Garth Brooks is a famous country music star who has won Grammy awards. He is known for songs like Friends in Low Places, The Dance, and If Tomorrow Never Comes. His album Ropin’ the Wind was the first country album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Brooks is the only artist to win seven CMA Entertainer of the Year awards. He also has eight diamond-certified albums, which means he sold at least 10 million copies of each.
Quick Facts About Garth Brooks
| Full Name | Troyal Garth Brooks |
| Date of Birth | February 7, 1962 |
| Birthplace | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA |
| Genres | Country, pop |
| Notable Albums | Ropin’ the Wind, No Fences, Fresh Horses |
| Grammy Awards | 2 |
| CMA Entertainer Awards | 7 (most in history) |
| Diamond-Certified Albums | 8 (at least 10 million copies each) |
| Top Songs | The Dance and Friends in Low Places |
| Debut Album | Garth Brooks (1990) |
| Personal Life | Married to Trisha Yearwood since 2005 |
Early Life Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks was born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 7, 1962. His dad, Troyal Raymond Brooks Jr., worked for an oil company. His mom, Colleen McElroy Carroll, was a country singer. Garth had four older half-siblings: Jim, Jerry, Mike, and Betsy. He also had an older sister named Kelly. His brother Mike taught him how to play guitar, starting his journey as a musician.
Music Career: Hit Songs and Albums
Garth Brooks began singing in bars while studying at Oklahoma State University. He moved to Nashville in 1987 but faced challenges in his career. To support himself, he worked at a boot store.
With music manager Bob Doyle’s help, Garth Brooks signed with Capitol Records in 1988. He released his first album in 1989. Some of his early hits are “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance.”
His second album, No Fences, came out in 1990 and included hits like “Friends in Low Places.” It sold over 4 million copies and became his first diamond-certified album.
Garth’s third album, Ropin’ the Wind, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In 1998, Garth Brooks set a record with Garth Brooks Double Live, selling over a million copies in its first week. Other popular albums include The Chase, In Pieces, Fresh Horses, Sevens, and Scarecrow. His concerts are also famous; one in Central Park drew around 850,000 to 1.2 million fans.
First Las Vegas Residency and Tours
In 2009, Garth Brooks started a three-year show at Wynn Las Vegas. He performed solo with just his guitar, sharing personal stories. These shows were very popular and sold out.
In 2011, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, followed by his entry into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
For his last Wynn show in November 2013, Brooks teamed up with CBS for a live broadcast, attracting 9.33 million viewers. Years later, he signed with Sony Music Nashville and released Man Against Machine in November 2014.
In late 2016, he launched his 10th studio album, Gunslinger, and a holiday album with Trisha Yearwood. They went on a successful three-and-a-half-year tour, selling over 6.3 million tickets.
In March 2019, Garth Brooks began The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour. That same year, he won the Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMA Awards for the seventh time. He also received iHeart Radio’s first Artist of the Decade Award.
Newest Albums
After getting Billboard’s Music Icon Award, Garth Brooks released his long-awaited album Fun in November 2020, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. His latest album, Time Traveler, was released in November 2023.
Albums
- Fun (2020)
- Time Traveler (2023)
A&E Special: Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On
A&E released a two-part documentary called Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On in December 2019. It focused on Brooks’ incredible career as a best-selling solo artist. The documentary showed his life as a musician, father, and man. It highlighted key moments in his career and famous songs.
The special covered Brooks’ journey from his early days playing in college bars to his record-breaking tours. It also revealed how he balanced fame and family life. Viewers got to see interviews with Garth, his wife Trisha Yearwood, and music legends like Billy Joel and Keith Urban.
There were behind-the-scenes clips from his stadium tours and stories about his eight diamond-certified albums. Brooks shared that he trusted A&E to tell the real story of his life and music.
Wife Trisha Yearwood and Children
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are a famous couple and married for almost 20 years. They first met in 1987 while recording a demo. A decade later, they worked together on the song “In Another’s Eyes,” which won a Grammy Award.
Their romance became known in June 2002 when they walked the red carpet together at the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They got engaged in May 2005 and married in December of that year.
A Country Power Couple
Garth Brooks was married to Sandy Mahl before Trisha. Together, they have three daughters: Taylor, August, and Allie. Garth and Sandy separated in 1999, nearly ten years after their wedding in 1986. At the end of 2000, Garth decided to pause his music career to focus on his daughters. His divorce was finalized the next year.