Garth Brooks has had an unparalleled career that spans nearly 40 years, revolutionizing country music in his wake. Accumulating nearly 148 million certified albums and becoming the highest-selling solo artist of all time. Plus he sold more tickets to live concerts than any other artist worldwide! Still going strong today with his Las Vegas residency and new and old music being released via TuneIn streaming radio network this summer; Brooks recently met up with Billboard’s Melinda Newman in Nashville to discuss past, present, and future aspects of his impressive career; topics included his farm retreat as well as why he would rather avoid social media when younger.
Though raised in a musical family, Brooks didn’t show much interest in music until his sophomore year of college. After winning a track-and-field scholarship at Oklahoma State University and focusing on his studies, he started performing in local bars before discovering country music as his passion. Once graduated with a degree in advertising he moved to Nashville but his initial trip there proved unsuccessful so he returned home where he married Sandy Mahl before making another attempt later.
After several years of performing frequently and making connections in Nashville’s music business, Brooks finally made an impressionful statement with Capitol Records and released his debut album in 1989 – to immediate national acclaim. But with 1992’s The Chase and an unsettling collaboration with rock band KISS soon following, critics began questioning whether Brooks’ heyday had passed.
In 1994, Brooks released In Pieces – an album which proved his fans that he could still sell out arenas and break box office records without compromising his signature country sound. Subsequent albums have proven even more successful for him.
Today, Brooks tours with his 7,000-seat Las Vegas venue and has several dates scheduled in 2024. Additionally, he’s working on his next studio album while also inking a deal with Bass Pro Shops to release limited-edition series of his best work. In the community sphere, he founded Teammates for Kids foundation (recruiting professional athletes to donate funds and volunteer time for children in need), vocalized support of LGBT rights issues as well as staunch backing of our military and veterans; but most impressive of all remains humble in spite of extraordinary success – we hope he keeps doing what he loves as long as possible!