Garth Brooks (born Troyal Garth Brooks on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entertainer. His music combines traditional country, honky-tonk, pop, and rock influences, while his large-scale concerts helped bring country music to a wider mainstream audience. Brooks became one of the defining figures of the country boom of the 1990s and remains one of the best-selling recording artists in American history.
Raised in a musical family, Brooks was exposed to country singers such as Merle Haggard and George Jones, as well as singer-songwriters and arena-rock acts. He studied advertising at Oklahoma State University, where he also performed publicly. An unsuccessful trip to Nashville in 1985 briefly sent him back to Oklahoma, but he returned to Nashville two years later and signed with Capitol Records in 1988.
His self-titled debut album, released in 1989, established Brooks as a promising new voice. The record produced the hit singles "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," "If Tomorrow Never Comes," and "The Dance," the latter becoming one of his signature songs. His 1990 album, *No Fences*, turned that promise into major success. Featuring "Friends in Low Places," "The Thunder Rolls," and "Unanswered Prayers," the album became a landmark of contemporary country music and earned Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Brooks expanded his sound and audience with *Ropin' the Wind* (1991), which became the first country album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Albums such as *The Chase* (1992), *In Pieces* (1993), *Fresh Horses* (1995), and *Sevens* (1997) continued his run of commercial and radio success. His catalog during this period included "Callin' Baton Rouge," "Shameless," "Standing Outside the Fire," "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)," and "Two Piña Coladas." His energetic concerts, which used staging and presentation associated with rock shows, became as important to his reputation as his recordings.
In 1998, Brooks released *Double Live*, a concert album that became one of the best-selling live albums in music history. The following year he introduced the fictional rock musician Chris Gaines through the album *Garth Brooks in...The Life of Chris Gaines*. The ambitious multimedia project, intended to lead toward a film called *The Lamb*, divided listeners but demonstrated Brooks' willingness to experiment beyond country music.
Brooks announced a retirement from recording and touring in 2000, largely to spend more time with his family. He gradually returned to public performance during the 2000s, releasing *Man Against Machine* in 2014, followed by *Gunslinger* (2016) and *Fun* (2020). He also undertook major arena and stadium tours, including a world tour with Trisha Yearwood and a stadium tour that concluded in 2022.
Brooks has received numerous honors, including multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards. He is the only seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2022, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. His *Garth Brooks/Plus ONE* residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas concluded in March 2025 after 72 performances, extending his reputation as one of country music's most successful live entertainers.