Garth Brooks photo by Mark Tucker, courtesy of Pearl Records.
October 19, 2007 — He's a successful singer, a sensitive songwriter, a devoted father and a shrewd marketer. He's also a sure bet to join the Country Music Hall of Fame sometime in the next decade.
Ever since Garth Brooks first hit the radio dial with "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" in 1989, people have been trying to get a handle on just who the Oklahoma wrangler in the tight blue jeans really is.
Record executives will tell you he's a monster act, having sold more than 100 million albums. Fans will tell you he's an electrifying performer. The Academy of Country Music will tell you he's the Artist of the Decade for the 1990s. And AARP would probably tell you he's the most active retired person in the U.S.
Just in case you've been hiding under a rock for the last 15 years or so, here's a quick trait-by-trait rundown on just who this Garth Brooks character is:
A tireless worker. Garth once spent three years on a tour that took him around the world, and at Fan Fair in the mid-1990s, he signed autographs for a whopping 23 hours in a row.
A risk-taker. Garth took on inter-racial marriage and gay relationships in his 1992 hit, "We Shall Be Free." He released the song "Unanswered Prayers" at a time when it was unfashionable to reference God. He threaded a murder into the video for "The Thunder Rolls." And he attempted to build a movie in public with his introduction of the much-maligned Chris Gaines alter-ego.
A sucker for charities. After attending spring training, he built the Teammates For Kids Foundation with donations from professional baseball and hockey players. He was the only country performer to appear in the 1999 Equality Rocks concert in Washington, D.C., voicing support for hate-crime legislation. He offered his kidney to Chris LeDoux, he performed in a 2007 concert to raise money for a Martin Luther King monument, and he's created a pink edition of his forthcoming album "The Ultimate Hits" to raise money for cancer.
A sensitive guy. He broke down in the middle of a concert to confess publicly that he'd been unfaithful to his first wife. He sang "Unchained Melody" when one of his band members got married. And he got down on one knee in public to ask for fellow country superstar Trisha Yearwood's hand in 2005.
A daddy. Garth skipped the Academy of Country Music awards in 1994 to be present for the birth of daughter August Anna. He once took his wife's ultrasound photos with him to "The Tonight Show." And he frequently schedules appointments outside of Oklahoma in a manner that allows him to take the kids to school in the morning and return to the state in time to pick them up.
An athlete. He won a medal throwing the javelin for Oklahoma State University at the Kansas Relays. He's gone to spring training with the San Diego Padres, the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals. He was also an honorary captain for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in 1996.
An astute businessman. He acquired the rights to his own catalog during negotiations with his original label, Capitol Records. During his peak years, he kept his ticket prices to $20 or less to remain accessible to as many people as possible. When traditional music chains started falling by the wayside, he was the first major act to offer an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart.
A record-setter. With his 1991 CD, Ropin' The Wind, he became the first country artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums Chart. Just a few months ago, Garth's latest single, "More Than A Memory," likewise became the first release to debut atop the magazine's country songs list.