack, Trace Adkins, and Kevin Sharp were huge players at radio and that translated into major sales and platinum certification.
And as the 90s closed, SHeDAISY, Brad Paisley, and Keith Urban would hit the 1 million marks. Shania Twain's 1993 debut didn't fare well when it was released but due to the enormous success of follow-up albums, it eventually passed a million.
That brings us to the multi-platinum award. A platinum album was a major accomplishment, but to go multi-platinum was rare in country music. Big stars like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, and Anne Murray could pull those numbers in the 70s and 80s, but it wasn't until the 90s when country became the most popular format on radio.
Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt were a part of the Class of 89, along with Garth and Clint Black who had both released records in 1989. Although Alan's first single "Blue Blooded Woman" tanked on radio, his next 27 songs would all become top ten hits. That led his debut album Here in the Real World to double platinum success. Travis Tritt would do the same thing with his Country Club album.
The state of Georgia was producing a lot of talent like Alan and Travis, and soon a newcomer from Monticello, Georgia, would become the first country artist to hit number one with her first single . Trisha Yearwood's self-titled album contained her hit "She's In Love With The Boy" - which was recently named the most played song by a female artist by Billboard.
We saw a rise in bands in the 90s - you gotta remember that while there were a lot of vocal groups, it wasn’t common to see a ton of bands who played onstage and recorded tracks in the studio.
Blackhawk, Confederate Railroad, and The Tractors - all three perhaps some of the most unique sounding bands in the 90s were the ones to beat on the charts - each band would sell 2 million copies of their first records.
At just 18 years old, Mindy McCready's debut album Ten Thousand Angels would stay on the charts for multiple years and score 4 top twenty hits including the number one "Guys Do It All the Time," a 90s staple.
So that makes Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Trisha Yearwood, Blackhawk, Confederate Railroad, The Tractors, and Mindy McCready tied for the 6th spot on the list of best-selling debut albums of the 90s.
When John Michael Montgomery released Life's A Dance in 1992, he quickly became country music's hottest superstar. Ballads like "I Swear" and "I Can Love You Like That" would score Grammy nominations. It would propel his first album to sell 3 million copies.
Faith Hill would hit 3 million with Take Me as I Am and eventually, she would become one of the best-selling country artists of all time with over 25 million records sold worldwide.
At number 4, after a tearful final tour with her mother Naomi, Wynonna went on to announce her first solo release. The record label suggested dropping her last name "Judd" simply so her records would be separated into their own section, away from all those classic Judds CDs at record stores. The self-titled Wynonna was a multi-genre hit. "No One Else on Earth" was remixed for pop and adult contemporary radio, and she scored 3 number ones at country radio and the album would be certified 5 times platinum.
Deana Carter had already found success in Europe when her debut record Did I Shave My Legs for This was released and re-packaged with different songs in America. "Strawberry Wine" was the lead single and became a country music staple. It landed nominations for album of the Year by the CMA and sold 5 million copies. A special 25th anniversary edition of the album was released in 2021 with re-recorded versions of the title track and Strawberry Wine that feature special guests Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, Ashley McBryde, Terri Clark, and Vince Gill. You can check out my interview with Deana about that album on this podcast - just search for the Deana Carter Interview.
That takes us to number 3 on the list of best-selling debut country albums from the 90s. A formed partnership between Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks could've failed immediately, but it was a chance that worked brilliantly. Brand New Man would sell 6 million copies and see all four singles go to number one. It was the start of a career that would see Entertainer of the Year wins, trailblazing live shows, and a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
LeAnn Rimes brought a pop-culture-like craze to country music in the mid-90s with the release of her first album Blue. The lead single, "The Light in Your Eyes" was replaced with "Blue" once disc jockeys around the country began playing it instead. It's a record that changed country music and increased the signings of younger artists to labels. LeAnn Rimes is one of the greatest voices of all time and has released several country cover albums that are absolutely stunning. She's responsible for expanding country music and bringing in a new group of fans. It's a timeless record that holds the number 3 spot for best-selling debut country albums of all time.
And in the runner up spot is a Kentucky-born singer who became an international superstar almost overnight with the release of one of the biggest songs of the 90s. Billy Ray Cyrus's Some Gave All sold an astounding 9 million copies, staying put at the upper part of the Billboard all-genre chart for several years. Singles like "Could've Been Me" and "Where'm I Gonna Live" were top tens on country radio and "Some Gave All" has become an anthem in country music and still sees strong airplay around patriotic holidays.
We've reached the number one spot. It's an album that inspired a lot of girls to pick up instruments. An album that was considered a flop when first reviewed by Country Music Magazine - something they took back years later.
Wide Open Spaces from The Chicks added fire to country radio and was part of the female-dominance of the late 90s. It would be named the ACM Album of the Year and spawned hits like "You Were Mine" and "Tonight the Heartaches on Me." Just 2 years after the release they would receive their first nomination for Entertainer of the Year. It would become the only debut country album of the 90s to achieve Diamond Status by the RIAA - that's when an album sells 10 million copies and to date the Chicks have sold 13 million copies of the iconic record.
That wraps up this episode - I hope you've enjoyed taking a walk down the musical memory lane - what albums were your favorites from that era? There are so many good ones! Reach out to me on social media with your picks!