On this day (September 18) in 1964, Trisha Yearwood was born in Monticello, Georgia. After attending Belmont College in Nashville, she recorded demos and sang backing vocals on her friend and future husband Garth Brooks’ sophomore album. This led to a recording contract and a debut album that helped her make country music history when it sold more than a million copies.
Yearwood earned an associate’s degree in business from Young Harris University before attending Belmont to pursue a music business degree. While in Music City, she landed an internship with MTM Records. There, she recorded demos and sang backing vocals for other artists. During one demo session, she met Garth Brooks, and they became friends. He told her that he would help her break into the industry if his career took off.
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In 1990, she provided background vocals on Brooks’ sophomore album, No Fences, according to Biography. He then introduced her to his producer, Allen Reynolds. He introduced Yearwood to MCA Records producer Garth Fundis. The introduction led to a deal with MCA. She released her self-titled debut album in 1991.
When the album received the first of two Platinum certifications from the RIAA, Yearwood became the first woman in country music to have a million-selling debut album.
Trisha Yearwood Becomes a Star
Trisha Yearwood was one of a handful of powerful women who dominated country music in the 1990s. Her 1991 debut single, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” topped the country chart and kicked off a long line of hits. Later that year, she won Top New Female Vocalist at the ACM Awards.
Yearwood won her first Grammy Award in 1994. “I Fall to Pieces,” a duet with Aaron Neville, won Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. In 1997, she added two more Grammy Awards to her collection. “How Do I Live” won Best Female Country Vocal Performance. “In Another’s Eyes,” a duet with Garth Brooks, won Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
That year, she was named the ACM Top Female Vocalist. She was also named Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997 and ’98.
Six of her albums and two singles have gone Platinum or Multi-Platinum. Yearwood also has multiple Gold certifications in both categories.
Music Was Just the Beginning
Trisha Yearwood conquered country music and expanded her career into television and writing. In 1997, she started appearing as Lieutenant Commander Teresa Coulter in JAG. The recurring role lasted until 2002. She also appeared in Stuart Little and the TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
In 2012, Yearwood launched Trisha’s Southern Kitchen on Food Network. It won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Culinary Program in 2013. It ran for 17 seasons. By the time the show aired, she had already published two New York Times Best-Selling cookbooks. She published her third in 2015.
While Yearwood broadened her horizons, she hasn’t stepped away from music. Her latest album, The Mirror, dropped in 2025.
Featured Image by Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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American country music singer-songwriter Roy Drusky, wearing a white suit and red shirt, performs on stage during the International Festival of Country Music held at Wembley Arena, London, April 1982. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images) -
1956: Rock and roll singer Elvis Presley performs on stage with his Martin acoustic guitar with Bill Black on upright bass in 1956. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Al Casey, October 26, 1936 – September 17, 2006 (Photo courtesy of Fervor Records) -
Garth Brooks, who had a major hit with the Dewayne Blackwell song "Friends in Low Places" -
CANADA – SEPTEMBER 03: Country Singer George Hamilton IV (Photo by Harold Barkley/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
