Garth Brooks Ends EMI Spat; Will Release New Album
Wednesday, November 05, 1997. Reuters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Superstar Garth Brooks and the top brass of EMI Capitol Records buried the hatchet Wednesday at a news conference announcing the long-awaited release of his seventh album, "Sevens."

Brooks had held up "Sevens" over disagreements with Capitol/Nashville's President and CEO Scott Hendricks over marketing and promotion of his previous album.

The label announced earlier through a news release that Hendricks had been ousted, replaced by Pat Quigley, executive vice president and general manager.

Brooks, who is EMI's top-selling artist with record sales topping 62 million, also had objected to the label's changes among personnel involved in his albums. Asked about his statement several months ago that he would not release the new album until "things are right," Brooks answered:

"Having key players back that were in at the start of 'Sevens' was part of making it right. No offense to EMI, but you don't marry the company."

James Fifield, president and CEO for EMI in New York, acknowledged, "we have all made mistakes, but obviously never would we let an artist of Garth Brooks's caliber go to another label."

The new album will be released Nov. 25.

Fifield also said "the chemistry wasn't right between Brooks and Hendricks."

Quigley, who played a leading role in Brooks's concert last August in New York's Central Park, said the label will ship 5 million units for the release date, "making Garth Brooks the greatest Christmas gift to listeners."

The new album was originally to have been released to coincide with the Central Park performance.

He added, "Nashville is changing and growing, but people elsewhere aren't aware of this, and somebody has to break the barrier ... this is a chance for country music to get a market share they haven't been getting lately."

During the hour-long news conference at Capitol's Nashville headquarters, Brooks, who has always sought an expanding market outside Nashville for his albums, said, "it's been five years since I've felt a part of the industry ...

"It's all about music. If the music isn't there, it ain't gonna' happen."

Brooks said his close attention to sales, which fell short of his expectations for his previous album, "Fresh Horses," was not about ego, and the clash with his label grew out out of his insistence that the spotlight be on the music.

"These label people have been through a lot," he said. "My hat's off to them and I thank them."

When asked about rumors that he had planned to leave Nashville and relocate in Oklahoma or Colorado, Brooks said he would always keep his farm in Tennessee but had considered additional residences where his children would be closer to their grandparents.

"This label problem was all down to what I was supposed to do with the rest of my life."

More than 3 million people have attended Brooks' concert performances on a tour that will run through December of next year.

The new album features 14 songs, six of which were written or co-written by Brooks.

He will join Steve Wariner in singing one of them, "Longneck Bottle," on Nov. 2l on NBC-TV's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The song will be released as a single to country radio on Nov. 7.