Amos Lee Debuts No. 1 on Billboard Top 200

Mission Bell, the fourth album from Blue Note recording artist Amos Lee, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart this week, earning the Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter the highest chart position and best sales week of his career.

Amos Lee’s Mission Bell first-week total sales of 40,478 represent a personal high for Lee, whose previous high through three albums was 16k.

Mission Bell also debuted at No. 1 on the Digital Albums and No. 2 on the Internet chart after topping both the iTunes  and Amazon Top-Selling Albums charts at various points during the past week.

The success of Mission Bell has been driven by its first single, “Windows Are Rolled Down,” which is currently No. 9 at AAA radio and has been on the chart for ten weeks with airplay on more than 78 stations, more than any other current single at the format. Lee has also been highly visible on both television and radio, having made recent appearances on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, PBS’s Tavis Smiley, as well as NPR’s “World Café” and “All Things Considered.” He will also perform on The Late Show With David Letterman on February 16th and The Early Show on February 18th.

Produced by Calexico’s Joey Burns, Mission Bell is Lee’s richest and most fully formed recording to date, displaying an array of emotions unified by his eclectic taste and distinctive vocals. With a remarkable set of guests — including Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, Priscilla Ahn, Pieta Brown, and James Gadson — and the musical backing of Calexico, the album marks the arrival of Lee as a mature artist who continues to explore his musical and thematic interests.

Lee is currently on the road for his 2011 U.S. headlining tour in support of Mission Bell, which includes a performance for NPR’s Mountain Stage live music program, broadcast from Charleston, West Virginia, on April 24th. When the tour concludes on April 29th, Lee will travel to Louisiana to perform on the Gentilly Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 30th.

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