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Nirvana. Usher. 50 Cent.

Is it possible that one of these three artists/bands is the top selling music artist in history? Could it be that they have finally beaten Elvis and the Beatles?

Not a chance. These upstart bands and artists of the last decade haven't even come close to beating the top-selling artists from other decades. Why? Because some of these artists have been selling records for fifty years! The top selling music artists in history, inasmuch as the data is available, are these:

#1. Elvis Presley
Yep. He really is the king. Not was, IS. This guy is still selling albums, decades after his premature death. He's sold over 1 billion albums worldwide, has a solid fan base in practically every nation on this Earth, and may still be alive in Podunkville, Anystate.

And you know what, that's okay. Elvis knew how to rock; he knew how to roll. Heck, he knew how to shimmy and shake as well. Too bad he never really learned how to dress.

#2. The Beatles
While it may be boring to consider that the Beatles reign nearly supreme, it looks to be fact. These guys have sold over 168 million records in the United States alone, nevermind the rest of the world. This writer has been to several different countries, such as Taiwan, Brazil and Japan. In every country you could find a Beatles fan on the street at any given time. How many albums have they sold worldwide? How about over 750,000,000? That's right: seven hundred and fifty million!

While it rankles this writer, who is not a Beatles fan, the Beatles are still almost the top selling music artist in history. Oh well. Here's the next:

#3. Michael Jackson
This guy was bigger than the Beatles when he was big. He's sold nearly as many records as the Beatles, and he has the single best selling album of all time in Thriller. He could sing, choreograph, dance and moonwalk. People went rabid when he was nearby. His appeal was as broad as any before or after. He's still played on the radio, nearly three decades after he burst onto the solo scene.

But oh how the mighty have fallen. Acquitted (some might say questionably) of child molestation charges, he nearly lost his ranch called Neverland to that wicked villain called foreclosure.

Anybody who thinks that Nirvana, Usher, 50 Cent or even Led Zeppelin has sold more than Mikey J is plain wrong.

#4. Frank Sinatra
Old Blue Eyes. The King of Smooth. He did it his way and sold somewhere around 500 million albums worldwide. He could sing and melt women's hearts, and he wasn't a bad actor either!

#5. Abba
I kid you not. Abba of Mama Mia, Waterloo, Dancing Queen, and Do you hear the guns Fernando fame is number 5. Seriously. They made money, money money from the 370 million albums they sold worldwide, and they even have a broadway show that's doing well.

The final five that round up the top ten are these:
#6. Led Zeppelin (with good reason!)
#7. Nana Mouskouri (recorded in multiple languages)
#8. Queen
#9. Tino Rossi
#10. Julio Iglesias

References:
http://www. top10land.com/top-ten-best-sel ling-music-artists.html

Learn more about this author, Jared Garrett.
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