Lionel Richie's Album Tuskegee is the Best-Selling 2012 Album For First Half Of the Year

Posted by Megan Hagedorn on 07/17/2012
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Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee sold approximately 912,000 copies, more than any other album released in 2012, by the year’s mid-year point that ended July 1 and is the halfway point of SoundScan’s tracking year, according to Billboard. It comes in second only to Adele’s 21 for total sales of all albums for the first half of this year.
 
With sales now topping 934,000, the country duets project has become the music sensation of the year. It claimed the No. 1 spot on the overall Billboard Top 200 albums chart for two consecutive weeks and sat atop the Billboard Country Albums chart for four weeks. It was certified platinum for sales of 1 million in an impressive five weeks.
 
“What a year!” Richie says. “This album has taken me on an unforgettable journey filled with new friends, new jokes and new musical inspirations.  I am overwhelmed and humbled by the success of Tuskegee and am thrilled by how it has been embraced by music lovers of all ages and backgrounds around the world.”
 
He will perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday, July 17. On Wednesday, July 18, he will appear on the E! Network’s Chelsea Lately.
 
Tuskegee was released on March 26 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the country albums chart. It was his best sales week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.
 
Tuskegee has become an immediate worldwide hit, debuting at No. 1 on Canada’s Top Albums chart and reaching the Top 20 albums charts in 10 countries. It hit the Top 10 albums charts in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Sweden. This is his first No. 1 album in Canada in the SoundScan era and his first No. 1 album in Canada since his sophomore solo album, Can’t Slow Down, in 1983.
 
The album features duets of 13 of his timeless hits with Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.
 
It is the exciting new chapter in a storied career that includes album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10 hits, five Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a host of other awards. 
 

He is currently performing shows throughout the United States, including July 28 at Detroit’s Comerica Park, and will embark on a European tour in the fall.