Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks ushered in a new era of country music, taking it from its down-home audience and into arenas where it not only competed with rock & roll, it often eclipsed it in popularity. Though he was grounded in traditional country, he was equally rooted in classic rock, resulting in a broad, powerful sound that roped in fans otherwise uninterested in country. Before Brooks, it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum; he shattered that barrier in 1991 with his second album, No Fences, and its follow-up, Ropin' the Wind, the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts. After 2005, Brooks took an extended hiatus to raise a family with his wife, Trisha Yearwood, eventually returning as something of a traditionalist himself, advocating for the benefits of Nashville's system, particularly the rights of professional songwriters. His 14th studio album, Fun, arrived in 2020.