On This Day in 1990, Garth Brooks Was in the Middle of a Months-Long Run at No. 1 with His Best-Selling Album Ever

On this day (December 10) in 1990, Garth Brooks was at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with his sophomore release, No Fences. The album spent 40 nonconsecutive weeks in the top spot. The LP also produced four No. 1 singles, most of which spent multiple weeks at the top.

Videos by American Songwriter

Brooks burst onto the country music scene in 1989 with his self-titled debut album. The LP produced four hit singles. Two of those, “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance,” went to No. 1. The album peaked at No. 2 on the country chart and reached No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard 200. This showed his potential star power and gave him the momentum he needed to be one of the biggest artists of the coming decade.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1998, Garth Brooks Released the Wildly Successful Album That Broke a Sales Record Set by Pearl Jam]

Brooks and his label, Capitol Nashville, capitalized on that momentum with No Fences. Unlike his debut album, they released it in both Europe and North America. The European release also included the singles from his debut disc, allowing fans across the pond to get caught up on all of the hits. As a result, he went from being Nashville’s next big thing to being an international sensation. The album’s international appeal also helped it become the biggest-selling album of Brooks’ career. To date, it has sold more than 18 million copies.

Garth Brooks Defined an Era with No Fences

Garth Brooks’ debut album was much closer to traditional country music. With No Fences, though, he added rock and pop influences to his sound. This “stadium country” sound quickly became the prevalent style of the 1990s.

The singles from the album weren’t just hits. They clearly illustrated the direction in which the country music industry was moving. The first half of the decade would see countless artists delivering their versions of this style to great success.

More than three decades later, the songs included on No Fences remain among Brooks’ most popular releases. Generations of fans know all the words to classics like “Friends in Low Places” and “The Thunder Rolls.”

So, while many genre purists frowned upon Garth Brooks’ style, his enduring popularity proves that he was doing something right.

Featured Image by Mark Reinstein/Shutterstock