Garth Brooks Details
Elvis Presley. Michael Jackson. Madonna. What do these three artists have in common? They’ve all sold fewer albums in the United States than Garth Brooks. (They have plenty of other things in common, as well, but you can see the point we’re making here.) In fact, no solo artist has sold more albums in the U.S. than Brooks’ 148 million certified units, with The Beatles being the lone band to outsell him. And if Brooks seems like less of a big name than those aforementioned artists then, well, that just speaks to the under-appreciated legacy of one of the biggest musicians in American history.
Garth’s presence on the country music charts began with his self-titled debut album in 1989, which hosted the No. 1 country singles “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance.” His dominance of those charts started with his second album, No Fences, which spent 23 weeks as the nation’s No. 1 country album and has sold 23 million copies worldwide, the most of any of his albums. It’s especially well-known for including single “Friends in Low Places,” a singalong standard at rowdy family gatherings to this day. Brooks went on to dominate the 90s, hitting No. 1 on the U.S. charts with Ropin’ the Wind, The Chase, In Pieces and Sevens. Today, Brooks’ popularity endured. In 2014, he embarked on The Garth Brooks World Tour with his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood. In July 2016, the couple made history by becoming the first country artists to play a show at New York City’s Yankee Stadium.