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The New 2 CD and DVD set called "The Ultimate Hits" contains 4 new songs and 30 previous songs and a great DVD (2+ hours) of 33 Videos. The new Double CD was released by Garth's Record Label "Pearl Records" and will not be released exclusively by Wal-Mart. Garth says that he will be out promoting the New Release, but after February/2008 he will go back to his Children and retirement. I was Lucky enough to see Garth's last Concert in Kansas City on November 14, 2007 and it was Great and as exciting as previous years concerts were to me. Garth said, "If you will wait for me, I will be Back!" with tears in his eyes and in mine! So let's Wait for him to return to touring one day.
Troyal Garth Brooks, born February 7, 1962, is the son of Troyal and Colleen Carroll Brooks. Colleen was a country singer herself, recording a handful of records for Capitol in the mid-'50s that never experienced any chart success. As a child, Garth was interested in music and frequently sang at family gatherings, but he concentrated on athletics. He received a partial athletic scholarship at Oklahoma State University in javelin tossing, but he wound up dropping the sport during his collegiate career. While he was at college, Brooks began singing in local Oklahoma clubs, often with lead guitarist Ty England. After he graduated with an advertising degree in December of 1984, Garth Brooks decided to try to forge out a career as a country singer. In 1985 he moved to Nashville with hopes of being discovered by a record label. Twenty-three hours after moving to Nashville, he returned to Oklahoma, frustrated with the industry, his prospects, and his naive dreams. Brooks continued to perform in Oklahoma clubs, and in 1986, he married his college girlfriend, Sandra G. "Sandy" Mahl. The couple moved to Nashville in 1987, this time with a better idea of how the music industry operated. Brooks began making connections with various song-writers and producers, and he sang on a lot of song-writer's demo tapes. Although he had made several connections within the industry and he had a powerful management team, every label in town was refusing to sign him. In 1988, six weeks after Capitol Records passed on his demo, one of the label's executives saw Brooks sing at a local club. Impressed with the performance, the executive convinced the label to sign Garth. Brooks recorded his first album with producer Allen Reynolds at the end of 1988; the self-titled debut appeared early in 1989. The album was an instant success, with its first single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," climbing into the country Top Ten. Garth's debut was a success, crossing over into the pop album charts, but it was overshadowed by the blockbuster appeal of Clint Black, as well other similar new male vocalists like Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson. Within a year, Brooks would tower above them all with his surprise, widespread success. Garth Brooks had three other hit singles - the number one "If Tomorrow Never Comes," the number two "Not Counting You," and the number one "The Dance" - but it was his second album, No Fences, that established him as a super star. No Fences was released in the fall of 1990, preceded by the massive hit single "Friends in Low Places." No Fences spent 23 weeks at the top of the country charts and sold 700,000 copies within the first ten days of its release. Throughout 1990 and 1991, Brooks had a string of number one country hits from the album, including "Unanswered Prayers," "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House," and "The Thunder Rolls." By 1993, No Fences would sell over ten million copies. Not only did his record sales break all the accepted country conventions, but so did Garth Brooks concerts. By the end of 1990, he was selling out stadiums within minutes and was putting on stadium-sized shows, patterned after '70s rock extravaganzas. Brooks used a cordless, headset microphone so he could run around his large stage. He had an elaborate light show, explosions, and even a harness so he could swing out above the crowd and sing to them. It was the first time any country artist incorporated such rock and roll techniques into their stage shows. Ropin' the Wind, Garth's third album, was released in September of 1991 and became the first country record to debut at the top of the pop charts. Ropin' the Wind matched the success of No Fences, selling over ten million copies within its first two years of release and spawning the number one hit singles "Shameless," "What She's Doing Now," and "The River." By the end of 1991, Brooks had become a genuine popular music phenomenon - even his 1992 Christmas album, Beyond the Season, went multi-platinum - and there were no signs of his momentum slowing down. Naturally, a backlash began to develop in the fall of 1992, beginning with the release of "We Shall Be Free," the first single from his fourth album. Featuring a strong gospel underpinning, the single stalled at number 12 and many radio stations refused to play it. It was indicative of the eclectic nature of his forthcoming album, The Chase, which pushed the boundaries of contemporary country. The Chase debuted at number one upon its October 1992 release and by the end of the year, it sold over five million copies. Nevertheless, that number was half the size of the figures for his two previous albums and there was speculation in the media that Brooks' career had already peaked. Sensing that he was in danger of losing his core audience, Brooks returned to straight country with 1993's In Pieces. The album was critically acclaimed and sold several million copies, though it was clear that Garth would not reach the stratospheric commercial heights of No Fences and Ropin' the Wind again. Even so, he remained one of the most successful artists in popular music, one of the few guaranteed to sell millions of records with each new album, as well as sell out concerts around the world. The Hits, which was only available for a year, was released in the fall of 1994 and would eventually sell ten million albums. Garth Brooks released Fresh Horses, his first album of new material in two years, in November of 1995; within six months of its release, it had sold over three million copies. Despite its promising start, Fresh Horses leveled out quickly, topping out at quadruple platinum - a healthy number for any artist, but a little disappointing considering Brooks' superstar status. Brooks decided to push his seventh album, appropriately titled Sevens, very hard to confirm his superstar status. Originally, it was scheduled to be released in August of 1997, when he would promote it with a huge concert in Central Park. Plans went awry when Capitol Records experienced a huge management shake up, leaving many of his contacts at the label out in the cold. Upset at the new management, Brooks held back the release of Sevens until he received commitment for a major marketing push for the album. He went ahead and performed the Central Park concert, which received major coverage in the media. On the strength of the concert, Capitol acquiesced to Brooks' demands, and Sevens was released in November of 1997. Sevens catapulted to number one upon its release and quickly went multi-platinum over the holiday season. The following spring, Brooks pulled his first six albums out of print and issued The Limited Series, a box set which contained all six records plus bonus tracks. Once all two million copies of The Limited Series were sold, the individual albums would remain out of print until their tenth anniversary, when they would be released only on DVD Audio. The Double Live set followed in late 1998, and its sales were brisk but not quite as heavy as projected. In the spring of 1998, Brooks unsuccessfully tried out for the San Diego Padres pro baseball team, a major indication of his growing desire to expand his success beyond country music. Once it became clear that professional baseball wasn't in his future, he became fascinated with film, specifically starring in The Lamb, a supposed thriller about a conflicted, tortured rock star called Chris Gaines. He was determined to win the role, and he did after extensive lobbying. Sometime in the spring of 1999, the film was given the green light with Baby face as a producer and Brooks as the star. During pre-production, Brooks decided the best way to prep for the role was to become Chris Gaines. He invented a brooding, leather-clad image and filled in holes in Gaines' back story by inventing biographies and a musical history. The most important piece in the puzzle was a collection of Gaines' "greatest hits," since it would prime audiences for the big-budget spectacular of The Lamb, scheduled for late 2000. So, Brooks jumped the gun, recording a set of 13 songs - as Chris Gaines - that would fill in the fictional singer's history. As the Chris Gaines album was about to hit stores, Brooks' new persona was revealed to the public. Since the machinations of The Lamb were only known to music insiders and fans who religiously followed the trades, Brooks' sudden re-emergence as a slimmed-down, soul-patched, shaggy-haired soulful pop crooner was utterly bizarre to almost every observer. There was a massive PR campaign to shed light on Chris Gaines, complete with a TV special, but the details were so convoluted that it could not be explained easily. The Life of Chris Gaines was released at the end of September 1999, and although it entered the charts at number two, it was a major commercial disappointment; by the time Christmas rolled around, some major stores were offering heavy discounts on the record in hopes of clearing out unsold stock. Fan bewilderment over the Gaines project also likely hurt sales of Brooks' second holiday record, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas, a traditional-pop-styled outing which appeared just two months later. Brooks kept a low profile through most of 2000, as the disastrous marketplace showing of the Chris Gaines album effectively scuttled plans for The Lamb. Late in the year (Nov/2000), it was announced that Brooks and his wife were getting a divorce. Adding spice to the country break-up story is the rumored settlement figure of over $125 million that has been mentioned by sources close to the couple. That would represent nearly half of Garth's total worth at this time. As if this news weren’t enough, many close to the couple suggest that Trisha Yearwood may be waiting in the wings to begin a fairytale country music romance with the King of Country. The divorce of Garth Brooks & Sandra "Sandy" Brooks was final in December of 2001. Garth has remained "Retired" and has moved back to Oklahoma to be closer to Sandy and the three Girls, Taylor Mayne Pearl Brooks born July 8, 1992, August Anna Brooks born May 3, 1994 and Allie Colleen Brooks born July 28, 1996, and is able to participate in their lives.
On May 25, 2005 in Bakersfield, California, Garth proposed to
Trisha Yearwood in front of 7,000 fans. Garth was participating in "Legends in Bronze" event
at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield. When Garth's statue was unveiled he dropped to one
knee to pop the Question to Trisha, who answered yes as the Fans cheered. Garth is now 43 and Trisha is 40 and no wedding plans have been announced. This marriage will be the Second for Garth, who has 3 children and the
Third for Trisha, who has no children. Hope
you enjoyed this brief history of Garth Brooks "THE ENTERTAINER"! I
have personally attended 9 of his sold out concerts, and every
concert was more DYNAMIC than the last! Everyone in Texas misses
Garth's visits, especially his Loyal Fans!!
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