Artists With the Most Hit Albums

Aerosmith stands at the top of the list of best-selling hard rock bands, selling more than 150 million records worldwide. The group has four Grammy Awards. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Steven Tyler and Joe Perry in 2013. The 1980 release “Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits” includes “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” “Back in the Saddle,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Last Child.” It has sold more than 11 million copies.

With her five-octave vocal range, Mariah Carey found stardom with her eponymous debut album in 1990. Her first five singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the only artist to achieve that feat. Carey has won five Grammy Awards and was announced as an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 — but the induction ceremony has been postponed until 2022 because of the pandemic. Her third studio album, “Music Box,” has sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. It includes “Hero,” which became an anthem for 9/11 first responders.

Formed in London in 1962, the Rolling Stones had a grittier sound than The Beatles and other pop rock performers. The double album “Hot Rocks” holds a wealth of their iconic songs from 1964’s British Invasion through 1971. It includes “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Get Off of My Cloud,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” and “Brown Sugar,” among others, and has sold more than six million copies in the United States. The band has won three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1993.

Known as the “King of Country,” singer-songwriter George Strait has stuck with traditional country music even as the genre has veered into pop and rock sounds. Strait has won only one Grammy, but has topped the Billboard country singles chart a record 44 times. His first box set, “Strait Out of the Box,” has sold more than 2 million copies. It includes “Amarillo by Morning,” “I Cross My Heart,” “Ocean Front Property,” “The Chair,” and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

How big a deal is Barbra Streisand? At age 36 she was already releasing her second “Greatest Hits” album. The powerful vocalist, who first gained fame on Broadway, has blended her six-decade recording career with acting, directing, and political activism. “Greatest Hits Volume II” opens with “Evergreen,” which Streisand and Paul Williams wrote for the 1976 movie “A Star Is Born.” The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Streisand also took home the Oscar for Best Actress for her starring role in the film. Streisand has won eight Grammy Awards in addition to the 1992 Grammy Legend Award and the 1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.