RIAA Platinum album award for Earth, Wind & Fire's album I Am. Released in June 1979, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on June 7, 1979 for one million copies sold.
This album features some classic EW&F hits including ""After the Love Has Gone", which was nominated for a Grammy award for Record Of The Year and won for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and "Boogie Wonderland" which also featured The Emotions. The album hit #1 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums and #3 on the Top 200 Albums charts. By 1984 the album was certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. See image above for the RIAA sales certifications of this album through the years*.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA "floater" Platinum LP award
- VG condition with original manufacturer sticker
- First presentation award from 1979
- Presentation to artist manager
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Known as a "floater" award because the components appear to "float" above the matte, they were made from 1975-1981
- RIAA "floater" awards numbered only 25-50 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Great collectors item for any Earth, Wind & Fire fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a first presentation RIAA Platinum album award from 1979. That makes this award approx. 42 years old. It is presented to Zach Glickman (d. 2015), who managed Earth Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay (who co-wrote and played on the album), along with Frank Zappa, Dion, and others through a 50+ year career in the music industry. The award is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Glickman's son Benny who took possession of his late father's awards after he passed away and who also worked extensively in the music industry (see image of letter).
It is VG condition with only typical frame wear. The RIAA logo on the presentation plate also has very slight degradation (see image). The award's backing paper is original and complete with Creative Glassics manufacturer sticker.
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Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 20 to 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good' wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.
As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.
Finally, a word on photos: Our photos are zoomable so you can get a very good look. Do let us know if you want photos of any other details on our pieces and we'll be happy to provide.
*RIAA sales data source: RIAA.com