Garth Brooks rides high at country music awards
Thursday, September 24, 1998. Reuters
Story by Story by Pat Harris

NASHVILLE - Riding the crest of a year of multimillion-unit album sales and packed concerts, Garth Brooks set another record Wednesday night by winning the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award for the fourth time.

Brooks, currently appearing in Buffalo, New York, sang earlier with Trisha Yearwood in a remote performance beamed live to the 32nd annual CMA award show at the Grand Ole Opry.

Brooks made his debut in 1989 with ``Much Too Young to Feel This Damn Old'' and has seen his latest album, ``Sevens,'' sell more than 5 million copies, pushing his total album sales over the 80 million mark and making him the best-selling solo artist in American music history.

Texas rancher George Strait was named male vocalist of the year for the fifth time. The durable Strait toured 18 cities in the past year, playing to almost 1 million fans and grossing some $35 million.

The female vocalist of the year was Trisha Yearwood for the second time in a row. She has sold 8 million albums since 1991 and has won two Grammys. She was also named top female vocalist by the Academy of Country Music earlier this year.

Brooks, who is on tour until Nov. 16, won the entertainer of the year prize previously in 1991, 1992 and last year.

``I'm proud that the CMA would let me in this time,'' he said in a remote TV interview. ``It's an exclusive club I thought I was out of for a while.''

Of her female vocalist win, Yearwood said ``My band and I will celebrate after our show here in Buffalo.'' A special ''International Award'' was presented to Yearwood before the CMA show honoring her for her many European tours.

``My husband is in Belfast just now,'' she said, ``and I'm going to wake him up with the big news.''

Only two of the acts nominated this year won more than one award. The three-woman ``Dixie Chicks'' who are so new to the scene that they watched the 1997 CMA show from last row seats in the audience, won both the horizon award and the vocal group of the year prizes. The horizon award goes to the act demonstrating the most significant creative growth.

The trio, composed of Martie Seidel, 28; Emily Erwin, 26; and Natalie Maines, 23, all singers and musicians, was the first act signed to the resurrected Monument Records label last year. In taking the vocal group award, the newcomers beat out such recognized artists as Alabama, Diamond Rio, the Mavericks and Sawyer Brown.

Another two-time winner was Steve Wariner for his performance of ``Holes in the Floor of Heaven'' to win both single and song of the year.

For the seventh year in a row, Brooks & Dunn took vocal duo of the year. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have sold more than 17 million albums -- more than any other duo in country music history and are second only to Simon and Garfunkel in all musical formats.

Album of the year honors went to Tim McGraw, 31-year-old son of legendary baseball pitcher Tug McGraw and self-styled ``honky tonk'' singer who has scored with three multi-platinum albums and seven No. 1 hits to date. His album was titled ''Everywhere''.

McGraw's wife, Faith Hill, won music video of the year for ''This Kiss''.

Patty Loveless won vocal event of the year with her record ''You Don't Seem to Miss Me'' sung with George Jones.

Musician of the year was guitarist Brett Mason.

Three late country music figures, Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley and George Morgan were inducted officially into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Their names, along with a fourth inductee, Grand Ole Opry executive Bud Wendell, has been announced last June as honorees.

On hand to accept the honor for Wynette, who died April 6 of this year after a lengthy career as first lady of country music, was her husband, George Richey.

``I told her at the start of this year that it would be a big one for her career,'' Richey said, ``but she said I was crazy. I know she would have been thrilled to be honored this way. Five of our children are with me this evening and we're all very honored and pleased that their mother received this recognition. She was a world class mother and artist and my best buddy.''

Performers during the three-hour show, hosted by Vince Gill, included Travis Tritt, Wynonna, Lorrie Morgan, Randy Scruggs, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, LeAnn Rimes and Shania Twain, and most of the nominees.