Twenty-two years ago, Garth Brooks’ album Double Live debuted at the top of the Billboard Top 200 charts and stayed there for five weeks straight.
Undoubtedly, Brooks has become a household name in the country music world. However, his music accomplishments extend far past only the country genre. Brooks is the only artist in history to have won seven CMA Entertainer of the Year awards and to have received eight Diamond awards for album sales.
Released in 1998, Double Live was Brooks’ first live album. The album is a two-disc compilation of live songs, recorded during Brooks’ 1996–98 world tour. Upon its release, the album set an all-time record by selling 1,085,373 copies in its first week. This was a record, not only for first-week sales but also for any one-week period of sales for any artist. The record was previously held by Pearl Jam for their album Vs. which sold 950,378 copies. Additionally, with over 21 million in total record sales, Double Live is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of all time.
What Makes Garth Brooks’ Album So Special?
In 2000, the album earned Brooks The American Music Award for Favorite Album in the Country category. What makes this album so special? It’s no secret that Brooks has an electric stage presence. This album provides fans, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to see brooks perform live, the chance to experience his music in a way that feels up close and personal.
In 2014, Brooks released a 25th Anniversary Edition of Double Live. Although the album had not been around for 25 years, it was re-released in celebration of Brooks coming onto the music scene 25 years prior. The special edition package includes two CDs with 30 songs and one DVD with 30 music videos.
However, there was a time when all of Brooks’ accomplishments felt impossible. During an interview, Brooks revealed that before he hit it big, he had gone to Nashville and then ultimately decided to leave. “Dreamers don’t last long in this town. The ones who change their dreams to goals do. And I was a dreamer…So there was something about Nashville that I knew I wanted to be here but I knew the time wasn’t right.”
Brooks said that he returned to Oklahoma, married his first wife, then moved back to Nashville. Upon his second move to the city, Brooks really did transform his dreams into goals, and his goals to worldwide successes.
