Scotty's first CD goes platinum

The honors just keep coming for Garner's Scotty McCreery, whose first CD has just gone platinum.

"Clear As Day," released in October, has sold more than 1 million copies.

"It means the world to me,” said Scotty, 18, who became the winner of Season 10 of "American Idol" in May. “It’s one of the highest honors you can get with your album, and it’s a huge testament to the loyalty of country music fans and how great they have been to me."

"Clear As Day" had previously received gold record certification, meaning 500,000 copies sold. It debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts. It was No. 1 on the country chart for six weeks, and it received the highest sales of any country solo album released in 2011.

Scotty also has received a gold record for his first single, "I Love You This Big," and his second single, "The Trouble With Girls," is approaching gold status.

The video for "The Trouble With Girls" was filmed with some of Scotty's friends at Garner High School, where he is a senior when his busy schedule allows.

But this week, he begins a tour with country superstar Brad Paisley. The tour, which starts Thursday in Grand Rapids, Mich., will take Scotty across much of the West and Midwest until early March. The closest date to North Carolina is Baltimore on March 1.

Scotty's parents, Mike and Judy McCreery of Garner, will take turns accompanying him on the tour stops.

Don't worry that his time away from school will affect his studies. Because of tutoring he received during his time on "Idol," Scotty will be graduating with his Garner High class this spring.

"I'll be walking with them!" he said in an interview last month.