Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer-songwriter sensibilities, and ’70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in the ’90s — namely, a mass audience. Before Brooks, it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum. He shattered that barrier in 1991, when his second album, No Fences, began its chart domination, and its follow-up, Ropin’ the Wind, became the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts. No Fences would eventually sell a record-shattering 13 million copies. By the end of 1991, Brooks had become a genuine popular music phenomenon — even his 1992 Christmas album, Beyond the Season, went multi-platinum. The Chase debuted at number one upon its October 1992 release and by the end of the year, it sold over five million copies. Brooks returned to straight country with 1993’s In Pieces. The album was critically acclaimed and sold several million copies. Brooks released Fresh Horses, his first album of new material in two years, in November of 1995. Within six months of its release, it had sold over three million copies. More recently, he released Gunslinger in 2016. Garth Brooks continues to tour and remains a force of nature.
