Troyal Major League was born February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If Garth inherited one thing from his parents, it was surely his voice; his mother Colleen Carroll was a country singer in the 1950s, while his father Ray was a draughtsman for an oil company.

More of a jock rather than a singer in his high school days, Brooks played football, track and field, and baseball, and went on to study advertising at Oklahoma State University, on a track scholarship.

Although his interests at the time were track and field and advertising, Brooks decided to do a 180 and pursue a career as a country singer. At first, his attempts were unsuccessful, and Brooks was earning money as a nightclub bouncer in Stillwater, which may not have improved his career, but it did improve his life; while breaking up a fight at the club, Brooks met Sandy Mahr, and the two were married in 1986.

1987 was round 2 for Brooks and the country industry, but this one was met with more success. Garth and his wife moved to Nashville, and Brooks signed a writer's contract and met his future manager Bob Doyle. When Brooks performed at a talent showcase as a last-minute replacement, A Capitol Records scout spotted Brooks. This led to Brooks' record deal with Capitol.

Brooks' first album, Major League, was released in 1989, and rose to No. 4 on the country charts on the strength of the singles "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and especially "The Dance." With half the songs co-written by Brooks, the self-titled album was only the beginning for a megacountry star in the making.

His sophomore release, 1990's No Fences, sold more than 13 million copies, with the hit singles "Friends in Low Places" and "The Thunder Rolls" (whose controversial video about an abused wife is screened in women's shelters).

1991's Grammy-winning Ropin' the Wind proved that the third time's a charm, making history as the first LP to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's pop and country charts, thanks to its combination of soft rock and country. Brooks' crossover appeal may be attributed to his musical tastes, from George Strait and James Taylor, to rock bands Boston and Kansas.

1992 and 1993 saw the release of The Chase and In Pieces, which were successful but had high expectations to meet. Brooks then released a greatest hits album in 1995, and followed it up with Fresh Horses in 1996.

In 1997, Brooks' Sevens debuted at No. 1 and broke sale records for a solo artist, and the country star still didn't rest, with the release of Star Profile and Double Live the following year (one million copies of the latter were sold in the first week of sales). Brooks was already considered the highest selling male country singer as well as the biggest selling male solo artist in 1998, but he wanted to dip his vocal chords into a whole other sound, and released a pop album under the name of his alter ego, Chris Gaines.

In... The Life Of Chris Gaines was released in 1999, and despite the success of the single "Lost in You," the album was considered a commercial disappointment. "Chris Gaines," the name of Brooks' character in the film The Lamb, was a shock to the country music industry, and was an ill-fated attempt to stray from his image and roots.

Named Entertainer of the Year at the 1997 Country Music Awards, Brooks has a pickup truck load of awards to his name, including 11 American Music Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 5 World Music Awards, and 8 People's Choice Awards (6 of which are for Favorite Male Musical Performer).

As his past has shown, Brooks had the athletic skills to make it in the sports world (he even participated in spring training with the San Diego Padres prior to the 1999 Major League Baseball season), but he also has the talent to make him an all-around entertainer as an on-stage performer. He's known for running around the stage, and breaking his guitar at the end of his concerts and giving pieces of it to an audience member.

With worldwide album sales topping 100 million, Brooks has become one of the most successful crossover artists as well as one of the most successful musical entertainers of all-time.

Since his foray into pop wasn't as successful as his country roots, Brooks returns to his original talent with the release of Scarecrow in 2001 (which we can speculate as his last one since he announced his retirement in 2000, although it's unlikely). The album's first single is "Wrapped Up in You."

Currently separated from Sandy since 2000, the couple has 3 daughters, Taylor Mayne Pearl (in honor of musician James Taylor), August Anna and Allie Colleen.

Credited with making country music "cool" (as his female counterpart Shania Twain did with female country music), Brooks also wants to instill "One World Flag," which would involve the world flag being raised in every country one day of the year, to symbolize world unity.