Name	Garth Brooks
Height	5' 11½"
Naionality	American
Date of Birth	7 February 1962
Place of Birth	Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Famous for

Garth Brooks quit the professional sports dream and followed in his mother’s footsteps to pursue a career in music. Launching his professional singing career after college, the former bouncer found success as a local artist, performing in many clubs and bars in Oklahoma, but his attempt to gain more success in Nashville in 1985 was considered a failure. So, he returned to Oklahoma and got married in 1986. With his new bride and his band, the Stillwater, Oklahoma-based rock band Santa Fe, Brooks once again tried his luck in Nashville in 1987 that resulted in a meeting with future manager Bob Doyle and a writer’s contract. It was not until he performed in a talent contest that Brooks got his break as he caught the attention of A Capitol Records scout, who soon signed him with the record label.

A year after signing to Capitol Records, Brooks came to the public notice with the release of his impressive self-titled debut album, Garth Brooks, in 1989. The album reached No. 2 on the US country album charts and went on to become a multi-platinum seller, thanks to such hits as the melancholic single “The Dance,” “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” and “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” Garth Brooks finally earned the status of becoming the most triumphant country album of the 1980s. Kicking of the 1990s, Brooks scored another success with the multi-platinum No Fences (1990), which became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard country music chart for the consecutive 23 weeks. With worldwide sales of over 20 million copies, the album became Brooks’ biggest-selling album, cementing his reputation as the biggest selling solo artist in history. Four singles from No Fences, “Friends in Low Places,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” and “Unanswered Prayers” were all the chart-toppers.

Brooks received even more recognition in the following year with the Grammy-winning Ropin’ the Wind, a blending of soft rock and country, which created history for being the first LP to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s pop and country charts. With brilliant presentations on the hits Billy Joel’s “Shameless,” “What She’s Doing Now” and “The River,” the album netted a number of Academy of Country Music awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association and a Grammy, as well as becoming his next-best selling album after No Fences. The same year, he starred on the NBC variety special “This Is Garth Brooks” and appeared as himself in an episode of the sitcom “Empty Nest” (1991).

The Chase, Brooks’ fourth album, was released in 1992, featuring the lead single “We Shall Be Free,” an expression of his desire for tolerance of all kinds following the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Despite frequently earning standing ovations when performed in concert, the song, however, only peaked at No. 12 on the country chart, Brooks’ worst presentation up to now. With the release of the album’s next two singles that both peaked at No. 1, The Case eventually was a massive hit. This was followed by an immediate No. 1 hit album, In Pieces, in 1993, a greatest hits album, The Hits, in 1995, and the multi-platinum chart-topping Fresh Horses in 1996. During that same period, Brooks charmed his fans by conducting many successful concerts on both America and the U.K, and making numerous television and radio appearances. Brooks’ Sevens was released in November 1997 and debuted at No. 1 upon its release. By the holiday season, it had received multi-platinum status. The album also broke Brook’s own record by having 12 out of 14 tracks on the single charts. “To Make You Feel My Love,” the hit single from the album, was included in the soundtrack of the romance film Hope Floats.

Already popular as male country singer, Brooks branched out to pop music and released an album under the name of his alt-rock alter ego Chris Gaines. In... The Life of Chris Gaines hit the music stores in 1999, but was regarded as a major commercial flop, not to mention the success of the single “Lost in You.” Despite this fail attempt, Brooke was named by Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America. He also received Artist of the Year and Artist of the Decade honors from Academy of Country Music as well as Artist of the Decade tribute from the American Music.

In October 2000, Brooks announced his retirement from performing and recording. That same night, Capitol Records held a lavish salutation party at Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center for Brooks’ achievement of selling 100 million albums in America. A year later, in November 2001, the successful country singer revisited the country world with the release of Scarecrow. Though it did not sell as well as his glory days, the album was well-received by his fans and became a No. 1 hit on both the pop and country charts. Also in 2001, “When You Come Back to Me Again,” Brooks’ contribution to the movie Frequency (2000) soundtrack, netted a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.

In August 2005, it was stated that Brooks had penned a contract with Wal-Mart, and a boxed set entitled The Limited Series was released three months later. It sold over 500,000 copies on its day of release and went on to reach 1 million by the first week in December. Meanwhile, he could be seen performing John Fogerty’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain” with wife Yearwood on the Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast nationwide telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief in September, and singing lively “Good Ride Cowboy” in Times Square in New York City in November, as part of that year’s Country Music Association Awards show. In early 2006, Brooks again collaborated with Yearwood for the top 40 duet “Love Will Always Win” that was included as an extra track for Brooks’ The Lost Sessions album. For his fine effort, he picked up a 2006 Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.