Brooks released Ropin’ the Wind on September 2, 1991. It debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart dated September 28. The LP maintained the top spot for a whopping 29 consecutive weeks.

Plenty of other country stars scored big pop crossover hits prior to Garth Brooks, but the phrase “crossover” itself illustrates what Brooks did differently. Prior to Garth, country singers became ...

Garth Brooks isn’t a stranger to shattering records. He’s packed stadiums, earned more Diamond-certified albums than any artist in history, and walked away with just about every major country award ...