Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music artist. His eponymous first album was released in 1989; it peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart. Brooks's integration of rock elements into his recordings and live performances made him very popular and allowed him to dominate the country single and country album charts and quickly crossed over into the mainstream pop arena, exposing country music to a larger audience.
rooks has enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. The RIAA has certified his recordings at a combined (128× platinum), denoting roughly 113 million U.S. shipments. He is also listed as the best-selling artist of the Nielsen Soundscan era (from 1991 onwards), with approximately 67,774,000 albums sold (as of April 5, 2008).He is second only to The Beatles in the United States.Brooks has released six albums that achieved diamond status in the United States, those being: Garth Brooks (10× platinum), No Fences (17× platinum), Ropin' the Wind (14× platinum), The Hits (10× platinum), Sevens (10× platinum) and Double Live (21× platinum).Since 1989, Brooks has released 19 records in all, which include; 9 studio albums, 1 live album, 4 compilation albums, 3 christmas albums and 2 box sets, along with 77 singles. In all formats (albums, singles and home videos) Brooks is estimated to have topped 220 million units in sales worldwide.
Troubled by conflicts between career and family, in 2001 Brooks officially retired from recording and performing.During this time he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Wal-Mart and has sporadically released new singles.However, in 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, and has since given several performances and released two compilation albums.
Personal life
In 1999, Brooks and his wife separated, announcing their plans to divorce on October 9, 2000. The divorce became final in 2001.In the mid-1990s, many tabloids reported throughout the decade that he was actually having an affair with longtime friend and collaborator Trisha Yearwood. The two have continually denied having had an affair. Following Brooks' divorce, however, the pair did begin dating, and the couple wed on December 10, 2005, at their home in Oklahoma, marking the second marriage for Brooks and the third for Yearwood. They own a house in Goodlettsville, Tennessee and a house in Malibu, California, but keep a primary residence at a ranch in Owasso, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.
In 2000 Brooks attempted to donate part of his liver to country music contemporary, and close friend, Chris LeDoux; however, it was found to be incompatible. LeDoux did receive a donor, but died in March, 2005, due to complications from liver cancer.
Setting records
The Recording Industry Association of America announced that Garth Brooks was the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America.This conclusion drew criticism from the press and many music fans who were convinced that Elvis Presley had sold more records, but had been short-changed in the rankings due to faulty RIAA certification methods during his lifetime. Brooks, while proud of his sales accomplishments, deferred to "The King" and stated that he too believed that Presley must have sold more.
The RIAA has since reexamined their methods for counting certifications. Under their revised methods, Presley became the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history, making Brooks the number two solo artist, ranking third overall, as The Beatles have sold more albums than either he or Presley.The revision brought more criticism of the accuracy of the RIAA's figures, this time from Brooks' followers.
On November 5, 2007, Brooks was again named the best selling solo artist in US history, surpassing Presley (but still #2 after the Beatles) after audited sales of 123 million were announced. It has since been revealed that he had hit the mark a year prior, but at his request the RIAA held off for 12 months to coincide with the release of The Ultimate Hits.
Charitable activities
In 1999, Garth Brooks began the Teammates for Kids Foundation which provides financial aid to charities for children. The organization breaks down into three categories spanning three different sports.
* Touch 'Em All Foundation - Baseball Division
* Top Shelf - Hockey Division
* Touchdown - Football Division
The foundation enlists players to donate a predetermined sum of money depending on their game performance. Brooks has participated in spring training for the San Diego Padres in 1998 and 1999, the New York Mets in 2000 and, most recently, with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 to promote his foundation. Starting during the 2008 season, fans at Royals games in Kauffman Stadium now sing along to Friends in Low Places.
Awards
* 2 Grammy Awards (total of 7 nominations)
* 17 American Music Awards
* 11 Country Music Association Awards
* 18 Academy of Country Music Awards
* 5 World Music Awards
* 10 People's Choice Awards
* 24 Billboard Music Awards
* 2 ASCAP Awards
* 2 Blockbuster Awards
* American Music Awards, Artist of the Decade (1990s)
* Academy of Country Music Awards, Artist of the Decade (1990s)
* Recording Industry Association of America, Artist of the Century (1900s)
* 1 Radio Music Award
* 2 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (Outstanding in a Variety of Music Program)
* 1 Golden Globe nomination (Best Original Song)
* Songwriters Hall of Fame: 2002
* GLAAD Media Award for "We Shall Be Free"-1993
* 1 CMT awards nomination, Collaborative Video of the Year for "Workin' For A Livin'" With Huey Lewis (2008)
* Academy of Country Music Awards, inaugural "Crystal Milestone Award" honoring him as the top-selling country music artist in history, with album sales of over 128 million in the U.S. (2008)
* 2 American Music Awards Nominations(2008):
Country Music - Favorite Male Artist Country Music - Favorite Album for "The Ultimate Hits"
Brooks is also a fundraiser for various other charities, including a number of children's charities and famine relief. He has also donated at least $1 million to wildlife causes. It was announced that Garth would perform a charity concert on January 25 and 26, 2008 at the Staples Center for the victims of the recent California Wildfires. On December 1, tickets went on sale and sold out within minutes, prompting them to announce 3 more shows. All 5 L.A. shows sold out in less than 59 minutes. CBS aired the first of these concerts (January 25 at 9 pm) live, giving viewers a chance to donate to the Firefighters Relief efforts.
