Faith Hill and her producer, Scott Hendricks, in 1994, when her debut album, Wild One, topped the charts.
Jimmy Bowen, Chris LeDoux, Charlie Daniels, and Willie Nelson at Fan Fair, 1994.
Jimmy Bowen hosted a Music Row party when Ropin’ the Wind entered Billboard’s Top 200 chart at #1.
Garth’s 60 Million party included 1960s icon look-a-likes including Deputy Barney Fife.
Garth and Trisha, 1996.
Trisha Yearwood, 1997 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year.
Martina and John McBride in 1997. John was Garth’s sound engineer on tour, sometimes assisted by his wife during the early tours. She opened for Garth during 1992, after signing a record deal with RCA.
The Dixie Chicks appeared as presenters at the 1998 CMA Awards.They released their first three number 1 singles that year, and took home the Vocal Group and Horizon awards.The explosion Garth kick-started continued through the decade.
Steve Wariner at the 1998 CMA Awards, with wife Caryn and Capitol label head Pat Quigley. Steve’s “Holes In The Floor Of Heaven” won Single and Song of the Year.
Garth with Brad Paisley in 1999. Brad’s Arista debut, Who Needs Pictures, had just been released.
Garth with Capitol artist Deana Carter, whose debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This sold 5 million.
Garth with Brenda Lee at the Source Dinner in 2006.
Garth and Trisha.
Garth Brooks Discography
Audio
Garth Brooks, produced by Allen Reynolds, released April 12, 1989, Capitol C2–90897
No Fences, produced by Allen Reynolds, released August 27, 1990, Capitol/ Liberty C2–93866
Ropin’ the Wind, produced by Allen Reynolds, released September 2, 1991, Capitol/Liberty 96330
Beyond the Season, produced by Allen Reynolds, released August 17, 1992, Capitol/Liberty C2–98742
The Chase, produced by Allen Reynolds, released September 14, 1992, Capitol/Liberty C2–98743
In Pieces, produced by Allen Reynolds, released August 31, 1993, Capitol/ Liberty C2–80857
The Garth Brooks Collection, produced by Allen Reynolds, released September 2, 1994, Capitol/Liberty (not sold at retail)
The Hits, produced by Allen Reynolds, released December 13, 1994, Capitol/Liberty [29689]
Fresh Horses, produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 21, 1995, Capitol 32080
Sevens, produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 25, 1997, Capitol 56599
The Limited Series (Box set: Garth Brooks, No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind, The Chase, In Pieces, and Fresh Horses with a new bonus track on each CD), produced by Allen Reynolds, Released May 5, 1998, Capitol [Special edition BC 724349457225]
Garth Brooks Double Live (Available in five 1-million-copy limited-edition two-CD sets: The First Edition, Central Park, Dublin, Ireland, World Tour II (96–98), Texas Stadium 1993, Reunion Arena 1991, and World Tour I (93–94)), produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 17, 1998, Capitol 97424
Garth Brooks in… the Life of Chris Gaines, produced by Don Was, released September 28, 1999, Capitol 20051
Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas, produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 23, 1999, Capitol 23550
Scarecrow, produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 13, 2001, Capitol 31330
Garth Brooks: The Limited Series (Box set: Sevens, Scarecrow, Double Live, and The Lost Sessions), produced by Allen Reynolds, released November 22, 2005, Wal-Mart#005541737, UPC: 0085420600101
Video
Garth Brooks: Ultimate Hits, produced by Allen Reynolds, released August 21, 2007, Pearl Records
The Entertainer (Five-DVD box set: This Is Garth Brooks 1992, This Is Garth Brooks, Too! 1994, Garth Live from Central Park 1997, Ireland and Back 1998), Wal-Mart #00000000, UPC: 0085420600120
Music Videos
“If Tomorrow Never Comes”
“The Dance”
“The Thunder Rolls”
“We Shall Be Free”
“Standing Outside The Fire”
“Callin’ Baton Rouge”
“The Red Strokes”
“Ain’t Going Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)”
“The Change”
“I Don’t Have To Wonder”
“Anonymous”
“Tearin’ It Up (And Burnin’ It Down)”
“When You Come Back To Me Again”
“Wrapped Up In You”
“Good Ride Cowboy”
Sources
Chapter One
[Garth heard several other public figures admit that fear was an incentive.] San Antonio-Express News, April 14, 1998.
[“If that guy’s playing for twenty people I don’t have any business being here.”] Peter Cooper, The Tennessean, November 13, 2001.
[When they married they had one immediate mission] Colleen Brooks interview with David Huff, In Country, September 1993.
[“You know, my mother didn’t want] Author conversation with Colleen Brooks. May 1996. Additional early family information from Colleen Brooks interview with David Huff, In Country, September 1993.
[Garth remembers Colleen being the biggest kid in the family when it came to Christmas] Margy Holland, Launch.com, November 11, 2001.
[“Dad’s always been one of those your-word-is-your-bond men. I took that to heart.”] Author conversation with the artist.
[My mother is the best female singer] Author conversation with the artist.
[“It’s a song I lived indirectly,”] Author conversation with the artist.
[“After school he’d bring special children home with him,”] David Huff, In Country, September 1993.
[Garth never got over this early love of sports.] KNIX newscast, 1992.
[“One of the greatest things I got from my dad was an appreciation of the importance of team work,”] Author conversation with the artist.
[Raymond Brooks once told a story about Kelly and Garth.] Interview with the Believer’s Tami Rose, 1993. (The Believer was Garth’s official fan publication, founded and edited by Tami Rose.)
[“She was probably one of my greatest friends”] Author conversation with the artist.
[“The country lyric is everyday life”] Country Fever, August 1992.
[England disputes that Garth learned anything from him] Author conversation with Ty England.
[“If I’d been a female country singer, I would have wanted to sound like Tammy Wynette.”] MJI Broadcasting/Country Today, April 10, 1998.
[“That’s pretty good,” his friend Randy Taylor said during the break] Author conversation with the artist.
[Garth stayed with an Oklahoma songwriter named Bob Childers] Edward Morris, Garth Brooks: Platinum Cowboy (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993).
[Garth later admitted that he had a similar reaction as when in 1985 he sat in Merlin Littlefield’s office and heard a well-known songwriter say he was broke] The Tennessean, Peter Cooper, November 13, 2001.
Chapter Two
[“I don’t pay that much attention to the tracks,” Harlen mused.] Author conversation with Harlan Howard, 1987.
[“It was five guys with five different] Lisa Smith, Gavin Report, July 27, 1990.
[The Houston Post’s venerable pop music critic Bob Claypool] Bob Claypool, Saturday Night at Gilleys (New York, Delilah/Grove Press, 1980).
[Nashville didn’t learn] Author conversation with Chet Atkins, 1988.
[As Bowen often laughed] Jimmy Bowen and Jim Jerome. Rough Mix (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Chapter Three
[“What’s the secret”] Author conversation with the artist, 2000.
[When Garth sang the line, “Uncle Joe, you know we owe it to you,” it was in tribute to Joe Harris] Author conversation with the artist, 1995.
[“I was lucky that the people I found in those first couple of years were on the side of writers, artists, and musicians,”] Author conversation with the artist, 2000.
[“What makes that song great is that it’s un
iversal,” Doyle says.] Author conversation with Bob Doyle, 2008. Includes additional comments regarding Garth’s early career.
[“Bob’s one of the town’s honest brokers.”] Author conversation with publisher Noel Fox, 1995.
[California writer Larry Bastian was among the first to co-write with Garth] Author conversation with Larry Bastian, 2005.
[One song plugger at MCA Music tried unsuccessfully to interest his biggest writers in scheduling a co-write] Author conversation, 2008.
[Kent Blazy was the first writer who’d had a top-10 cut who agreed to collaborate with Garth] Author conversation with Kent Blazy, 2005.
[That idea was “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” a song involving a concept Garth’s mother often spoke about.] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[“Listening to Trisha sing those first few times was a blessing and a curse,” Garth laughed.] Author conversation with the artist, 2000.
[“That’s where you hear the best songs,” Garth says.] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[Bryan Kennedy was scouting for songs at the Bluebird one night when he heard a voice that he said knocked him on his rear.] Author conversation with Bryan Kennedy, 2005.
[“Everything changed for me,” Lynn later said.] Author conversation with Lynn Shults, 1991.
[“The genius of Allen Reynolds is that his records have a timeless quality to them,” Bob said.] Author conversation with Bob Doyle, 2008.
[“I finally said to myself, ‘I’m gonna stay right here on this corner and make the best music I can,] Author conversation with Allen Reynolds, 2008.
[“There’s an angel missing in heaven and his name is Allen Reynolds,” Garth confided] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[“Garth likes his music to kick] Country Guitar, April 1995.
Chapter Four
[“I think every song on an album should be a song of consequence,”] Author conversation with Allen Reynolds, 2008.
[“I’d been writing as much as possible, but didn’t want to overload the album with my own material. No more than five songs, for sure,” Garth explained] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[Mark Casstevens talked about the importance of being] Country Guitar, April 1995.
[“I watched his hands to”] Country Guitar, April 1995.
[“Allen told me he wanted Bobby Woods, a writer and keyboard player, to be heavily featured on the song,” Garth recalled.] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[What Garth insisted on, according to Ty] Author conversation with Ty England, 2000.
[“I was over at Bob Doyle’s when Larry Bastian played me that song,”] Conversations with the artist include all comments on the songs included on Garth Brooks, 1990.
[In 1995, Billboard editor Edward Morris wrote: “History lesson:] Also included in Edward Morris, Garth Brooks: Platinum Cowboy (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993).
[“I’m laying there in a fetal position saying,”] Orange CountyRegister, December 13, 1994.
[“I was driving my truck from Kaycee to Casper,” recalled Chris LeDoux] Author conversation with Chris LeDoux, 1993.
[“It’s a lot like the West itself. It’s wide-open spaces and big skies] Author conversation with Chris LeDoux, 1993, included in LeDoux box set liner notes.
[“I had cold feet. I had faith in Garth, but I never had faith in myself.] Ty England interview with the Believer’s Tami Rose.
[“The guys need to work, they need to eat,” Garth said.] Joe Harris conversations are from interviews with the Believer’s Tami Rose.
[A good example of how the relationship between divisions ought to work involves Nashville executive Randy Goodman] Author conversation with Randy Goodman, 1997.
[“Class of ’89,” Hat Acts. Garth Brooks, for one, hated the term, thinking it stereotyped] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[“Kenny treated his opening acts with great respect,” reflects Bob Doyle.] Author conversation with Bob Doyle, 2008.
[If Garth thought his mother would stay out of this fray, he was wrong.] Colleen Brooks interview with David Huff, In Country, September 1993.
Chapter Five
[Lynn Shults pulled into a parking space] All Lynn Shults comments from author conversations with Shults, 1990–1993.
[Bowen had moved from L.A. to Nashville in the late 1970s] Bowen’s early days in Nashville are chronicled by Jimmy Bowen and Jim Jerome in Rough Mix (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
[As a label head Bowen had been accused of everything from kickbacks and double billing to publishing conflicts of interest.] Bob Allen, “Jimmy Bowen Is the Most Respected/Reviled Man on Music Row,” Country Music Journal, vol. 13, no. 3.
[Bowen approached Allen Reynolds at a party hosted by Waylon Jennings.] Author conversation with Allen Reynolds, 2008.
[When word reached Garth, he was shaken] Author conversation with the artist, 1990.
[Two days after the takeover Bowen phoned Reynolds and asked for a meeting.] Author conversation with Allen Reynolds, 2008.
[On one elevator ride, he stood next to Muhammad Ali and confessed that he could barely catch his breath.] Interview with Robert K. Oermann, Capitol electronic press kit (EPK), 1990.
[“Pam and I did everything we could to get Garth known,” Bob Doyle laughs.] Author conversation with Bob Doyle, 2008.
[“I give Jimmy Bowen a lot of credit for the free hand he gave me when it came to marketing Garth,” Mansfield said.] Author conversation with Joe Mansfield, 2008.
[“So much great music has been forgotten because labels either didn’t give them the attention they needed or shelved them for the next thing,” Garth explained.] Author conversation with the artist, 1995.
[Nobody was happier about Bowen hiring Mansfield than Bob Doyle.] Author conversation with Bob Doyle, 2008.
[“I decided very early that I wanted to make videos with a third dimension,” Garth said.] Artist promotional materials, 1990.
[“I’d never compare myself to these people,” Garth said.] Video content and promotion EPK, 1990.
[In fact, when Jim died in 1982, there was a period of about six months that I don’t even recall happening] Interview with Robert K. Oermann, Capitol EPK, 1990.
[Bowen described the meeting, where, he explains he gave him some straight advice.] Jimmy Bowen and Jim Jerome, Rough Mix (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Chapter Six
[In the summer of 1990, the Winston Cup Illustrated’s Tom Higgins] NASCARWinston Cup Illustrated, November 1998.
[Stephanie Davis was already sick of hearing about Garth Brooks when she first met him.] Stephanie Davis interview with the Believer’s Tami Rose.
[When Willie didn’t cut “Wolves,” fellow outlaw Waylon Jennings decided he wanted to record it, only to learn about Garth’s cut.] Author conversation with Waylon Jennings, 1991.
[“It’s true,” Ty says. “Garth anticipated what was going to happen.] Author conversation with Ty England, 2000.
[“DeWayne always needed money,” Larry laughed.] Author conversation with Larry Bastian, 2005.
[“Don’t worry about it,” Lee laughed. “I’ve got friends in low places.”] Author conversation with Bud Lee, 1992.
[Chris Leuzinger played the second part, although it wasn’t credited on the album, Mark Casstevens said.] Country Guitar, April 1995.
[“One of the things I’m most proud of in my writing career is Garth’s cut of ‘Two Of A Kind,’ ” he told a Nashville journalist.] Author conversation with Warren Haynes, 1994.
[“I was in the studio that day and had my 1979 Martin M-36,”] Country Guitar, April 1995.
[Bowen described a scene of Joe Mansfield analyzing the sales trends] Jimmy Bowen and Jim Jerome, Rough Mix (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Chapter Seven
[It was May 1, and Capitol’s head of public relations, Cathy Gurley, was thrilled with the media cards she’d been dealt.] Author conversation with Cathy Gurley, 2
008.
[Later that day TNN issued a statement] USA Today, May 2, 1991.
[“He felt the script they gave him was in effect, pandering] Author conversation with Cathy Gurley, 2008.
[Garth and Cathy went to TNN] Author conversation with Cathy Gurley, 2008.
[WSIX in Nashville ran the video at the Wrangler] Sandy Neese and Robert K. Oermann, The Tennessean, May 7, 1991.
[“… country music has a real shot to delve into some social commentary] Loretta Macias, San Angelo Standard Times, May 10, 1991.
[“Even a cursory examination of Brooks’ phenomenal output of monster songs] Paul Johnson, Arkansas Gazette, May 4, 1991.
[By Thursday, May 7, when VH-1 announced that the pop channel] Sandy Neese and Robert K. Oermann, The Tennessean, May 7, 1991.
[For example, the Genesis Shelter in Dallas] Letter from Jan Langbein, executive director, Genesis Shelter, May 22, 1991.
[Manager Pam Lewis agreed, saying] The Associated Press, May 2, 1991.
Chapter Eight
[Garth felt that the most important promise he had made was to open shows for Naomi and Wynonna Judd for what would be their Farewell Tour through 1991.] Author conversation with the artist, 1991.
[Throughout early 1990 Naomi had felt sick, to the point that she could barely get to the studio to sing her harmony parts for the album Love Can Build a Bridge.] Author conversations with Wynonna Judd, for her memoir, Coming Home to Myself.
[Trisha talked about making the tabloids with Country Fever editor Linda Cauthen] Country Fever, August 1992.
[The tour got across-the-board raves.] Michael McCall, Country Music, January/February, 1992.
[“We invited representatives from every organization, publishing company and record label,”] Author conversation with Cathy Gurley, 2008.
[Publisher Ross and journalist Brian Mansfield interviewed Joe Mansfield] David Ross and Brian Mansfield, “The Six Million Pieces Man,” Music Row, July 1991.
[“Hell Frank,” one said. “Randy Travis is too country for me these days.”] Author conversation with Frank Leffell, 1989.
The Garth Factor Page 33
