Hey folks, you liked that numbers game we played with the nineties, so let's roll right into the 2000s. That decade started with the tail end of the big hat act boom and ended with Taylor Swift fixin' to take over the world. Sales were still strong early on, but by the end, downloads and then streaming started changing everything. Once again, I leaned heavy on RIAA certifications for U.S. shipments and sales equivalents, plus weeks at number one on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart where it helped break ties. All these albums came out between 2000 and 2009.
The Data-Driven Top 10 (the real monsters of the decade)
- Taylor Swift – Fearless (2008) 10× Platinum, over 7 million pure sales, long runs at the top. The album that made country cool for a whole new generation.
- Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts (2005) 9× Platinum, longest-running number one by a debut album in years.
- Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift (2006) 7× Platinum, kicked off the phenomenon.
- Rascal Flatts – Me and My Gang (2006) 5× Platinum fast, huge radio domination.
- Kenny Chesney – When the Sun Goes Down (2004) 4× Platinum, beach vibes that sold like crazy.
- Gretchen Wilson – Here for the Party (2004) 5× Platinum, redneck woman took over everything.
- Tim McGraw – Live Like You Were Dying (2004) 4× Platinum, that title track was everywhere.
- Toby Keith – Shock'n Y'all (2003) 4× Platinum, post-9/11 patriotism met barroom anthems.
- Dixie Chicks – Home (2002) 6× Platinum, back-to-roots masterpiece.
- Kenny Chesney – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002) 4× Platinum, the start of his island empire.
The Rest of the Numbers-Backed 40
- Rascal Flatts – Feels Like Today (2004)
- Big & Rich – Horse of a Different Color (2004)
- Brad Paisley – Mud on the Tires (2003)
- Alan Jackson – Drive (2002)
- Shania Twain – Up! (2002)
- Tim McGraw – Set This Circus Down (2001)
- Kenny Chesney – Greatest Hits (2000)
- Rascal Flatts – Melt (2002)
- Carrie Underwood – Carnival Ride (2007)
- Toby Keith – Unleashed (2002)
- George Strait – 50 Number Ones (2004)
- Brad Paisley – Time Well Wasted (2005)
- Keith Urban – Be Here (2004)
- Sugarland – Twice the Speed of Life (2004)
- Brooks & Dunn – The Greatest Hits Collection II (2004)
- Miranda Lambert – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007)
- Josh Turner – Your Man (2006)
- Trace Adkins – Songs About Me (2005)
- Montgomery Gentry – My Town (2002)
- Alan Jackson – What I Do (2004)
- Kenny Chesney – The Road and the Radio (2005)
- Rascal Flatts – Still Feels Good (2007)
- Tim McGraw – Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (2006)
- Brad Paisley – 5th Gear (2007)
- Toby Keith – Big Dog Daddy (2007)
- Sugarland – Enjoy the Ride (2006)
- George Strait – Somewhere Down in Texas (2005)
- Keith Urban – Golden Road (2002)
- Dierks Bentley – Modern Day Drifter (2005)
- Lady A (Lady Antebellum) – Lady Antebellum (2008)
These numbers tell the story of a decade that went from red-dirt rebellion to polished pop-country, with a whole lot of heartbreak and good times in between. Taylor and Carrie proved the ladies could move just as many records as the fellas, and Kenny turned summer into a brand.
If you're ready to stock a 2000s country shelf the way the cash registers saw it, start up top and keep going. A bunch of these are still easy to find sealed or clean used.
Got most of this decade stocked online right now—take a peek here: https://sargentsjukebox.com/collections/2000s-country
Keep it spinning, y’all