Garth Brooks brought revolution to country music when he shot to stardom in the early 1990s. Growing up as the youngest son of Troyal Raymond Brooks and Colleen McElroy Carroll, Garth had numerous musical influences from an early age: his mother sang on Ozark Jubilee in 1950s, his father taught him first guitar chords; siblings performed in local bands while parents’ record collection included artists from Merle Haggard to George Jones to Janis Joplin to Three Dog Night and Journey; these influences would all come together into creating his signature sound today.
Following his graduation from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Brooks embarked upon his professional singing career by playing gigs in college bars across Oklahoma. Although his initial trip to Nashville resulted in disappointment, Brooks eventually returned and established himself as a major recording artist with an increasingly global profile. Furthermore, as an energetic live performer he demonstrated that country concerts could rival any rock concert for ticket sales and energy levels.
Brooks proved his creative prowess throughout the 90s by producing multiple multi-million-selling albums that showcased his broader musical palette than honky-tonk, dramatic balladry, or country rock alone. His concerts became legendary spectacles with mesmerizing lighting effects as he smashed guitars, doused himself in water, ran across stages and often outshone larger rock acts such as The Rolling Stones or U2. Among country stars at that time, Brooks’ arena shows often rivaled even larger rock acts such as those by rock greats like these rock icons like these two bands – even rivaled those by rock legends such as these two rock titans like these rock giants like these rock legends were.
Ropin’ the Wind by Garth Brooks made clear to everyone that he wasn’t your average country star. Paying homage to such trailblazers as Christopher Columbus and John Wayne, its title track set an entirely new standard in terms of production and energy for country music artists alike – its raging twang and mesmerizing chorus even drawing comparisons to Keith Whitley and Hank Williams!
Brooks’ most celebrated song was “The Dance,” which hit number one on country charts and won both an Academy of Country Music Song of the Year Award and a Grammy award in 1991. As an emotionally charged ballad that explored marriage equality during an era where its acceptance wasn’t widely celebrated, “The Dance” remains one of Brooks’ greatest enduring compositions.