Country music singer and songwriter Garth Brooks was born Troyal Garth Brooks on February 7, 1962 in Yukon, Oklahoma, son to Troyal Brooks, a draughtsman for an oil company, and Colleen Carroll, a country music singer from the 1950’s.
Rooted in a country music tradition, young Garth Brooks began to sing in family gatherings, although during his teen years he tried to succeed as a high school athlete.
Garth attended Oklahoma State University, where he joined as a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, a group aimed to harness the power within men to achieve their full potential.
During his college years, Garth Brooks began to sing in local clubs around Oklahoma, displaying some of his early music influences from Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, George Jones, and Billy Joel, blending pop and rock with country in a way never heard before.
Garth Brooks graduated from University with an advertising degree in 1984 and then moved to Nashville, Tennessee with the hope of being discovered by a talent agent, but his stay in the capital of country music lasted less than 24 hours.
Frustrated after seeing the reality of the music industry in Nashville, he returned to his hometown to continue with local gigs until he married his old college girlfriend Sandy Mahl in 1986 and moved to Owasso, Oklahoma.
One year after his marriage, he returned to Nashville but this time determined to succeed. After making contacts in the music industry, Garth Brooks finally debuted with the self-titled album, released in 1989.
This album hit number two in the US country album chart and number 13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart, marking the beginning of a successful career as vocalist guitar, pianist, and saxophone player.
Garth Brooks has sold over 115 million albums in the United States only and has placed more than 70 hit singles on several music charts, winning several awards, including the Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1992 by Grammy Awards.
Although Garth Brooks had a break due to career and family problems, his new album is expected to be released sometime in 2007 and planning a new tour beginning in Missouri.
Below are people interested in Garth Brooks chat; join the chat room to chat with people about Garth Brooks.