Garth Brooks (Getty)
Garth Brooks has been making records for the better part of 3 decades. The country superstar has done a tremendous job of fusing old-time country and rock n’ roll into a modern country sound that was an immediate cultural crossover.
Brooks has been married to country star Trisha Yearwood since 2005, has completed a residency in Las Vegas in 2014, has won multiple Grammy awards, and has sold millions, upon millions of records. The “Friends In Low Places” singer celebrates his 55th birthday on February 7th.
1. Garth Brooks is the Best Selling Solo Artist in the U.S.
Garth Brooks (Getty)
Bigger than Elvis and Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks has sold more albums in the United States than any other solo artist with 135 million units sold. Brooks is second only to The Beatles in total album sales. He has sold more than 160 million records on a global scale.
Garth Brooks has released 21 records in all including 11 studio albums, a live album, three Christmas albums and four box sets among others. He is the only artist in the history of music to have released seven certified RIAA diamond albums in the U.S. This includes No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind, <em>The Hits, Sevens, Double Live, and The Ultimate Hits. In fact, he has been given the RIAA Award for the best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the U.S.
2. His Mother Recorded for Capitol Records
Brooks’ mother, Colleen McElroy Carroll, was a country singer signed to Capitol Records in the 1950’s. She released multiple songs on the label and was a performer on Ozark Jubilee.
Music was central to family life in the Brooks household with parents and siblings playing instruments while everyone sang.
3. Brooks was Influenced by Rock Bands Including Kiss
Brooks was one of the first country musicians to form a successful crossover sound that included taking the rock n’roll sound and fusing it into country. He touts his favorites as James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, Townes Van Zandt, and Kiss.
Brooks loved Kiss so much that to pay homage to this influence, he appeared on the 1994 compilations Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved appearing alongside Anthrax, Dinosaur Jr., and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Brooks held his own recording the classic Kiss song “Hard Luck Woman.” He performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, with the song charting on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart of all places.
4. Don’t Forget About Chris Gaines
Garth Brooks formulated an alter-ego in 1999 named Chris Gaines. Gaines was a rock and roll musician, was meant to be a character in a movie, and released an album of rock songs called Garth Brooks in…The Life of Chris Gaines. The character, and music, was a completed left turn for Brooks, and he has spent years trying to explain why it was made.
Brooks went so far as to film a Behind the Music episode and appeared as the character on an episode of Saturday Night Live. The album did not sell well, and the project was deemed a failure. No one was buying that Brooks could push the Gaines character in to rock n roll stardom, and there was harsh criticism for a long time after. The album did, however, manage to sell more than two million copies.
5. Garth Brooks Tried his Hand at Professional Baseball
Garth Brooks (Getty)
As a baseball fanatic, Brooks was given the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues. Brooks was signed by the San Diego Padres to a Minor League contract in 1999 and went to play for the club in Spring Training. He mostly played outfield and was utilized as a pinch hitter. During his time with the Padres he went 1 for 22 with his lone hit, a single of pitcher Mike Sirotka.
Brooks went on to play for the New York Mets during their 2000 Spring Training going 0 for 17 with 4 walks. He again went to Spring Training with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 and notched one hit off pitcher Mike Myers.
Brooks went on to form the Teammates for Kids charity in 1999. Over 4,300 professional athletes have donated to the foundation from all sports. 100% of the money taken in from the foundation directly goes to funding kids programs.