| NET WORTH: | $380 Million |
|---|---|
| Source of Wealth: | Singer, Songwriter |
| Born: | February 7, 1962 |
| Age: | 58 |
| Spouse: | Trisha Yearwood |
| Birth Name: | Troyal Garth Brooks |
| Height: | 6ft. (1.82m) |
Garth Brooks is an American singer and songwriter who is known for combining the rock and pop genre into the country genre. He made multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances. Brooks is one of the world's best-selling music artist. In 2020, he released a total of nine albums that reached diamond status in the United States. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012, and into Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in the year 2016.
Brooks also received several nominations and awards including the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the U.S., 2 Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards, and received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song which makes him the youngest recipient of the award.
Early Life
Troyal Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on February 7, 1962, and the youngest child of Troyal Raymond Brooks Jr., a draftsman for an oil company, and Colleen McElroy Carroll, a 1950s-era country singer. This was the second marriage for each of his parents, which he has four older half-siblings, and a sister, Kelly. Their family hosts weekly talent nights where all of the children were required to join, either they sing or doing skits.
In high school, his primary focus was athletics. He played baseball, football, and run on track and field. He attended Oklahoma State University in which he received a track scholarship, and graduated in the year 1984 with a degree in advertising.
Career
Brooks started his professional career in music, singing, and playing guitar on 1985, where he mostly played in Oklahoma clubs and bars. He was somehow fond of rock music, citing Townes Van Zandt, James Taylor, and Dan Fogelberg as his major influences, despite of listening to some country music. In the year 1981, after he heard the debut single of George Strait "Undwound", he decided that he has more interest in playing county music.
After entertainment attorney Rod Phelps listened to Brooks, he offered Brook to produce his first demo as he liked what he heard. Brooks and then-wife Sandy Mahl travelled together to move to Nashville. Since then, Brooks started making contacts in the music industry. In 1989, Brooks' eponymous first album was released and was a chart success where it peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and no. 13 on Billboard 200 chart. Most of the singles of his album was a hit, and later in 1989, he made his first major concert tour as opening act for Kenny Rogers.
He released his second album in 1990, where it stayed at no. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for 23 weeks. It became Brooks' highest-selling album, with domestic shipments of 17 million. In late 1990s, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. His third album, Ropin' the Wind, was released in September 1991, containing the melange of country pop and honky-tonk singles "The River", "What She's Doing Now", and a cover of Billy Joel's song "Shameless". Brooks became the first country artist with three albums listed in the Billboard 200's top 20 in one week. On August 25, 1992, he released his first Christmas album, Beyond the Season, with the classics "White Christmas" and "Silent Night", and an original tune of "The Old Man's Back in Town". The said album was the best selling Christmas album in 1992.
In 1993, he began his first world tour with sold-out venues like London's Wembley Arena and Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre.
In 1995, he released his sixth studio album, Fresh Horses. The album reached at quadruple platinum, with the singles such as "She's Every Woman", "The Fever", and "The Beaches of Cheyenne". After the released of his album, Brooks began his second world tour where it has approximately 5.5 million audience, ranking third on the all-time list of concert attendance, and grossed more than $105 million, ranking as the highest-grossing concert tours in 1990s.
In 1997, Brooks released his seventh studio album, Sevens. The album contains the singles "Longneck Bottle", "Two Pina Coladas", "To Make You Feel My Love", and duet "In Another's Eyes" with artist Trisha Yearwood. His first live album, Double Live was released in 1998 and became the best-selling live album of all time, becoming certified 21x Platinum by RIAA.
Brooks' career has flourished and at the same time, became frustrated with the conflicts between family and his career. On October 2000, he officially announced his retirement from recording and performing. In November 13, 2001, his last album, Scarecrow, was released before his retirement.
In the year 2005, Brooks expressed his interest in returning to live performances, and signed a deal with Walmart later that year.
Brooks embarked on Garth Brooks: Live in Kansas City in November 2007, where he performed nine sold-out concerts at the Spring Center in Kansas City. The said performance was supposed to be only one show, but due to high demand, the performance was extended to nine shows.
In September 2014, he released his comeback single, People Loving People, in promotion to his world tour and new album, Man Against Machine.
In 2018 to the present, Brooks has released several successful singles from his albums, including "All Day Long", "Stronger Than Me", and "Dive Bar", a duet with American country music singer Blake Shelton. On November 20, 2020, he released his recent album, Fun.
Brooks has won numerous awards all throughout his career including a record of 22 Academy of Country Music Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. He was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Musician Hall of Fame and Museum. Brooks was also named as the Gershwin honoree, becoming the youngest recipient of the said award.
In May 2014, he became the best-selling album artist with his total album sales reached about over 69.5 million copies, surpassing the Beatles, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Metallica.
Personal Life
On May 24, 1986, Brooks married his first wife Sandy Mahl, and had three daughters: Taylor Mayne Pearls, August Anna, and Allie Colleen Brooks. The two announced their separation in 1999, and their divorced became final on December 17, 2001.
On December 10, 2005, he remarried to country singer and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood. In July 2013, Brook became a grandfather with daughter August's first baby.
Net Worth
Brooks became the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America. With all of his successful released of his albums, worldwide notability, and his other ventures, he has earned an estimated net worth of $380 million, as of today, 2021.
