Garth Brooks was born into a very musical family on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His mother was a signer signed to Capital records. The youngest of five children, Brooks learned how to play the guitar and banjo. During his high school years, Brooks played ran track, played football, and baseball, receiving a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. After graduating in 1984 with a degree in advertising, Garth Brooks formed a band and played in the bars around Stillwater. His college roommate, Ty England, played in that band, until he became a solo artist in 1995. Brooks would graduate from OSU in 2011 with a MBA.
It was in one of those bars that Rod Phelps, an entertainment lawyer from Dallas hear Garth Brooks and produced his first demo. Phelps also encouraged Brooks to move to Nashville. In 1989, his debut album, Garth Brooks, was released. It skyrocketed to #2 on Billboards Top Country Album Chart. His second album, No Fences, released in 1990, spent 23 weeks at #1 on that same chart and included his hit song, Friends in Low Places.
After divorcing from his college sweetheart in 2001, Garth Brooks retired from country music until his 3 daughters graduated from high school. However, stayed active in the field with compilation albums and playing professional baseball. He played a few spring training games for the Kansas City Royals and got his one and only hit off pitcher, Mike Myers from the New York Yankees.
In 2005, Garth Brooks established a record label, Pearl Records and married country music singer, Trisha Yearwood. Both are very active in charities, such as Habitat for Humanity and Brook’s charity, Teammates for Kids Foundation. Brooks raised money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the California wildfires, the Nashville floods and the Oklahoma tornados.
Garth Brooks has won 2 Grammys and 22 American Country Music Awards. His net worth is estimated at $150 million.
