After facing rejection from Capitol Records not once, but three times, Garth Brooks finally struck gold with 1989’s “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” The song skyrocketed to No. 1 on the country singles chart, and Nashville took note. Nearly four decades later, Brooks holds just about every country music record there is, selling more albums than Elvis Presley himself. On this day (Feb. 7) in 1962, Troyal Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa.
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Another Country Superstar Inspired Garth Brooks’ Career
Growing up the youngest of six in Yukon, Oklahoma, Brooks didn’t really have the option of not becoming musical. His parents hosted weekly talent nights, requiring all children to participate. Brooks learned to play the guitar and banjo.
After graduating high school, the “Friends in Low Places” crooner headed to Oklahoma State University on a track scholarship. Competing in the javelin throw, he spent his nights working as a bouncer at a local bar, eventually forming his own band, Santa Fe.
It was during his college years that Brooks took an interest in country music. Initially favoring rock artists like James Taylor and Townes Van Zandt, George Strait’s 1981 single “Unwound” set Brooks on the path to Nashville.
After graduating in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in advertising, Brooks became a fixture on the Oklahoma bar scene. However, his first trek to Nashville ended in disappointment, and he left for Oklahoma within 24 hours. Brooks would return in 1987, signing with Capitol Records the following year. His self-titled 1989 debut album reached No. 2 on the country albums chart and No. 13 on the Hot 100.
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“Mistakes Are a Good Thing”
In many ways, Garth Brooks represents the pinnacle of success. He is the only artist in history to release nine Diamond-certified albums and win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award seven times. However, he didn’t reach this point without embracing the ups and downs of the music industry.
“You know a mistake isn’t a mistake if you learn a lesson from it,” Brooks said in a past interview. “So mistakes don’t scare me or bother me. If I feel like I made the same mistake twice, then I feel like I’ve really screwed up. But if I make one mistake and learn from it—hey, to me, in the game of life it’s just as important to know what doesn’t work as what does. So I think mistakes are a good thing. I just love putting it out there on the line—baptism by fire.”
Featured image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
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