Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music. Initially it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum but Brooks shattered that barrier in 1991, with his second album, "No Fences" and its follow-up, "Ropin' the Wind" that became the first country album to deb ...
Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music. Initially it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum but Brooks shattered that barrier in 1991, with his second album, "No Fences" and its follow-up, "Ropin' the Wind" that became the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts. "No Fences" eventually sold a record-shattering 13 million copies. Country music had successfully carved a permanent place for itself on the pop charts after 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.
His second album "No Fences" established him as a superstar that released in the fall of 1990, preceded by the massive hit single "Friends in Low Places." It 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. "Ropin' the Wind", Brooks' third album 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" spawning the number one hit singles "Shameless," "What She's Doing Now," and "The River."
His 1992 Christmas album, "Beyond the Season" went multi-platinum -- and there were no signs of his momentum slowing down. A backlash developed in the fall of 1992, beginning with the release of "We Shall Be Free," the first single from his fourth album " The Chase" which debuted at number one during its release in October 1992. 1993's "In Pieces" was critically acclaimed and sold several million copies, though it was clear that Brooks would not reach the stratospheric commercial heights of "No Fences" and "Ropin' the Wind" again. "The Hits" available for a year, was released in the fall of 1994 and eventually sold over eight million albums. Brooks released "Fresh Horses", his first album of new material in two years, in November of 1995.
Brooks's seventh album, appropriately titled "Sevens" was released in November of 1997 that catapulted to number one upon its release and quickly went multi-platinum.The following spring, Brooks pulled his first six albums out of print and issued "The Limited Series", a box set that contained all six records plus bonus tracks. The Double Live set followed in late 1998, and its sales were brisk but not quite as heavy as projected. "In the Life of Chris Gaines" was released at the end of September 1999 and was a major commercial disappointment. "Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas", a traditional pop-styled outing appeared just two months later.
Recent comments