Garth Brooks, born Troyal Garth Brooks on February 7, 1962 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a budding sports star who received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University, graduating in 1984 with a degree in advertising. He didn't use it, however, preferring to sing and play guitar in Oklahoma clubs and bars, ultimately moving to Nashville to launch his music career. Showcasing a straight traditional country style, his self-titled 1989 debut album was immediately successful, featuring the hit singles “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” and “If Tomorrow Never Comes”. The 1990 follow-up, No Fences, spent 23 weeks at Number 1 in the Billboard Country Chart and his energetic, theatrical stage show quickly won Brooks crossover appeal and he became the first country act to enter the mainstream charts at Number 1 with his 1991 album Ropin' The Wind. At one point he had three albums in the Top 20 at the same time, breaking out further with an album of Kiss cover songs. He also adopted the persona "Chris Gaines" for an album and live appearances in preparation for an abortive movie. He subsequently announced his retirement with a final album, 2001’s Scarecrow, but went back on the road in 2009. After more than a decade, he returned to recording with 2014’s Man Against Machine, his eighth LP to top the country album chart, followed by 2016’s Gunslinger, another number 1. In November of 2020 he released Fun, which included a cover of the Oscar winning song “Shallow”, on which he dueted with his wife, Trisha Yearwood.
