Garth Brooks (album)

***Garth Brooks*** is the eponymous debut studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks, released on April 12, 1989 through Capitol Nashville. It was both a critical and chart success, peaking at #13 on the _Billboard_ 200. On the Top Country Albums chart the album peaked at #2 for eight weeks behind Clint Black's Killin' Time. In 2006 _Garth Brooks_ was certified Diamond by the RIAA for shipments of 10 million copies in the US.

This album contains Brooks' earliest hits, for instance his first ever single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)", which peaked at #8 on the Country Billboard Charts in 1989. It put the name of an independent cowboy singer, Chris LeDoux, into the mainstream due to the lyric "_The worn out tape of Chris LeDoux_" Two other strong starts include his first #1, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and the Academy of Country Music's 1990 Song of the Year and Video of the Year, "The Dance" (another #1).

## Background

Brooks commented on the album, saying:

## Track listing

**Original Release**
1. "Not Counting You" (Garth Brooks) – 2:30
1. "I've Got a Good Thing Going" (Larry Bastian, Sandy Mahl, Brooks) – 2:50
1. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Kent Blazy, Brooks) – 3:37
1. "Everytime That It Rains" (Charley Stefl, Ty England, Brooks) – 4:07
1. "Alabama Clay" (Larry Cordle, Ronny Scaife) – 3:35
1. "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" (Randy Taylor, Brooks) – 2:53
1. "Cowboy Bill" (Bastian, Ed Berghoff) – 4:28
1. "Nobody Gets Off in This Town" (Bastian, DeWayne Blackwell) – 2:17
1. "I Know One" (Jack Clement) – 2:49
1. "The Dance" (Tony Arata) – 3:37

**Limited Series Release**
1. "Not Counting You"
1. "I've Got a Good Thing Going"
1. "Uptown Down Home Good Ol' Boy"
1. "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
1. "Everytime That It Rains"
1. "Alabama Clay"
1. "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)"
1. "Cowboy Bill"
1. "Nobody Gets Off in This Town"
1. "I Know One"
1. "The Dance"

## Chart performance

***Garth Brooks*** peaked at #13 on the U.S. _Billboard_ 200, and peaked at #2 on the Top Country Albums.

### Charts

|Charts (1989/1990)|Peak position|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|align="left"|Canadian _RPM_ Top Albums|style="text-align:center;"|60|
|align="left"|Canadian _RPM_ Country Albums|style="text-align:center;"|22|
|align="left"|U.S. _Billboard_ 200|style="text-align:center;"|13|
|align="left"|U.S. _Billboard_ Top Country Albums|style="text-align:center;"|2|

### Sales and Certifications

|Region|Provider|Certification|Sales/Shipments||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|United States|style="text-align:center;"|RIAA|Diamond|10,000,000|

### Singles

|rowspan="2"|Year|rowspan="2"|Single|colspan="3"|Peak chart positions||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="2"|1989|style="text-align:left;"|"Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)"|8|9|—|
|style="text-align:left;"|"If Tomorrow Never Comes"|1|2|—|||
|rowspan="2"|1990|style="text-align:left;"|"Not Counting You"|2|1|—|
|style="text-align:left;"|"The Dance"|1|1|36|||

## Personnel

- Bruce Bouton - steel guitar
- Garth Brooks - lead and backing vocals
- Mark Casstevens - acoustic guitar
- Mike Chapman - bass
- Kathy Chiavola - backing vocals
- Rob Hajacos - fiddle
- Wendy Johnson - backing vocals
- Chris Leuzinger - electric guitar
- Jennifer O'Brien - backing vocals
- Wayland Patton - backing vocals
- Milton Sledge - drums
- Hurshel Wiginton - backing vocals
- Bobby Wood - keyboards, synthesizer
- Trisha Yearwood - backing vocals
- Nashville String Machine

## Notable covers

Punk rock cover artists Me First and the Gimme Gimmes released a version of 'Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)' as the first track on their October 2006 album Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Love Their Country.

If 'Tomorrow Never Comes' has been covered by Ronan Keating (former lead singer of Irish group Boyzone)

## Infobox (album)

- **name**: Garth Brooks
- **type**: Album
- **artist**: Garth Brooks
- **released**: April 12, 1989
- **recorded**: Jack's Tracks Recording Studios, late 1987 - early 1988
- **genre**: Country music, Country
- **length**: 32:43
- **label**: Capitol Records Nashville, Capitol Nashville
- **producer**: Allen Reynolds
- **next title**: No Fences
 (1990)