不管有多少乡村音乐的纯化论者否定这一现实， Garth Brooks都是乡村音乐史一位十分重要的人物。极具有商业方面的头脑的 Garth Brook在90年代为乡村音乐赢得了一批新的听众，更确切的说是更多的听众。在Brooks之前人们很难想象一位乡村音乐歌手的唱片销量可以达到一百万张。Brooks在1991年就打破了这一记录：他的第二张专集No Fences在排行榜张乡村音乐专集。专集No Fences最终创下了销量一千三百万的记录。在Garth之后，乡村上处于统治地位，接下来的一张专集Ropin* the Wind成为登上流行音乐唱片排行榜的第一音乐成功地对排行榜榜首的位置有过多次巩固的占领。在这一过程中，乡村音乐抛弃了它许多传统但却很有特点的东西，但或许这就是Brooks为什麽重要的原因。

　　 Garth Brooks是Troyal和Colleen Carroll Brooks的儿子。Colleen自己就是一位乡村音乐女歌手，在50年代中期曾为Capital唱片公司出过一些唱片，但却从未经历过任何排行榜的成功。在孩童时代，Garth就对音乐感兴趣并且经常在家庭聚会上演唱，但他却专注与体育。作为一个标枪投手，Garth获得了Oklahoma州立大学的部分奖学金，但他却在他的大学时代放弃了他的体育事业。

　　在大学期间 Brooks开始在Oklahoma当地的俱乐部演唱，而且经常是和主吉他手Ty England合作。

　　 Garth于1984年毕业，获得了广告业的学位。之后他决定发展自己的乡村音乐演唱事业。在1985年他迁移到Nashville，希望能被一家唱片公司发现。在到达Nashville23小时之后，他又回到了Oklahoma,原因是对乡村音乐、他的前途和他天真的梦想有挫败感。Brooks继续在Oklahoma的俱乐部进行表演。

　　在 1986年他与他的大学同学Sandy Mahl结婚。 这对夫妇在1987年来到Nashville，这一次Garth对如何进行自己的事业有了更明确的想法。他开始与不同的词曲作者和制作者展开联系，并且在许多词曲作家的样本唱片上演唱。虽然在圈内他建立了自己的联系也有了一个强大的管理队伍，但没有一家唱片公司想与他签约。

　　 1988年,在Capital唱片公司得到了他的样本唱片之后，公司一位执行人员在当地的俱乐部里看到了他的演唱。Garth的表演给他留下了深刻的印象，他最终说服了公司与Garth签约。 Brooks在1988年底与制作人Allen Reynolds合作录制了自己的首张专集。这张自己命名的唱片于1989年上市。专集立即获得了成功，其中单曲Much Too Young(又名To Feel This Damn Old)进入了乡村音乐的Top Ten。Garth的首张专集确实取得了成功，取得了流行专集排行榜上的好成绩。但这一成功却或多或少被Clint Black的巨大成功以及其他类似歌手如Travis Tritt和Alan Jackson的受欢迎所掩盖。然而一年内Brooks以广泛的成功超过了他们，这一结果甚至连他本人都感到吃惊。

　　 Garth Brooks第一张专集里还有三支极具冲击力的单曲：排行榜冠军的If Tomorrow Never Comes，排行榜亚军的Not Counting You和排行榜冠军的The Dance。但却是他的第二张专集No Fences使他成为一名超级巨星。No Fences在1990年秋季推出，其中单曲Friends in Low Places最为引人注目。No Fences在乡村音乐排行榜上停留了23周，在它发行的前十天内就售出了70万张。1990年－1991年期间，Brooks的这张专集里有一系列的歌曲登上了乡村音乐排行榜的榜首，包括Unanswered Prayers, Two of a Kind, Workin* on a Full House和The Thunder Rolls。截止1993年专集No Fences的销量已超过一千万张。

　　不仅他的唱片创下了乡村音乐的最高记录，而且 Garth Brooks的演唱会也是如此。在1999年末，他举行了大型露天演唱会以及被邀请在巨大的体育馆里进行表演，其演出盛况不亚于70年代摇滚乐演出。Brooks用一个无线的并且可以戴在头上的话筒表演，这样他就可以整个舞台上跑来跑去。他还有一个精心制作的灯光器、喷雾器和一套器具使他可以悬挂在人群上方进行表演。这是第一位乡村音乐歌手将摇滚乐的技术运用于自己的舞台表演中。

　　 Garth的第三张专集Ropin* the Wind于1991年9月推出，成为第一张登上流行唱片排行榜的乡村音乐唱片。Ropin* the Wind获得了与No Fences相同的成功：在发行的头5年里销量超过了一千万张，并且贡献了数支排行榜的冠军歌曲如Shameless, What She*s Doing Now和The River。 在1991年底，Brooks已经成为一个天才的流行音乐者， —— 即使他 1992年的圣诞节专集Beyond the Season获得了数张白金唱片的销量 —— 而且没有任何迹象表明他在走下坡路。很自然，他在 1992年又一次冲击乐坛。这次冲击是以单曲We Shall Be Free的推出开始的，这一单曲是他第四张专集的第一支单曲。歌曲带有很大的gospel色彩，只登上了排行榜12的位置而且许多电台拒绝播放此歌。下一张专集The Chase改变了乡村音乐界限。此专集在它1992年10月推出后至该年年末一直都在排行榜的冠军位置。它的销量超过了五百万张，然而这一数字仅仅是他前两张专集销量的一半，因而媒体的一些评论说Brooks的事业已经走到了顶峰。

　　感觉到他将要失去他的核心听众， Brooks重新回到乡村音乐的轨道上，于1993年推出了专集In Pieces。这张专集受到了舆论界的批评，仅卖了几百万张，这标志着Garth再也不可能到达专集No Fences和Ropin* the Wind的商业销量记录。即便如此，他仍是流行音乐最成功的音乐人之一，是少数几个每张专集的销量都在百万张以上的歌手之一，也是在全世界举行音乐会的一位歌手。 合集The Hits在1994年秋季推出并最终达到了八百万张的销量。Garth Brooks在1995年11月，时隔两年之后，推出了他的首张带有新元素的专集Fresh Horse。在专集发行的前六个月里，销量超过了三百万张。尽管有了一个令人振奋的开始，Fresh Horse很快进入平静。专集的最高销量是四倍的白金唱片的销量，对任何一位歌手来说都是值得骄傲的，但却使人们对Brooks的超级巨星的地位感到失望。Brooks打算推出他的第七张专集，Sevens，也没能保住他超级巨星的地位。起初的时候，专集计划在1997年的8月当他在Central Park举行的一次大型音乐会作过宣传后推出，但计划却因Capital唱片公司经历了一次巨大的经理层变动而告吹。由于对新的经理层感到失望，Brooks推迟了他的专集的发行。专集最终在1997年11月发行，在发行后不久便登上了冠军宝座，而且到holiday season已经达到了数张白金唱片的销量。

Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music, no matter how much some country purists would like to deny it. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer/songwriter sensibilities, and '70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in the '90s — namely, a mass audience. Before Brooks, it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum. He shattered that barrier in 1991, when his second album, No Fences, began its chart domination, and its follow-up, Ropin' the Wind, became the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts; No Fences would eventually sell a record-shattering 13 million copies. After Garth, country music had successfully carved a permanent place for itself on the pop charts. In the process, it lost a lot of the traditionalism that had always been its hallmark, but that is precisely why Brooks is important.

Garth Brooks 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 as a javelin tosser, 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 traveled to Nashville with hopes of being discovered by a record label. Just 23 hours after arriving in Nashville, he returned to Oklahoma, frustrated with the industry, his prospects, and his na?ve dreams. Brooks continued to perform in Oklahoma clubs, and in 1986, he married his college girlfriend, 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 songwriters and producers, and he sang on a lot of songwriter's demo tapes. Although he had made several connections within the industry and 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 superstar. 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 had incorporated such rock & roll techniques into stage shows.

Ropin' the Wind, Brooks' 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 Brooks 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 over eight million albums. 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 plateaued 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 shakeup, 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 that 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 Babyface 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 couldn't be explained easily. In 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 & the Magic of Christmas, a traditional pop-styled outing that 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. His personal life was also in turmoil, as he and his wife announced that they were divorcing in October of 2000. By the time the divorce was finalized the following year, Brooks was on his way to retirement, choosing to retreat from music and concentrate on fatherhood. He announced that his next album, Scarecrow, would be his last and it was released to appropriate fanfare that November, debuting at number one on the Billboard pop and country charts, but failing to generate a hit single bigger than “Wrapped Up In You,” which peaked at five.

After the release of Scarecrow, Brooks eased into retirement, spending the next few years quietly and not resurfacing in the public eye until he had a busy 2006. Toward the end of that year, he married country singer Trisha Yearwood on December 10, but prior to that, he struck a deal with Wal-Mart to become the exclusive retailer for his back catalog. The first release under this deal was a new box set called The Limited Series that collected all the albums he released after his first box set called The Limited Series. This second Limited Series was released in time for the holiday season of 2005 and also included a new disc of outtakes called The Lost Sessions which was later released as an individual disc in 2006. The Lost Sessions featured a duet with Yearwood called “Love Will Always Win,” which climbed to 23 on the country charts in '06, a modest placing that was nevertheless his biggest hit since “Wrapped Up In You.”