Ropin' the Wind is the third studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on September 2, 1991 and was his first studio album to debut at No. 1 the Billboard 200 chart and the Top Country Albums chart. There it enjoyed four runs at No. 1 between September 28, 1991 - April 3, 1992, spending a combined 18 weeks at the top, eventually being certified 14x Platinum by the RIAA in 1998. In the UK it reached the Top 50 pop albums list and went to No. 1 for several months on the country charts. It has gone to sell 17 million copies world wide.

The track "Shameless" is a cover of a Billy Joel song, previously recorded on his 1989 album Storm Front.

According to music review website Allmusic, Ropin' the Wind is the first country album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Background
Brooks commented on the album saying :
"Ropin' the Wind was what we called the son of Fences. Ropin' the Wind was made in this kind of tour that we were on from No Fences. We were gone, pretty much 250 days out of the year. And in that remaining 100 days, I elected to cut Ropin' The Wind, and try to write for it. This album became a lot bigger than I ever thought it could possibly be. And when I listen to the singles off of it like Rodeo, What She's Doing Now, The River, Papa Loved Mama, and Shameless, I look at it and stand very proud. And then when I also look at the cuts, Against The Grain, Cold Shoulder, these songs I am equally proud of.'''"

Track listing
 "Against the Grain" (Bruce Bouton, Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson) – 2:22
 "Rodeo" (Larry Bastian) – 3:53
 "What She's Doing Now" (Pat Alger, Garth Brooks) – 3:26
 "Burning Bridges" (Stephanie C. Brown, Brooks) – 3:35
 "Which One of Them" (Brooks) - 2:39A
 "Papa Loved Mama" (Kim Williams, Brooks) – 2:51
 "Shameless" (Billy Joel) – 4:19
 "Cold Shoulder" (Kent Blazy, Williams, Brooks) – 3:55
 "We Bury the Hatchet" (Royal Wade Kimes, Brooks) – 3:05
 "In Lonesome Dove" (Cynthia Limbaugh, Brooks) – 4:48
 "The River" (Victoria Shaw, Brooks) – 4:25

AThis track was not on the original release of the album. It first appeared when the album was re-released as part of Brooks' first Limited Series box set collection, and remained part of subsequent releases of the album until 2014, when it was released digitally for the first time.

Chart performanceRopin' the Wind debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming his first, and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums number-one album selling 400,000 copies, becoming his second No. 1 Country album. In September 1998, Ropin' the Wind'' was certified 14 x platinum by the RIAA.

Charts

Sales and certifications

End of decade charts

Singles

Other charted songs

Chart successions

Personnel
 Garth Brooks - lead and backing vocals

Additional musicians
 Susan Ashton - backing vocals
 Bruce Bouton - lap and pedal steel guitars, dobro
 Sam Bush - mandolin
 Mark Casstevens - acoustic guitar
 Mike Chapman - electric bass
 Larry Cordle - backing vocals
 Jerry Douglas - dobro
 Carl Jackson - backing vocals
 Chris Leuzinger - electric guitar
 Rob Hajacos - fiddle
 Edgar Meyer - acoustic bass
 Milton Sledge - drums, percussion
 Bobby Wood - keyboards
 Trisha Yearwood - backing vocals

References

1991 albums
Garth Brooks albums