The following list of list of best-selling gospel music artists includes music acts from the 20th century to the present who have recorded gospel music. This information cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization that has recorded global music sales.
Artist | Country | Period active | Release-year of first charted record | Genre | Total certified units | Claimed sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Staple Singers | United States | 1940s–1990s [1] | 1967 [2] | Gospel, soul, country soul, R&B [1] | 30 million [5] | |
Mahalia Jackson | United States | 1920s–1970s [6] | 1958 [7] | Traditional gospel music, spirituals, blues [6] | — | 22 million [8] [9] |
CeCe Winans | United States | 1980s–2020s [10] | 1984 [11] | Contemporary Gospel, gospel, Adult Contemporary R&B, CCM [10] | 17 million [13] | |
Kirk Franklin | United States | 1990s–2020s [14] | 1993 [15] | Contemporary Gospel, gospel [14] | 15 million [17] | |
Donnie McClurkin | United States | 1990s–2020s [18] | 1996 [19] | Contemporary Gospel, gospel [20] | 13 million [A] | |
Yolanda Adams | United States | 1990s–2020s [25] | 1987 [20] | Contemporary Gospel, gospel, inspirational, new-age [20] | 10 million [27] [28] | |
Mary Mary | United States | 1990s–2020s [29] | 2000 [30] | Contemporary gospel, adult contemporary R&B, Contemporary R&B [29] | 8 million [37] [38] | |
Fred Hammond | United States | 1980s–2000s [39] | 1991 [40] | Contemporary gospel, gospel, CCM [39] | 8 million [42] | |
BeBe & CeCe Winans | United States | 1980s–2020s [43] | 1984 [44] | Adult Contemporary R&B, contemporary gospel, gospel [43] | 5 million [46] | |
Smokie Norful | United States | 2000s–2020s [47] | 2002 [48] | Contemporary gospel, gospel, inspirational [47] | 3 million [50] | |
Trin-i-tee 5:7 | United States | 1990s–2020s [51] | 1998 [52] | Contemporary gospel, gospel [51] | 2.5 million [54] | |
Shirley Caesar | United States | 1950s–2020s [55] | 1975 [56] | Contemporary gospel, traditional gospel music [55] | 2.2 million [58] | |
Out of Eden | United States | 1990s - 2000s [59] | 1994 [60] | Contemporary gospel, CCM [55] | — | 1 million [61] |
Title | Released | Artist | Total certified units [a] | Claimed sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Move On Up a Little Higher" | 1947 | Mahalia Jackson | — | 8 million | [62] [63] |
"Oh Happy Day" | 1968 | The Edwin Hawkins Singers | 1 million
| 7 million | [65] [66] |
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" | 1957 | Laurie London with the Geoff Love Orchestra and Chorus | 3 million | [69] | |
"When You Believe" | 1998 | Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston | — | ||
"Follow God" | 2019 | Kanye West | — | ||
"I'll Take You There" | 1972 | The Staple Singers | 2 million | [84] | |
"Shackles (Praise You)" | 2000 | Mary Mary | — |
The songs listed below have crossed the current sales thresholds — 35,000 (Gold) and 70,000 (Platinum) — to be certified by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). [86]
Title | Released | Artist(s) | Certification | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Shackles (Praise You)" | 2000 | Mary Mary | Platinum | [87] |
"When You Believe" | 1998 | Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston | Gold | [70] |
Title | Released | Artist(s) | Certification | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Shackles (Praise You)" | 2000 | Mary Mary | Platinum | [88] |
"Follow God" | 2019 | Kanye West | [89] | |
"Hurricane" | 2021 | Kanye West and the Weeknd featuring Lil Baby | [90] | |
"I'll Take You There" | 1972 | The Staple Singers | Gold | [91] |
"When You Believe" | 1998 | Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston | Gold | [74] |
List of best-selling gospel songs which are uncertified in the United Kingdom.
Title | Released | Artist | Known sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" | 1957 | Laurie London with the Geoff Love Orchestra and Chorus | 300,000 | [92] [69] |
The songs listed below have crossed the sales thresholds — 200,000 (Silver), 400,000 (Gold), 600,000 (Platinum) — to be certified by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [93]
Title | Released | Artist(s) | Certification | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" | 2017 | Stormzy featuring MNEK | 2× Platinum | [94] |
"When You Believe" | 1998 | Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston | Platinum | [77] |
"Shackles (Praise You)" | 2000 | Mary Mary | Platinum | [35] |
"I'll Take You There" | 1972 | The Staple Singers | Silver | [83] |
"I Am Blessed" | 1995 | Eternal | Silver | [95] |
"Follow God" | 2019 | Kanye West | Silver | [81] |
"Hurricane" | 2021 | Kanye West and the Weeknd featuring Lil Baby | Silver | [96] |
List of gospel songs which have reported sales of 1 million units or higher but are uncertified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Though "I'll Take You There" by The Staple Singers was certified Gold on January 31, 2019, for digital sales of 500,000 units, [4] its physical sales of 1.5 million units, reported on May 6, 1972, are uncertified by the RIAA. [97]
Title | Released | Artist | Claimed sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"I'll Take You There" | 1972 | The Staple Singers | 1.5 million | [97] |
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" | 1909 | Fisk University Jubilee Quartet | 1 million | [98] |
"Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)" | 1935 | The Carter Family | [98] | |
"Ave Maria" | 1937 | Marian Anderson | [98] | |
"When the Saints Go Marching In" | 1938 | Louis Armstrong | [98] | |
"Strange Things Happening Every Day" | 1945 | Sister Rosetta Tharpe | [98] | |
"Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" | 1947 | Fairfield Four | [98] | |
"Even Me" | 1948 | Mahalia Jackson | [99] | |
"I'll Fly Away" | The Chuck Wagon Gang | [100] | ||
"Just Over the Hill" | 1950 | Mahalia Jackson | [101] | |
"Surely God Is Able" | The Famous Ward Singers | [102] [103] [104] | ||
"How I Got Over" | 1951 | Clara Ward | [105] | |
"Uncloudy Day" | 1956 | The Staple Singers | [106] [107] | |
"Packing Up" | 1957 | The Famous Ward Singers | [108] [109] | |
List of gospel songs which have certified sales of 1 million units or higher. From 1958 [110] to 1988, the sales thresholds for a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) were 1 million units (Gold) and 2 million units (Platinum). [111] [112] The songs listed below were certified prior to 1989.
Title | Released | Artist(s) | Certification | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" | 1957 | Laurie London with the Geoff Love Orchestra and Chorus | Gold | [67] [68] |
"Oh Happy Day" | 1969 | The Edwin Hawkins Singers | [64] | |
"Put Your Hand in the Hand" | 1971 | Ocean | [113] [114] | |
"If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)" | 1973 | The Staple Singers | [115] | |
The songs listed below have crossed the current 1 million unit threshold to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Title | Released | Artist(s) | Certification | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Take Me to the King" | 2012 | Tamela Mann | 2× Platinum | [116] |
"Follow God" | 2019 | Kanye West | [82] | |
"Hurricane" | 2021 | Kanye West, the Weeknd featuring Lil Baby | [82] | |
"When You Believe" | 1998 | Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston | Platinum | [78] |
"Shackles (Praise You)" | 2000 | Mary Mary | [36] | |
"Never Would Have Made It" | 2007 | Marvin Sapp | [117] | |
"I Look to You" | 2009 | Whitney Houston | [118] | |
"The Best in Me" | 2010 | Marvin Sapp | [117] | |
"I Smile" | 2011 | Kirk Franklin | [16] | |
"Break Every Chain" | 2014 | Tasha Cobbs Leonard | [119] | |
"Every Praise" | 2015 | Hezekiah Walker | [120] | |
"Worth" | Anthony Brown & group therAPy | [121] | ||
"I'll Find You" | 2017 | Lecrae, Tori Kelly | [122] | |
"Your Spirit" | Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kierra Sheard | [119] | ||
"Won't He Do It" | Koryn Hawthorne | [123] | ||
"Coming In Hot" | 2018 | Lecrae, Andy Mineo | [122] | |
"You Know My Name" | Tasha Cobbs Leonard | [119] | ||
"Jireh" | 2022 | Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine | [124] |
Title | Released | Artist | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
The Preacher's Wife | 1996 | Whitney Houston | 6 million [125] |
Title | Released | Artist | Certification | Known sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Preacher's Wife | 1997 | Whitney Houston | Platinum [126] | — |
Donda | 2021 | Kanye West | Platinum [127] | — |
List of gospel albums which have crossed the sales thresholds — 60,000 (Silver), 100,000 (Gold), 300,000 (Platinum) — for certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [93]
Title | Released | Artist | Certification | Known sales |
---|---|---|---|---|
Donda | 2021 | Kanye West | Gold [128] | — |
Come Together: A Musical Experience in Love | 1973 | Jimmy and Carol Owens featuring Pat Boone | — | 75,000 [129] |
The Preacher's Wife | 1997 | Whitney Houston | Silver [130] | — |
Gospel Favourites | 1999 | Elvis Presley | Silver [131] | — |
Thankful | 2000 | Mary Mary | Silver [132] | — |
Love Never Fails | 2013 | Jahméne Douglas | Silver [133] | 61,826 [134] |
Jesus Is King | 2020 | Kanye West | Silver [135] | — |
List of gospel albums which have reported sales of 1 million units or higher but are uncertified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Title | Released | Artist | Known sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Peace Be Still | 1963 | James Cleveland | 1 million | [136] [137] |
Love Alive III | 1984 | Walter Hawkins | [138] [139] | |
List of gospel albums which have a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
List of gospel compilation albums featuring various artists, which have a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Title | Released | Certification | Known sales |
---|---|---|---|
WOW Gospel 1998 | 1998 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 1999 | 1999 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 2000 | 2000 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 2001 | 2001 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 2003 | 2003 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 2004 | 2004 | Platinum [147] | — |
WOW Gospel 2005 | 2005 | Platinum [147] | — |
List of gospel albums ranked in order of their highest single-week sales.
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory.
Mario Mendell Winans is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer from South Carolina. An extended member of the Winans musical family, he is best known for his 2004 single "I Don't Wanna Know", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Loyal to the Game is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Released in the United States on December 14, 2004, Loyal to the Game debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, is an American gospel singer who has garnered 15 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 31 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, 7 NAACP Image Awards, 4 Billboard Music Awards, along with many other awards and honors to her credit including being one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Winans is the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer of all time, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Music City Walk of Fame.
The discography of British musician Paul McCartney consists of 26 studio albums, four compilation albums, ten live albums, 37 video albums, two extended plays, 111 singles, seven classical albums, five electronica albums, 17 box sets, and 79 music videos. Before his career as a solo artist, McCartney enjoyed success as a member of the rock band the Beatles.
The albums discography of American singer, actress and producer Whitney Houston consists of seven studio albums, eight compilations, three soundtracks, five box sets and six extended plays. Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. In 1986, Houston's self-titled debut album spent fourteen weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, earned three number one singles in a row on the Billboard Hot 100 including "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" and was 1986's top album of the year, giving Houston the distinction of the first female artist to earn that honor. The album became the first studio album by a female artist to be certified over ten-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in January 1994, and went on to be certified fourteen-times platinum, tying with Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time, as the highest-certified debut album by a female artist in history. It sold 25 million copies worldwide and earned a Guinness World Record as the best-selling R&B studio album by a female artist in the United States. Houston's second album, Whitney, was released in 1987 and became the first album by a female artist to debut at the top of the Billboard 200. It also became the first female album to spend its first ten weeks at number one, eventually staying there for eleven consecutive weeks. The album spawned four number one singles in a row including "I Wanna Dance with Somebody ", which helped Houston become the only artist to produce a record seven consecutive number-one hits. The album was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of ten million equivalent album sales and topped the charts in other countries, eventually selling in excess of 20 million copies worldwide. Houston earned a third consecutive top ten album on the Billboard 200 with the release of I'm Your Baby Tonight in 1990. The album helped Houston become the first female artist to earn multiple number one singles off three or more albums.
BeBe & CeCe Winans are an American gospel/R&B music brother and sister duo. BeBe and CeCe Winans are the seventh and eighth of the Winans family's ten children, most of whom have had gospel music careers. Together, they have received several awards, including three Grammys.
American rapper Kanye West has released ten studio albums, four collaborative studio albums, one compilation album, one demo album, two live albums, one video album, and eight mixtapes. All ten of his studio albums have been certified at least gold in the United States. As of June 2021, West has certified 25 million equivalent solo albums units in the United States, placing him among the highest-certified music artists in the United States.
American singer and songwriter Beyoncé has released eight studio albums, five live albums, three compilation albums, five EPs, one soundtrack album and two karaoke albums. To date, Beyoncé has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name and features songs performed and produced by American singer Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film. The soundtrack was released on November 26, 1996, by Arista Records and BMG Entertainment. With sales of 6 million copies worldwide, it is the best-selling gospel album of all time.
"I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell, and originally performed by soul/gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was released on Stax Records in February 1972, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972. It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time.
Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972 by the Dutch-born American brothers Eddie Van Halen (guitar) and Alex Van Halen (drums), plus singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. The band's discography consists of 12 studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, and 56 singles.
The discography of the British-American rock band Wings, also known as Paul McCartney and Wings, consisted of seven studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, 29 singles and 19 music videos. Founded in 1971 by former Beatle Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney, Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell after the release of the McCartneys' album Ram, the band made their debut with Wild Life, released in December that year. The album garnered minimal commercial success and received generally poor reviews. In 1972, the band added Henry McCullough to the lineup and released several non-album singles, including "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and "Hi, Hi, Hi", before releasing their second album, Red Rose Speedway, in 1973. While receiving mixed reviews, the album and its lead single, "My Love" were huge commercial successes, both reaching number one in the US charts. Wings' continued their commercial success with the title track to the James Bond film Live and Let Die. At the beginning of the recording sessions for their next album, McCullough and Seiwell left the band prompting the McCartneys and Laine to record their next album as a trio. Backed by the successful singles, "Jet" and the title track, the album, Band on the Run, became Wings' most successful album, reaching number one in both the US and the UK. The album also garnered highly positive reviews from critics and significantly restored McCartney's tarnished post-Beatles reputation.
Alan Jackson is an American country music artist. The first artist signed to Arista Nashville, he was with them from 1989 to 2011. He has released 21 studio albums, including two Christmas albums, and a tribute album for the label, as well as released 14 compilation albums. His second greatest hits album Greatest Hits Volume II is his highest-certified album, being certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, with sales in the United States of over 7,000,000. His other greatest hits album as well as his 1992 studio album, A Lot About Livin' , are his second highest-certified albums, at 6× Platinum. He has sold over 40 million albums in the United States since 1991 when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard.
"Work Out" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and record producer J. Cole, and released as the lead single from his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011). The song was officially released on June 27, 2011, through Roc Nation and Columbia. Nas voiced his displeasure with the song, which inspired Cole to create the song "Let Nas Down" for his album Born Sinner. It interpolates the chorus from "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, and samples the ending production of "The New Workout Plan" by Kanye West.
"Champions" is a song by American rappers Kanye West, Gucci Mane, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti, Quavo, and Desiigner. It was originally intended to be released as the lead single from the scrapped GOOD Music compilation album Cruel Winter. The song was produced by West alongside Low Pros and Mike Dean, with co-production from Derek Watkins and Charlie Heat, and additional production from Noah Goldstein. A freestyle video was released by Teyana Taylor in September 2016.
The discography of American Christian music artist Lauren Daigle consists of four studio albums, one extended play (EP), twenty three singles, and thirteen other charted songs.
This is a comprehensive listing of official releases by CeCe Winans, an American gospel singer. Winans has sold 19 million records in the United States and over 27 million records worldwide with 15 Grammy Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 16 Stellar Awards. Furthermore, Winans is an inaugural inductee in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. Winans is the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time.
"Moon" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album, Donda (2021). The song includes vocals from fellow rappers Don Toliver and Kid Cudi. The production was handled by West and E.Vax, with co-production from BoogzDaBeast and DJ Khalil. All of the vocalists and producers wrote the song together. It initially only had an appearance from Toliver, however Kid Cudi was included after the album's first listening event in July 2021. Lil Yachty sought the rapper's appearance by reaching out to Vory, who arranged it through contact with West. The song had been crafted by West before Toliver worked on it in 2021, differing largely from the initial recording on the final version. A tender ballad, it features riffs of electric guitar and lyrics from Kid Cudi about reflecting to better himself.
Pervis became friends with Bob Dylan, who called their 1959 song Uncloudy Day, believed to be the first million-selling gospel single, "the most mysterious thing I'd ever heard".
In the black church world, they were renowned for their million-sellers, such as "Packing Up, Getting Ready to Go" and "Surely, God Is Able."
Cleveland has more than 50 albums in the Savoy catalogue, including Peace Be Still, recorded live with the legendary Angelic Choir more than 15 years ago. It has sold more than a million copies to an almost exclusively black gospel audience, and it is still one of Savoy's biggest hits.
The artist passed another milestone with Savoy's 1963 release Peace Be Still.A recording pairing Cleveland with the Angelic Choir of Nutley, New Jersey, the album, which held a spot on the gospel charts for more than fifteen years, has sold more than one million copies, an almost unheard of achievement for a gospel recording.
It wasn't until 1985 that Love Alive III was finished. It earned a Dove Award nomination and sold more than a million copies.
This was surpassed by their third album, Love Alive III, which topped the million sales mark.