1.2 million sales just couldn't go unrewarded
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra became the first recording to be awarded a Gold Record in 1942 for ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’, only it wasn’t an official Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) award.
It was a publicity stunt from RCA Victor who literally sprayed a master copy of the record with gold lacquer after the record sold a whopping 1.2 million copies.
Summary:
- Glenn Miller and His Orchestra became the first recording to be awarded a Gold Record in 1942 for ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’, only it wasn’t an official Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) award.
- The RIAA borrowed the idea and trademarked what we now recognise today as the Gold Record based on the number of albums and singles sold.
- Miller was eventually awarded with a certified Gold Record for ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ and the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996.
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Radio announcer Paul Douglas awarded Miller with the record live on his own CBS radio show and said “I think everyone listening in on the radio should know, Glenn, it actually is a recording of ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo,’ but it’s in gold, solid gold, and is really fine”.
16 years later in 1958, the RIAA borrowed the idea and trademarked what we now recognise today as the Gold Record based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other supporting markets.
The first Gold single was awarded to Perry Como in 1958 for ‘Catch A Falling Star’ and the first Gold album was given to Gordon McRae for the soundtrack to ‘Oklahoma’.
The original requirement for a Gold single was one million units sold, while a Gold album represented one million in sales but 1975 saw the additional requirement of 500,000 units sold added for Gold albums.
The coveted Platinum award was added in 1976 as record sales continued to grow for albums able to sell one million units, and singles selling two million units, while the Multi-Platinum award was introduced in 1984.
The digital era has changed how this is counted but nonetheless holds the same weight as it did when it was introduced more than 60 years ago.
After developers bought Chattanooga’s Terminal Station and transformed it into a hotel, it was aptly named the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Miller was eventually awarded with a certified Gold Record for ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ and the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996.
Check out the RIAA timeline for Gold and Platinum certification.
