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The Garth Brooks Story Index | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 The Garth Brooks Story was a three hour radio special that documented Garth's career. The syndicated program was produced by Westwood One Entertainment, and aired on the weekend of July 4, 1996. This is a transcript of that program. It features the words of Garth himself, along with other country music stars, and Garth's fans from FanFair '96. A majority of the three hours were filled with Garth's music, of which, the highlight was Garth's live acoustic version of She's Every Woman. Songs of Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Ty England, George Jones, and Chris LeDoux were also included. ..................... Tom Rivers: Everyone knows his songs, in fact they know the words by heart. (Fans sing Friends In Low Places in background.) But just who is Garth Brooks? Hi I'm Tom Rivers and for the next three hours we'll celebrate Fourth of July weekend with the words and music of Garth Brooks. We'll also hear some of country's top stars tell great stories about the Garth Man. We'll even take a trip to FanFair '96. But mostly we'll hear Garth's music, and when we think of Garth the song that most folks think of starts like this. Blame it all on my roots.... Friends In Low Places TR: That's probably the biggest hit of his career. Garth Brooks with Friends In Low Places. Of course he has friends in a lot of places these days. But The Garth Brooks Story begins in Oklahoma. GB: Growing up there was real life, growing up there was to be modest and humble and trying to let what you do do the talking and not shoot your mouth off at something you can't compare with. TR: Back in those days Garth was a student athlete. The music thing was inspired sixteen years ago. GB: I graduated from high school in 1980. And in between my summer year of that and my first year of college at Oklahoma State, I was traveling with my Dad to the store. A lady came on and said, "here comes a new guy from Texas, I think you're gonna like his sound." It was George Strait, and from that minute on I knew that I wanted to be a George Strait wanna be, and be just like him. Still haven't lost that desire, I think he's a wonderful man. A wonderful man in music or not, to kind of model yourself after. TR: Nine years later Garth had the chance to carry out that dream, and this was the song he chose to launch his career. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) TR: That was the one that got it all started for Garth Brooks, back in 1989. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old.) About mid-way in the song there's the line about a worn out tape of Chris LeDoux. It just so happened, Chris himself heard it one day on the radio. Chris LeDoux: It was quite a shock to hear that. TR: You see no one told Chris that his name was going to be in a song. So Chris set out to meet this Garth Brooks fella. CL: We finally met about eight months after that song had come out. A promoter put us together on the same bill. At the Cocky Bull in Victorville, California. And Garth for some reason insisted on opening for me, but it was great. One of the things that impressed me about him, he first thing he said to me, "You know Chris using you name in that song, you wouldn't believe how that's helped my career." We hit it off pretty good. GB: Chris LeDoux no doubt in my mind is like one of the coolest guys I've ever met. Wonderful family man, believes honesty first. I got to do a duet with him, and to hear Chris LeDoux's voice on this cut kind of made it the real thing. Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy TR: Garth Brooks along with Chris LeDoux, that's Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy. They mentioned Ropin' The Wind in that cut, and we'll get to that album in just a bit. But next Garth Brooks sells....shoes. No kidding, you'll find out more as The Garth Brooks Story continues. TR: We're celebrating Fourth of July weekend with The Garth Brooks Story, and here's the first song Garth ever recorded. Not Counting You TR: From his first album, Garth Brooks and Not Counting You. That song hit the top of the charts in 1990, but it was written a couple of years earlier. At that time Garth's music career hadn't taken off, so he was making ends meet with a day gig. GB: My wife and I worked at a boot place up north here in Nashville in Rivergate Mall. I wrote it in between selling boots. TR: Around that same time, a young Nashville native named Ken Mellons was also selling shoes just across the street. And the two future country stars met. Ken Mellons: I collect cowboy boots and I went over there one day, and got to talking with him and her. He was saying, "Yeah I'm trying to get something going, I'm from Oklahoma, I'm a singer-songwriter." I said well I am too, so I ended up buying a pair of cowboy boots from him. He gave me his buisness card and I still have it today. I thought that was pretty neat, and a few months later I'm driving down the road and hear him on the radio. Now he's one of the biggest things that ever happened to country music. I guess I can say I met him, you know back when. TR: Course these days neither Ken Mellons nor Garth Brooks are selling shoes. But all that thinking back reminded me of this Garth Brooks hit. What She's Doing Now TR: From the winter of '92, Garth Brooks and What She's Doing Now. If you wonder what Garth's doing now, you know like most of us, he's got the weekend off. His next show is at the end of the month in Cheyenne, Wyoming. With that in mind it's sort of appropriate that we get to Garth's most recent #1 The Beaches Of Cheyenne. Garth says that song didn't end up the way he planned. GB: Supposed to be real funny. Kind of like cowboys on the beach, kind of, swingin kind of thing. Then it went to a guy on the beach that would come home from a suit and tie job. Ne never had any cowboy talents, but he always wanted to be one. So he just comes home slips off his shoes and goes out and walks on the beach and dreams of Wyoming and stuff. Then out of just a fluke, one time passing through, it came with...every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne. We looked at each other and said, "This ain't gonna be funny boys." The Beaches Of Cheyenne TR: The latest #1 for Garth Brooks, The Beaches Of Cheyenne. I'm Tom Rivers and up ahead, one of Garth's signiture songs plus, Garth goes cajun as we continue with The Garth Brooks Story. Continue to Page 2.... Index | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5