Garth Brooks

At 62 years old, Garth Brooks has this physical status:

Career

Brooks began playing guitar and playing guitar in Oklahoma clubs and bars, most notably Wild Willie's Saloon in Stillwater in 1985. Brooks was introduced to a variety of styles of music through his elder siblings. Brooks was most fond of rock music, especially George Jones', and Townes Van Zandt as significant influences, citing James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, and Townes Van Zandt as among his influences. After hearing "Unwound," George Strait's debut single, Brooks' debut single, he decided he was more interested in playing country music in 1981.

Rod Phelps, an entertainment lawyer, moved from Dallas to Brooks in 1985. Phelps loved what he heard and promised to produce Brooks' first demo. Brooks traveled to Nashville to seek a recording contract after Phelps' support, as well as a list of Phelps' contacts in Nashville and some of his credit cards; he returned to Oklahoma in 24 hours. Phelps continued to urge Brooks to return to Nashville, which he did. Brooks and his partner Sandy Mahl moved to Nashville, where Brooks and the rest of the band started making acquaintances in the music industry in 1987.

Garth Brooks' eponymous debut album was released in 1989 and was a commercial success. It reached its high point at No. 1. Billboard Top Country Albums chart No. 2 has risen to No. 2 and has climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. On the Billboard 200 chart, there are 13. The bulk of the album was from a traditionalist world, with George Strait's influence. "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," the first single from the BBC, was a huge hit. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" was Brooks' first number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart, followed by Brooks' first number-one single, "If Tomorrow Never Comes." No. 5 is out of place. "The Dance" reached No. 2, and "The Dance" at No. 2 reached its peak. 1. Brooks' first attempt at a larger audience was directed by John Lloyd Miller's music video. Brooks has since revealed that "The Dance" remains his most popular of all his recordings. Brooks embarked on his first major concert tour in 1989 as the opening act for Kenny Rogers.

No Fences, Brooks' second album, was released in 1990 and spent 23 weeks at No. 1 for two weeks. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached No. 1 on the charts. 3 on the Billboard 200, and it was eventually Brooks' most popular album, with 17 million in domestic markets. "Friends in Low Places," Brooks' signature song, as well as other hit singles, "The Thunder Rolls" and "Unanswered Prayers," were included in the collection.

Each of these songs, as well as "Two of a Kind," worked in a Full House, sold out. On the Hot Country Songs chart, there is no. 1 on the chart.

Though Brooks' musical style put him squarely within the boundaries of country music, the 1970s singer-songwriter movement, specifically James Taylor, who adored and named his first child after, as well as Dan Fogelberg. In the same way, Brooks was influenced by Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen's 1970s rock music, as well as Queen's operatic rock, Freddie Mercury.

Brooks blasted himself to run about the stage with a wireless headset microphone, injecting a sense of excitement and arena rock theatrics to spice up the usually staid country music approach to concerts. KISS was also one of Brooks' early musical influences, and his performances often reflect this. Brooks said that his stage persona was influenced by Chris LeDoux's energetic style despite all of the cited influences.

In late 1990, Brooks was accepted into the Grand Ole Opry.

Ropin' the Wind, Brooks' third album, was released in September 1991. It had advance orders of 4 million copies and debuted at No. 2 in the Billboard 200. The first time a country artist is a painter. The album's musical samples included "The River," "What She's Doing Now," and a tonnek remix of Billy Joel's "Shameless." After No Fences, Brooks' second-best-selling album. Brooks' first two albums' sales plummeted, enabling Brooks to become the first country artist with three albums in the Billboard 200's top 20 in one week.

Brooks co-wrote "We Shall Be Free" in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots, expressing his desire for compassion. The song was his first single from his fourth album The Chase. The single made it to No. 1 in the United States. Brooks' first song in three years to fail to make the top 10 on the Billboard Top Country Singles chart was number 12 on the Billboard Top Country Singles chart, his first song in three years to fail to make the top ten. Nevertheless, "We Shall Be Free" reached its high peak at No. 81. Brooks received a 1993 GLAAD Media Award for his 1992 debut on the Billboard Christian Songs charts as a result of a marketing deal with Rick Hendrix Company. "Somewhere Other Than the Night" was the next single from The Chase, followed by "Learning to Live Again," which peaked at number one and two on the Hot Country Songs chart, respectively. "That Summer," the album's last single, would be the most chart-wide hit, peaking at No. 1. In July 1993, the first one was established in the United Kingdom.

On August 25, 1992, Brooks' first Christmas album, Beyond the Season, was released. The collection featured classics such as "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" as well as an original tune "The Old Man's Back in Town." In 1992, "Beyond the Season" was the best-selling Christmas album, peaking at No. 13. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 1993, Brooks, who had protested music stores selling used CDs as a result of a decline in legitimate royalty payments, persuaded Capitol Records not to send In Pieces, his 1993 album that had been sold to stores that engaged in this trend. Several antitrust cases against the record label resulted, including one involving Capitol shipping the albums to the stores.

Despite the delays in shipping, In Pieces was another success, peaking at No. 61. It's number 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, with a total of nearly ten million copies sold. Following a postponement of its worldwide introduction, the album reached No. 11 on the charts. 2 on the United Kingdom Albums Chart. "The Red Strokes" became Brooks' first single to make the UK Singles Chart in the same year, achieving a peak of No. 58. It was followed by "Standing Outside the Fire," which reached No. 1. 23. No Fences, Ropin' the Wind, and The Chase remained in the top 30 on the UK Albums Chart.

Brooks' first world tour began in 1993, bringing the United Kingdom's first world tour to a slew of domestic concerts. Brooks sold-out venues in Birmingham, Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, and London's Wembley Arena, a feat never achieved by an American country music artist. Country 1035, which he founded, was also a pioneer of London radio. Despite the British media's disdain, Brooks' overall success in the country was clear, with top disc jockey Nick Barraclough referring to Brooks as Garth Vader (a play on Darth Vader) for his "invasion" of the charts and his success in the country genre. Brooks would later return to the UK in 1996 for more appearances than Alan Jackson, who refused to return to the United Kingdom after being treated in a similar hostile way by the media. Brooks also went on his World Tour to other European countries, as well as Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

Brooks paid tribute to one of his musical influences, KISS, on the occasion of the compilation "Unique Kiss Regrooved," a collection of songs performed by popular artists from various genres. Brooks and KISS' "Hard Luck Woman" was a live broadcast on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and despite the hard-rock appeal, Brooks' version appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Brooks released Fresh Horses, his first album of new music in two years, in November 1995. The album had sold over three million copies within six months of its debut. Despite a promising start, Fresh Horses slowed, reaching a top-four finish. "She's Every Woman," the album's lead single, reached No. 1. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart; however, its sequel, "The Fever" (an Aerosmith cover), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, despite this. Brooks' first country single to not chart on the top ten is September 23, becoming Brooks' first country single to not appear on the top ten. However, Brooks had three additional top ten hits from the album, including "The Beaches of Cheyenne," which debuted at No. 78. 1.

Brooks embarked on his second world tour after the introduction of Fresh Horses. The event's total attendance, which is estimated at 5.5 million, stands third on the all-time list of concert attendance, with a gross of over $105 million ranked it as one of the highest-grossing concert tours in the 1990s.

Brooks' seventh studio album, Sevens, was released in 1997. The album was supposed to be released in August 1997, allowing for promotion at Brooks' Central Park concert; however, efforts fell awry due to a controversy within Capitol Records. The Central Park concert went off as expected, with 980,000 fans in attendance and becoming the biggest park concert ever.

The seventies debuted at No. 1 in the United States. Both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts are ranked 1. It became Brooks' fourth album to have a total of ten million copies. Trisha Yearwood's album "In Another's Eyes" was among the songs on the album, which reached No. 1. No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and Steve Wariner's first single, "Longneck Bottle," debuted at No. 2, and it debuted at No. 2. 1. "Two Pina Coladas" and "To Make You Feel My Love," two additional number-one singles (a Bob Dylan cover), which was also a top-ten hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and was released on the soundtrack to the film Hope Floats, and was released on the album's soundtrack.

Double Live, Brooks' first live album, was released in 1998. The album featured new songs never before released, such as "Tearin' It Up (and Burnin' It Down)" and "Wild as the Wind," a tribute to Trisha Yearwood, who appeared at various shows over the course of his second world tour. No. 1 is at No. 6 on the charts. Double Live went on to become the best-selling live album of all time, earning the RIAA's coveted No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, and the seventh-most shipped album in United States music history.

In 1998, Brooks released the first installment of The Limited Series, a six-disc box set containing reissues of his first six studio albums. Each of the reissued albums featured a bonus track that was not available on the initial release.

Brooks played "Chris Gaines," a fictitious rock-and-roll musician and a protagonist in upcoming film titled The Lamb. Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines (also dubbed Gaines' Greatest Hits) in October 1999, the film's pre-release soundtrack, dubbed Gaines' Greatest Hits, was released to widespread public distinction. Gaines also appeared in a television mockumentary for the VH1 series Behind the Music, and as the musical guest on a Saturday Night Live show in which he also hosted as himself.

Brooks' promotion of the album and the film did not inspire, and the Gaines project's demise was apparent only weeks after the album was released. The overwhelming majority of the American public was either befuddled or skepticism at Brooks' portrayal of him as a rock-and-roll musician. The album's sales were unequivocal, at least in comparison to most of Brooks' previous albums, and although it made it to No. 1 in the United States, it was unspectacular. On the Billboard 200 chart, anticipations had been raised, but retail stores began heavily discounting their overstock. In February 2001, less than two million copies (more than two million) brought the project to a halt, and Gaines quickly faded into obscurity.

Despite the less-than-serious reaction to the Gaines campaign, Brooks released his first (and only) Billboard Top 40 pop single in "Lost in You." The album was later designated Double Platinum by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Brooks' second holiday collection, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas, was released on November 23, 1999. The album reached its high point at No. 1. 7 on Billboard's Top 200 and No. Brooks' 10th number one album is ranked No. 1 on the Top Country Albums, making it his 10th top country albums.

Brooks became ill-tempered by career and family rivalry as his career flourished. In 1992 and 1995, he first dreamed of stopping performing, but this time he returned to touring. Brooks appeared on The Nashville Network's Crook & Chase in 1999, a more serious tone. Brooks officially announced his departure from recording and performing on October 26, 2000. Capitol Records later that evening, Brooks' achievement of selling 100 million albums in the United States was commemorated, which was celebrated at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.

Scarecrow's last album before retirement, Brooks', was released on November 13, 2001. The album did not reach peak sales figures during Brooks' time, but it did not disappoint, taking home top honors. 1 on Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. Brooks said he would be banned from recording and performing at least until his youngest daughter finished high school, although he staged a few shows for promotional purposes.

Brooks expressed his desire in returning to live performances in 2005, but he did not announce new music until 2014. Despite this, Brooks did sign a five-year contract with Walmart, granting them the right to their entire catalog following his break with Capitol Records later this year. Brooks was one of the first musicians to sign an exclusive music distribution contract with a single store (as well as fellow country music artist Ricky Van Shelton, who released his 1998 album Making Plans Through the Chain).

Three months later, Brooks and Walmart unveiled a new The Limited Series collection, a box set containing reissues of Brooks' albums, including Double Live and The Lost Sessions, which featured eleven previously unreleased tracks, three months later. On the issue date, the box set sold more than 500,000 physical copies. It had sold over 1 million physical copies by the first week in December 2005.

Brooks took a short break from retirement early in 2005 to appear in several benefit concerts. "Good Ride Cowboy," his late friend and country musician Chris LeDoux, was also released by Walmart as a tribute to his late friend and country singer Chris LeDoux.

Walmart reissued The Lost Sessions as a single CD distinct from the box set's set, with additional songs, including a duet with Trisha Yearwood, "Love Will Always Win," which debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in early 2006. The couple were later voted for a "Best Country Collaboration With Vocals" Grammy Award.

Brooks revealed plans for a new box set called The Ultimate Hits on August 18, 2007. The new set came with three discs including 30 classic songs, three new songs, and a DVD containing music videos. "More Than a Memory," the album's first single, "More Than a Memory," was released on August 27, 2007. It debuted at No. 1 in the United States. The Billboard Hot Country Songs chart is ranked 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the highest-debuting single in the chart's history.

Brooks opened Garth Brooks: Live in Kansas City in November 2007, and the Sprint Center in Kansas City hosted nine sold-out concerts. Originally expected to be just one show, the show soared to nine due to high demand, with all nine shows (equivalenting about 140,000 tickets) selling out in under two hours. The series's last concert was simulcast to more than 300 movie theaters around the United States.

Brooks performed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in January 2008, celebrating five sold-out shows (in less than 48 hours) during a campaign against the 2007 wildfires season, which claimed significant parts of Southern California's cities and counties. Garth Brooks, the first concert of the five Survivors of the Los Angeles fires, was taped and broadcast on CBS on CBS, with all proceeds going to all of the victims and families in state of California impacted by the fires.

Brooks made one of his few public appearances since his retirement in January 2009, appearances at the Lincoln Memorial Concert in Washington, D.C., where he attended The We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration. Brooks performed "We Shall Be Free" in his three-song set, as well as Don McLean's "American Pie" and "Shout" by the Isley Brothers.

Brooks halted his retirement in order to begin Garth at Wynn, a regular weekend concert residency at Encore Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip, on October 15, 2009. Brooks and other family members were able to enjoy the week and then go out to perform on the weekend. The contract's financial terms were not announced, but Steve Wynn did announce that he gave Brooks access to a private jet to quickly transport him between Las Vegas and Oklahoma's home.

By USA Today, Brooks' first weekend on shows in Vegas received positive feedback and was described as the "antithesis of Vegas glitz and of the country singer's arena and stadium extravaganzas." Brooks appeared on several occasions, as well as a list of songs that had influenced him. Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Billy Joel, and Don McLean were among the show's artists included. His first appearances at Encore Las Vegas coincided with his wedding anniversary, and his wife Trisha Yearwood joined him for two songs.

Brooks released Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influence via Walmart, a collection of songs Brooks attributes to the formation of his unique country pop style, inspired by the Las Vegas show list. The box set's albums were individually certified platinum, and the collection was nominated for a Billboard Music Award. Brooks also announced plans for a world tour in December 2013 during a live appearance on Good Morning America to promote the album.

Brooks announced two concerts at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland, in February 2014, the first concert of the year. Due to high demand, three additional shows were added, totaling 400,000 tickets. However, Aiken Promotions and Croke Park's management were forced to cancel two of the five concerts due to a community conflict. Brooks, who promised to perform the five original concerts, declined to comply with the request that only be performed three times, and all concerts were postponed.

Brooks confirmed his signing with Sony Music Nashville on July 10, 2014, as well as a revealing of his music in a digital format, and remorse for the Ireland concert fiasco. Tickets for the world tour were released 15 days earlier.

Brooks' "People Loving People" became his first single in promotion of his world tour and his latest album, Man Against Machine, was released on September 3, 2014. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen BDS-driven Country Airplay chart, with no. 20 for the song. 19, tying for the third-best debut of Brooks' career. Brooks also broadcast his entire studio output on digital for the first time ever on September 4, 2014. Brooks decided to unleash his albums directly from his own new online music store, GhostTunes, by bypassing traditional digital music service providers. Brooks announced the release date for his next album, which was scheduled for November 11 in Atlanta, on September 19. Man Against Machine was first introduced via Pearl and RCA Nashville and was only available online at GhostTunes. On March 3, 2017, GhostTunes officially ended. Brooks' digital catalog has been moved to Amazon Music, who retain sole rights over it.

Brooks would reissue his album No Fences later this year to celebrate its 25th anniversary of debuting in September 2015. The release of a new version of "Friends in Low Places" starring George Strait, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban, who performed with Brooks will be included on the film. Due to royal controversies, the album's debut has been postponed. The track was later added to his Ultimate Collection, his 2016 compilation album.

Brooks' debut single, "Baby, Let's Lay Down, and Dance," was released on October 13, 2016. Brooks unveiled Gunslinger, Brooks' forthcoming album, on Facebook Live this week. It was released on November 11, 2016, as part of Brooks' The Ultimate Collection, a compilation album sold through Target. Trisha Yearwood, Christmas Together, Brooks' other project for 2016 was a duet holiday album.

Brooks developed a subscription channel on Sirius XM Radio to combat online music streaming for years. He also decided to stream his entire catalog via Amazon Music.

Brooks' first single, "All Day Long," debuted on June 19, 2018. Fun is the first off his 2020 album. The Road I'm On" was also released on the B-side. In August 2018, Brooks revealed that a new live album, Triple Live, would be released in association with Ticketmaster.

Brooks announced his Stadium Tour in August 2018, which would visit thirty North American stadiums and showcase Brooks in a football-centric setting. Brooks performed the first concert at the University of Notre Dame's football stadium in 2018. Following a tribute to his wife Trisha Yearwood at the CMA Awards, he dropped "Stronger Than Me" from his forthcoming 2019 album album debut. He performed his best-ever ticketed concert at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on August 14, 2021, selling 90,000 tickets.

In June 2019, Blake Shelton's third single from his forthcoming album, "Dive Bar," a duet with Blake Shelton, was released. Brooks also participated in the Dive Bar Tour, a fundraising tour to promote the single, after visiting seven dive bars around the country.

Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood performed an informal concert on Facebook Live during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several times as an estimated 5.2 million viewers viewed the show, the website crashed multiple times. As a result of this, Brooks and Yearwood hosted a concert in the same style the following week, which was broadcast live on CBS, as well as a $1 million donation to relief efforts. According to CBS' estimates, the CBS special attracted an estimated 5.6 million viewers. Brooks and Yearwood held a "part 2" to their previous online performance on July 7, receiving song requests and then broadcasting on Facebook Live. Brooks performed a concert broadcast at 300 drive-in theaters around North America on June 27, 2020.

On November 20, 2020, Brooks' most recent collection, Fun, was released.

At the inauguration of Joe Biden, Brooks performed "Amazing Grace" on January 20, 2021. His appearance, he said, was an opportunity "to serve" and was a "statement of unity."

Brooks appeared in Tiger Stadium on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 30, 2022. When he performed his hit "Callin' Baton Rouge," he became the second person, after LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson, to compel the audience to a point where the noise level registered on the university's seismograph, registering as an earthquake caused by excited fans.

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