Garth Brooks

This article is about the performer. For his eponymous album, see Garth Brooks (album).

Garth Brooks
Brooks at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2022
Born
Troyal Garth Brooks

(1962-02-07) February 7, 1962 (age 62)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.[1]
Alma materOklahoma State University
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Spouses
  • Sandy Mahl
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1986; div. 2001)​
  • ​
    (m. 2005)​
Children3
Musical career
Also known asChris Gaines
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
DiscographyGarth Brooks discography
Years active
  • 1985–2001
  • 2005–present
Labels
Websitegarthbrooks.com

Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States,[2] with success on the country music single and album charts,[3] multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.[4]

Brooks is the only artist in music history to have released nine albums that were certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (surpassing The Beatles' former record of six); those albums are Garth Brooks (diamond), No Fences (17× platinum), Ropin' the Wind (14× platinum), The Chase (diamond), In Pieces (diamond), The Hits (diamond), Sevens (diamond), Double Live (21× platinum), and The Ultimate Hits (diamond).[5] Since 1989, Brooks has released 27 records in all, which include 17 studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, three Christmas albums, and four box sets, along with 77 singles. He has won several awards in his career, including two Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards (including "Artist of the '90s") and the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the U.S.

Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2005.[4] During this time, he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Walmart and sporadically released new singles.[6][7] In 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, giving select performances and releasing two compilation albums. In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn, a periodic weekend concert residency at Las Vegas's Encore Theatre from December 2009 to January 2014. Following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014.[8] In September 2014, he began his comeback world tour, with wife and musician Trisha Yearwood, which culminated in 2017. This was followed by his Stadium Tour, which began in 2019, and another Las Vegas concert residency, Garth Brooks/Plus ONE, continuing into 2024. His most recent album, Time Traveler, was released in November 2023.

Brooks is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold more than 170 million records.[9] Billboard ranked Brooks as the greatest male solo artist on the Billboard 200 chart of all time.[10] As of 2020, according to the RIAA, he is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 162 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley, and is second only to the Beatles in total album sales overall.[11] Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012,[12] having been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame the year before.[13] He was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016 with his studio musicians, The G-Men.[14] In 2020, Brooks became the youngest recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.[15]

  1. ^ "Brooks, Troyal Garth (1962– )". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  2. ^ Masley, Ed (September 2, 2015). "Garth Brooks announces two Phoenix dates". Azcentral.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Brooks' music coming to digital via his own site". July 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Kevin C. (November 11, 2000). "Country music may survive A.G. (After Garth)". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2007.. Archived from the original Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on March 21, 2017.
  5. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Garth Brooks January 27, 2016
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference boxset was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ledoux was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Watts, Cindy. "Garth Brooks talks new album, tour at press conference". The Tennesseeian. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  9. ^ Hunt, Chase (June 17, 2015). "Garth Brooks' 10 best songs". AXS. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  10. ^ "Greatest of All Time (Billboard 200 Artists)". Billboard. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  11. ^ "RIAA Top Selling Artists". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Talbort, Chris. "Brooks Heads For Country Hall Of Fame, Looks Ahead". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  13. ^ "Garth Brooks | Songwriters Hall of Fame". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference musician hall of fame was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Garth Brooks to Receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 15, 2020.