Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and charity director who performs country music.

The success begins

Garth Brooks' eponymous first album was released in 1989 and was both a critical and chart success. It peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and made #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart. Most of the album was traditionalist country, influenced by George Strait. The first single ahead of it was "Much Too Young To Feel This Damm Old", a country top 10 success. It was followed by his first well-known song, "If Tomorrow Never Comes", which was his first country #1 and is still considered one of his best-crafted efforts. "Not Counting You" reached #2, and then "The Dance" put him at #1 again; this song's theme of people dying in the course of doing something they believe in resonated strongly and together with a popular music video gave Brooks his first push towards a broader audience.

Related Topics:
Eponymous first album - 1989 - Billboard 200 - George Strait - The Dance - Music video

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The album No Fences followed in 1990. It reached #1 on the Billboard country music chart (staying there for 23 weeks) and #3 on the pop chart, and would go on to become Brooks' biggest-selling album, with global sales of over 20 million copies. It contained what would become Brooks' signature song, the blue collar anthem "Friends in Low Places", which was a favorite of American troops serving in the 1991 Gulf War. The album contained two other Brooks classics, the dramatic and controversial "Thunder Rolls" and the philosophically ironic "Unanswered Prayers". Also a hit was the affectionate "Two of a Kind, Workin? on a Full House"; all four of these songs hit #1 on the country chart.

Related Topics:
No Fences - 1990 - Signature song - Blue collar - Gulf War

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While Brooks' music was definitely in the country idiom, he had also absorbed a sensibility from the 1970s singer songwriter movement, especially James Taylor (whom he idolized) and Dan Fogelberg. Similarly, Brooks was influenced by the operatic rock of the 1970s-era Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. In his highly successful live shows, Brooks used a wireless headset microphone to free himself to run about the stage, adding energy and arena rock theatrics to spice up the normally staid country music approach to concerts.

Related Topics:
Singer songwriter - James Taylor - Dan Fogelberg - Billy Joel - Bruce Springsteen - Arena rock

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