Today we feature an artist who needs no introduction. He has sold over 136 million albums in the U.S., who worldwide has received 137 platinum certifications, and is the only artist in recorded music history to have 8 albums that have been certified Diamond by the R.I.A.A., signifying sales of more than 10 million albums each.

Garth Brooks works out with Kansas City Royals during spring training
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
loading...

Not bad for a kid from Oklahoma that repeatedly was told that he "wasn't country" when he first hit the country music scene back in the late 1980's.

Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Yukon, the youngest child of an oil company draftsman father and a mother who was a recording artist and who appeared regularly on the Ozark Jubilee. Growing up in a music family, Brooks was influenced by the music he heard from his five older siblings, artists like James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg, though he also enjoyed some country music, his favorite was George Jones. It wasn't until he heard George Strait's debut single "Unwound" in 1981 that Brooks decided his path was down the country road.

Brooks met entertainment attorney Rod Phelps in 1985, after Phelps had driven from Dallas to listen to Garth play at a local Tulsa club. After hearing Garth play, Phelps offered to produce a demo, and with Phelps' encouragement, Brooks and his wife packed up and moved to Nashville. The move was short-lived, as they returned to Tulsa just 24 hours after arriving. Phelps continued to push Brooks to move to Nashville, and Garth continued to play throughout Oklahoma and Texas until 1987, when Brooks felt he was ready and returned to Nashville permanently.

The 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards - Show
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
loading...

Garth released his debut, self-titled album in 1989 and it immediately took off. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Country albums, and #12 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart. The album featured 4 top-10 hits, including the #1's "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "The Dance". From 1989 to 2001, Brooks recorded 9 albums for Capitol Records Nashville; albums that featured 33 top-10 hits, 18 of which have hit #1.

The 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards - Show
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
loading...

In 2001, Brooks decided his family needed to be put above his career. He had gone through a public divorce with his first wife, Sandy, and decided he needed to be at home for his three daughters, Taylor, August and Allie. Brooks announced he would not be returning to recording and touring full time until after his daughters graduated high school.

Starting with the release of Double Live, in 1998, Brooks would release 7 compilation albums in 17 years, featuring music from his first 9 albums. In 2005 he would also release The Lost Sessions, featuring music recorded during the sessions for those 9 albums, but were not used for reason or another. His 2007 box set, The Ultimate Hits featured 4 brand new songs recorded for the set. The first single, "More Than A Memory" became the first single to debut at #1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in history when it was released on September 15, 2007.

In the time he was away, Brook's first six albums along with his 1994 The Hits and 1998 Double Live compilations were certified Diamond by the RIAA. Two of the albums, 1990's No Fences and the 1994 compilation were certified Double Diamond, making Brooks the only artist to received multiple double diamond certification in music history; his 1997 album Sevens (19 million) and 1991's Ropin' The Wind (18 million) stand on the brink of joining them.

The 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards - Show
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
loading...

Brooks returned, partially, from his self-imposed respite in 2009, when he signed on to do a residency at Steve Wynn's Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. The shows took place on the weekend, giving Brooks the freedom to travel back and forth between Vegas and Oklahoma, so he could be at home with his kids during the week, and performing in Las Vegas on the weekend. The residency continued through 2013. That year he released the box set Blame It All On My Roots, a compilation of songs from artists who influenced his career. It was during an appearance on Good Morning America to promote the set, that Brooks "accidentally" let it slip he was planning on touring in 2014.

In June of 2014 Brooks announces he was signing with Sony Music Nashville, as well as confirming a new album, tour and digital releases of his music, which had previously not been available. In September, Brooks' entire back catalog was exclusively released digitally on his website and on November 11th, he released his first album of new material in over 13 years, Man Against

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
loading...

Machine. The lead single, "People Loving People" debuted (and peaked) at #19 on the country charts, while a second single from the album, "Mom" peaked at #32.

While on tour in 2015 and 2016, Brooks has been back in the studio working on two new projects. The first, a Christmas duets album with wife Trisha Yearwood is expected to be released in the next two weeks, and the other, a studio album of new music, anticipated for early 2017. The first single from that project, Gunslinger, is in our spotlight today. Garth Brooks and "Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

More From KLAW-FM