Throughout the 1980s, country music occupied its own little niche in the recording world. The genre had a solid core of fans, but it lacked a little something in mass appeal. That would change when Garth Brooks exploded onto the scene with his special blend of honkytonk country sound and rock and roll attitude. Brooks first turned country music on its ear in 1989, when his self-titled debut album was released and met with immediate success. The first single off the album, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," made it into country music's Top 10.

Apparently, the Oklahoma born and raised Brooks had music in his blood. His mother, Colleen, recorded a few songs for Capitol Records in the 1950s, though none hit the charts. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1984, Brooks took a failed shot at the Nashville scene but returned in disappointment. In 1986, he married his college sweetheart, Sandy, and opted to give his music career another try. The Brookses moved back to Nashville in 1987, and this time, things turned out differently.

In 1988, a Capitol Records executive noticed Brooks during a club performance and persuaded the label to give him a deal. Though Brooks was at first lost in a sea of cowboy-hatted male singers, his first album produced three more hit singles, and the 1990 release "No Fences" saw Brooks become a star, thanks to the incredible success of the song "Friends in Low Places." Several more hits followed from the album, which would sell more than 10 million copies and launch Brooks as one of the most popular country entertainers in history. Garth Brooks concert tickets became the hottest property in the entertainment world, with stadium shows selling out in just minutes. With his penchant for colorful shirts, light shows, and plenty of attitude, Brooks put on shows worthy of arena rockers, and country and rock fans alike ate it up.

The success continued as Garth Brooks released six more albums in the subsequent years and saw each one go multi-platinum. He also garnered countless awards.

Brooks weathered unsuccessful attempts to get into both professional athletics and film, but by 2000, the country phenomenon was maintaining a much lower profile. Around that same time, he decided to retire from the music industry, and he and his wife divorced. His last album of new material was released in 2001. Since then, Garth Brooks has married fellow country star Trisha Yearwood (2005) and come out of retirement for the occasional special project. In addition, he signed a deal with Wal-Mart for the exclusive sales of much of his back catalog and other previously released materials.