April 06--Outlaw country singer-songwriter Merle Haggard, who has died at the age of 79, had more than 100 songs reach the Billboard charts and achieved nine consecutive No. 1 country singles during the height of his popularity. Ever prolific, he once claimed to have written 10,000 songs.
And his albums -- full of politics, patriotism, law-breaking and storytelling -- were big sellers, too. Nine of his albums reached gold or platinum status, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. Several of those are greatest-hits compilations, evidence of his enduring legacy.
Here are Haggard's biggest selling albums as tallied by the RIAA. In the U.S., gold certification translates to sales of at least 500,000 copies, and the threshold for platinum is 1 million.
"Okie From Muskogee" (1969) -- Certified gold: Oct. 2, 1970. Platinum: Dec. 3, 1991
"The Fightin' Side of Me" (1970) -- Certified gold: March 11, 1971
"The Best of the Best of Merle Haggard" (1972) -- Certified gold: April 30, 1974. Platinum: Dec. 3, 1991
"Big City" (1981) -- Certified Gold: July 11, 1983
"Pancho Lefty" with Willie Nelson (1983) -- Certified gold: July 11, 1983. Platinum: Aug. 7, 1984
"His Epic Hits" (1984) -- Certified gold: Aug. 7, 1989. Platinum: Jan. 29, 1997
"Super Hits, Vol. 2" (1994) -- Certified gold: Nov. 14, 2002.
"16 Biggest Hits" (1998) -- Certified gold: Nov. 5, 2002
"For the Record" (1999) -- Certified gold: Nov. 5, 2002
Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder
