Nashville,
TN – Oct. 25, 2016 – CMA “Entertainer Of The Year” Nominee Garth Brooks
marked the unrivaled achievement of becoming the first recording artist
in the history of music to earn Seven Diamond Album Certifications from
the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last night, as
thousands of fans filled every inch of Ascend Amphitheater and descended
on the surrounding streets of downtown Nashville, TN to celebrate the
monumental milestone.
The atmosphere was palpable, as the festivities commenced with Governor
of Tennessee, Bill Haslam welcoming the high-energy crowd by presenting
Brooks with a congratulatory custom belt buckle with seven diamonds to
highlight each of the awarded albums. The evening continued as Brooks
hosted a diverse group of surprise guests, including Jason Aldean, Kelly
Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Chris Young, Steve Wariner and wife Trisha
Yearwood. The hand-picked selection of long-time friends and peers, as
well as country music’s superstars, brightest stars and icons, took the
stage for a set of spine tingling performances. The revered guests all
relished the unique opportunity to sing their chosen personal favorite
songs from one of Brooks’ Diamond Certified albums: Garth Brooks, No Fences, Ropin’ The Wind, The Hits, Double-Live, Sevens and The Ultimate Hits, all of which were recorded in the state of Tennessee.
With the audience in the palm of his hand, Brooks sustained the
hit-filled set with seven more songs taken from his Diamond Certified
albums, each one crescendoing into a city-wide singalong. In a special
moment, RIAA Gold & Platinum Program and Communications Director,
Liz Kennedy Holman, then presented Brooks with his record-setting
seventh Diamond Award. The unforgettable night’s curtain call was marked
by a rousing rendition of Brooks’ infamous worldwide smash-hit “Friends
In Low Places,” for which he was joined back on stage by his earlier
special guests, capped off by a breathtaking firework-filled finale.
A stacked-day of landmark events, Brooks also announced yesterday the official track-listing for his much-coveted GARTH BROOKS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION,
a 10-disc boxed set available at Target, featuring Brooks’ upcoming
studio album GUNSLINGER and nine discs of curated music from his
unrivaled catalog. The collection features 18 previously unreleased
tracks, and last night backstage at the show, during his weekly “Inside
Studio G” Facebook series, Brooks revealed that fans can exclusively
preview a selection of songs, as well as their all-time favorites
included in the upcoming boxed set exclusively on USA Today’s “Listening Room” at garth.usatoday.com.
GARTH BROOKS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, will be released on Nov. 11, two
weeks prior to Brooks’ upcoming album’s, GUNSLINGER, national standalone
street date on Nov. 25. for Pearl Records, Inc. The first single taken
from GUNSLINGER, “Baby, Let’s Lay Down And Dance,” has instantly
captivated country radio and critics with Rolling Stone
praising that “the upbeat country tune with Southern rock-inspired
guitar riffs has a timeless sound.” During the pre-order for the
upcoming boxed set, which began yesterday on Target.com, fans can
purchase a limited-release holiday bundle – the 10-disc collection and
CHRISTMAS TOGETHER, the first-ever duets album with Brooks and wife
Trisha Yearwood.
Garth Brooks has received seven Diamond awards for seven individual
albums from the RIAA for selling over ten million units each, a feat
only he can claim, and is the No. 1 selling solo artist in U.S. history
certified by the RIAA with over 138 million album sales. Throughout his
illustrious career he has won the Billboard Music Artist Achievement
Award, NACCP Image Award and has been inducted into the Country Music
Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the International
Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. Garth also just received his 11th
nomination for Entertainer of the Year from the CMA Awards.
Photo credit: Ben Kerns
