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Garth Brooks is an international superstar who worked hard, and persevered, to become one of the top selling musicians of all time.
Troyal Garth Brooks was born on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa Oklahoma. Garth's mother, Colleen McElroy Carroll, was a 1950's-era country singer. The family hosted weekly talent nights at their home in Yukon, Oklahoma. All of the children (6 in total) were required to participate, either by singing or doing skits. This is where Garth learned to play both the guitar and banjo. |
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As a child, Brooks often sang in casual family settings, but his primary focus was athletics. In high school, he played football and baseball and ran track and field.
He received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he competed in the javelin event. 
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Garth graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1984, with a degree in Advertising.
Today's Listening Example is Garth Brooks' biggest hit of his lifetime, "Friends in Low Places." The idea for the song developed when one of the songwriters had forgotten his wallet at lunch one day. He told the waiter, "Don't worry, I've got friends in low places." He was referring to knowing the cook at the restaurant. The lyrics were scribbled on a paper napkin and the rest is history. |
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According to the Recording Industry of America Association, or RIAA, Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 148 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley, and is second only to the Beatles in total album sales overall. He is also one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 170 million records.
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Garth was the baby of five siblings. Through his elder siblings, Brooks was exposed to a wide range of music. Although he listened to some country music, especially that of George Jones, Brooks was most fond of rock music, citing James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, and Townes Van Zandt as major influences. In 1981, after hearing "Unwound", the debut single of George Strait, Brooks decided that he was more interested in playing country music.
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Fan Fact: In January 2012, Garth Brooks was named the best-selling artist of the Soundscan era, which spans 20 years. The Beatles took spot No. 2.
The third album released by Garth Brooks in 1991, Ropin' the Wind, was the first album by a country artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts. That's right, the POP charts. Not the country charts. Garth is known as a cross over artist, or one makes music in more than one type of music. He paved the way for artists like Taylor Swift and Kid Rock. |
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In 1992, many people in Los Angeles, California became outraged by, what they considered to be injustice and police brutality. They began to riot. Garth Brooks was in Los Angeles at the time of these riots. The unrest, and violence, inspired him to write the song “We Shall Be Free”. The song became the first single off his fourth album The Chase. The album only reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Brooks' first song in three years to fail to make the top 10. Nonetheless, "We Shall Be Free" peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Christian Songs charts.
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As we learned before, Garth Brooks got a college degree in Advertising. Advertising is how you promote, or get people to buy, your product or service. Even though he never actually worked in a business office using his advertising degree, he still used his knowledge of business and advertising in his career as a musician.
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One of the top-selling country music artists of all time, Garth Brooks has received several special honors in recent years. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. The following year, Brooks also became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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Trisha currently has her own TV show on the Food network called “Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.” Garth makes appearances every now and then. Trisha’s cooking skills are just as good as her musical talents and she and Garth still sing and tour together. In fact, they made a Christmas album together called “Christmas Together”.
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