From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1967
Atlantic Records Gold Strikes Authorized; 5 Singles, 2 LPs; Another Single Due
NEW YORK — The Atlantic Records’ family of labels made a run on gold disk market last week. The labels received authorization from the RIAA for five singles and two albums, and there’s still another single up for gold disk certification.
The Atlantic and Atco single records that earned the RIAA seal includes Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” on Atlantic; Mr. Acker Bilk’s “Stranger On The Shore” on Atco, and Booker T. and the MG’s “Green Onions” on Stax Records, a subsidiary of the Atlantic record group. The last two records were originally released about five years ago and have continued to sell steadily since they were first issued. The single record disk up for certification is Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” on Atco records.
Aretha’s Atlantic album ‘I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)’ and Bilk’s ‘Stranger On The Shore’ on Atco were the two albums receiving the gold disk award. Miss Franklin’s LP record was one of the fastest selling albums of this year, and Bilk’s LP hit won the award five years after its original release in 1962.
Jerry Wexler, Atlantic’s executive vice-president, supervised all of Miss Franklin’s recordings. “Groovin'” marks the first RIAA award for the Young Rascals, as does “Green Onions” for Booker T. and the MG’s, and “Stranger On The Shore” for Mr. Acker Bilk.
The RIAA single record certification is for sales of one million copies; the RIAA LP certification is for sales of $1 million overall. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; June 24, 1967)
