Garth Brooks Tops Elvis For Solo Album Sales

Country star Garth Brooks has sailed past Elvis Presley to become the solo artist to sell the most albums in the US.

The singer came out of retirement last year and released his first album in 13 years, Man Against Machine, in November.

Brooks and Presley, who died in 1977, have repeatedly swapped spots for number two on the list.

The Recording Industry Association of America last week certified Man Against Machine as platinum - meaning it has sold at least one million copies.

With the certification, Brooks has again risen to the top - with 135 million albums against 134.5 million for The King.

But the If Tomorrow Never Comes singer remains well-below the all-time top-sellers in US history - the Beatles, who according to the association have sold 178 million albums.

Brooks' career soared in the 1990s as his country songs won a crossover audience.

Last July five sell-out concerts in Ireland were cancelled after a council refused to grant a licence for the shows. Hundreds of thousands of fans were left disappointed and Brooks said he was "crushed" to have let them down.

Presley's estate has in the past disputed such rankings as the industry association focuses on sales of albums rather than singles.

Presley had a long string of blockbuster hits, starting in the 1950s.

The recording association lists Led Zeppelin in fourth place for all-time US album sales, followed by the Eagles, Billy Joel and Michael Jackson.

Platinum certifications only started being issued in 1976, meaning today's figures for the Beatles and Elvis could have looked very different.