On this day (November 13) in 2001, Garth Brooks released Scarecrow. Shortly after releasing the LP, the country superstar chose to take a long break to spend more time with his family. His next album, Man Against Machine, would drop almost exactly 13 years later. Brooks went out with a bang, though. Scarecrow topped the country albums chart and contained duets with George Jones and his future wife, Trisha Yearwood.
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Brooks burst onto the country music scene in 1989 with his self-titled debut album. He quickly rose to fame, becoming one of the best-selling artists the genre had ever seen. He toured the world, selling out stadiums and arenas around the world, and sold tens of millions of records. However, for Brooks, the success wasn’t worth the time he was missing with his family. As a result, he announced his retirement in October 2000. It wasn’t a permanent retirement, though. Instead, he chose to put his career on hold until his youngest daughter finished high school.
Brooks didn’t immediately leave the limelight behind. Instead, he released Scarecrow a little more than a year after announcing his retirement plan. However, he didn’t support the album with a full-scale tour. Brooks chose to schedule a handful of one-off promotional performances. With the album’s success secured, he returned to his Oklahoma home to be a full-time family man.
Garth Brooks Went Out with a Bang
Scarecrow wasn’t the most successful album that Garth Brooks released, but it still did very well. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. It has since been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA.
Brooks included a pair of special collaborations on the album. He and Trisha Yearwood had already collaborated on “In Another’s Eyes,” which won a Grammy in 1998. They reunited again for “Squeeze Me In” on Scarecrow. At the time, though, they weren’t yet a couple. When the record dropped, Brooks was still a month away from his divorce from his first wife. He and Yearwood tied the knot in 2005.
Brooks also collaborated with a certified country legend on the album. George Jones joined him for “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?).” Jones also included the track on his album The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001.
Fans would have to wait another 13 years for Garth Brooks’ next album, Man Against Machine, which dropped in November 2014.
Featured Image by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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