In honor of International Women’s Day 2018, we crunched some numbers from the Recording Industry Association of America to reveal the Top 5 best-selling solo female country artists of all time. While a couple of the artists mentioned have also had success on the pop charts, you can’t deny their country roots.
Here are the 5 Top-Selling Solo Female Country Artists of All Time, according to the RIAA.
5. Carrie Underwood
19 million U.S. units sold
A seven-time Grammy winner, the 2005 American Idol champion has amassed more than 100 major honors and recorded 26 No. 1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote. Of her six career albums, all have earned platinum status, including 8X-platinum Some Hearts
4. Linda Ronstadt
30 million U.S. units sold
Country, folk, pop, rock . . . Linda has covered it all in her 40-plus-year career, but no matter which genre you associate her with, her success on the country music charts is undeniable. Linda has 14 platinum albums to her name, including four that climbed to the top of Billboard’s Country chart, as well as 13 Grammys and two ACMs. And who could forget when she teamed up with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris to create the super-est of female super groups and release 1987’s Trio.
3. Reba McEntire
41 million U.S. units sold
Reba McEntire is country royalty and practically created the template for being a female superstar in country music. The Country Music Hall of Famer has scored 35 No. 1 singles to go along with her 19 platinum albums and has been honored with 14 ACMs, seven CMAs and three Grammys.
2. Taylor Swift
41.5 million U.S. units sold
Before she became the princess of pop with her 2014 album, 1989, and 2017 album, Reputation, Taylor ruled the country charts with records Fearless (10X platinum), Taylor Swift (7X), Red (6X) and Speak Now (6X). At 28 years of age, Taylor has already claimed 10 Grammys, 12 CMAs and eight ACMs.
1. Shania Twain
48 million U.S. units sold
Shania Twain remains the first and only female artist in history to have three consecutive albums certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of more than 10 million units each. “The Queen of Country Pop,” a title she definitely deserved to call her own, earned five Grammys, four ACMs and two CMAs, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
More-Than-Honorable Mention
Dixie Chicks
30.5 million U.S. units sold
The Dixie Chicks are the best-selling female band of all time—of any genre—and one of only a handful of acts that can claim multiple diamond albums (Wide Open Spaces and Fly) for sales of more than 10 million each. The trio has won 13 Grammys, 11 CMAs and nine ACMs.
