Becoming a professional musician of the largest proportions is arguably one of the most difficult career paths one could take. So difficult that people often view the decision to pursue a career in music as entirely trivial and fruitless. Every musician who chases and or has chased this dream has certainly heard that notion before, including one of the most successful country musicians of all time, Garth Brooks.
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In all of music, Garth Brooks is the epitome of success. However, his road to success was not a velvety red carpet. Rather, and like most who play this game, Brooks’ path to the top consisted of failure. Matter of fact, the first time Garth Brooks went to Nashville in search of success, his trip only lasted for 24 hours.
Why Garth Brooks’ First Trip to Music City Was a Bust
While attending college in Oklahoma, Garth Brooks played local bars and practiced his craft. Once graduated and ready to pursue his dream, Brooks did what everyone aspiring country musician does: He went to Nashville. However, his expectation of the place was not what his imagination had envisioned. Hence, he was there for merely a day.
Concerning his expectation of Nashville, Brooks told Gayle King of CBS Mornings, “I go to Nashville thinking everything is going to be straw hats and goose neck trailers, right. And everything is suits and ties, it’s business, I’m not ready for that.”
Brooks left Nashville, went back home to Oklahoma, married his college girlfriend, and got a band together. He was now ready to tackle Music City.
On his second excursion to Nashville, Brooks landed a record deal in less than a year, and his first self-titled record went Gold. Regarding the swift transition into fame, Brooks divulged, “I probably didn’t handle it well, a nation watches you grow up… So you’re going to make decisions that you go, ‘man, I wish I could take that one back.’”
“But the truth now is if changing anything then meant any part of now would change, no thank you.”
Following his first and second trips to Nashville, Garth Brooks went on to have a career that the majority of aspiring musicians dream of. However, as he noted, there were many failures along the way. Failures that would ultimately make him who he is today.
So, as cliché as it is, failures are far more important than any amount of success, as without them, success would be completely undeserved and seemingly unimportant.
Photo by Paul Harris/Getty Images
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