the beatlesThe Beatles in 1964. AP
The Beatles took the U.S. by storm in the early 1960s, and by the end of the decade, the "British invasion" quartet left a historic — and likely untouchable — mark on the charts.
In the RIAA's tally of the best-selling artists by U.S. album sales and streaming figures, The Beatles lead the second-place artist, country singer Garth Brooks, by over 30 million album units. 
From Michael Jackson to Bruce Springsteen to Whitney Houston, this chart of the RIAA's most successful artists contains the expected legendary names and a few surprising appearances. 
Check out the chart below, and find the rest of the top 50 here:
best artists