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Nov 5, 2007 10:40 pm US/Pacific
Brooks Becomes Top-Selling Artist In U.S. History
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Garth Brooks was honored Monday for becoming the top-selling solo artist in U.S. History.
AP
Country music superstar Garth Brooks was honored Monday by the Recording Industry Association of America for becoming the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history.
Brooks was presented with a plaque by the association and by officials from Pearl Records, who said Brooks has sold more than 123 million albums.
"My proudest moment of today is that this honor, this award, this achievement rests under the flag of country music," Brooks said while accepting the award.
Brooks is considered a ground-breaking figure in country music for introducing the genre to a mass audience and suddenly making it possible for country artists to achieve multi-platinum status.
The singer announced his retirement in 2000, ending a career that included 26 number-one singles, 15 charted albums and more than 116 million albums sold in the United States alone. He earned two Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, five World Music Awards, 12 People's Choice Awards and 36 Billboard Music Awards.
A compilation album titled "Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Hits" goes on sale Tuesday.
Brooks told CBS Station KCAL-TV in Los Angeles the honors he received Monday were made possible only by his fans.
"No academy gives these," he said. "... This is all just the result of the people and how the music is hopefully affecting those people, if that's not too egotistical, and this is very cool."
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