Garth Brooks’ new “More Than A Memory” Makes
Historic #1 Debut!
First-Ever #1 Debut in History of Country Music
NASHVILLE, TN – The top-selling solo artist of the 20th
century (RIAA) has re-written the record books once
again. With his new single, “More Than a Memory” (Pearl
Records/*Big Machine), Garth Brooks has become the first
artist in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Country
Singles Chart, making him the highest Country debut
leader of all time.
Brooks’ first single from his upcoming The Ultimate Hits
collection, in stores 11/6, earned 36.3 million impressions
in its first week and shattered a one-day audience record
of over 11 million impressions on its arrival day at Country
Radio.
On August 18th, Garth and Big Machine Records president
Scott Borchetta announced a unique arrangement for Big
Machine Records to exclusively promote and market his
upcoming singles to Country Radio. Borchetta says, “The
opportunity and the honor to represent the greatest that
our industry has ever seen is one that I could not pass up.
To experience his musical genius, desire and passion first-
hand is extraordinary. We came up with a plan to set up
this incredible new music at radio and he took it to another
level - truly magical. Radio responded with open arms and
enormous excitement and the result is… historical.”
The fastest selling solo artist in music history, Garth Brooks
has sold in excess of 105 million albums. He is the only
solo artist in RIAA history to have 4 albums top the 10
million mark. His body of work – including the
groundbreaking No Fences, Ropin’ The Wind, The Hits,
and Double Live – propelled country music as a genre to
the front pages of newspapers worldwide and the covers of
magazines, to the point where Forbes declared on its
cover, “Country Conquers Rock” and featured Garth in a
major music piece. According to the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA), Garth Brooks is the top-
selling solo artist of the 20th century.
Brooks has received every accolade the recording industry
can bestow on an artist, including: 2 Grammys, 17
American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association
Awards, 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, 5 World
Music Awards, 12 People’s Choice Awards, and 36
Billboard Music Awards. He was named Artist of the ‘90s at
the 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, received the
Artist Achievement Award at the 1997 Billboard Music
Awards, and was named Artist of the Decade at the
American Music Awards in 2000 and the Academy of
Country Music Awards in 1999.
The key to his record-setting success lies within the
personality and talent of Garth Brooks. He has brought
daring individualism and a love of music, ranging from
working class blues and honky tonk to bluegrass and
arena rock, to the musical table. His easy-going,
approachable charisma is matched only by his fearless
willingness to take chances and step outside the lines. With
twenty-seven #1 singles, thirty-eight Top 10 hits and
eleven #1 albums, Brooks has opened the doors for many
more Country artists to follow. In the midst of one of the
most successful careers in music history, Brooks retired
from touring in 1998 to spend time with his family. His
retirement is often placed on hold to perform for charities
that are close to his heart.
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TAYLOR SWIFT NAMED SONGWRITER / ARTIST OF THE YEAR
BY NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL
TAYLOR TIES WITH ALAN JACKSON FOR NASHVILLE ’S HIGHEST
SONGWRITING HONOR
Nashville, TN – October 15, 2007 – Seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift was
honored last night as Songwriter / Artist of the Year by the Nashville
Songwriters Association International at the 38th Annual Nashville
Songwriters Foundation Hall of Fame dinner and awards. Taylor, the
youngest artist in history to receive this award, tied with superstar Alan
Jackson for the evening’s top honor. Past winners of the prestigious
award include Vince Gill, Shania Twain, Clint Black, Garth Brooks , Toby
Keith and Brad Paisley.
The NSAI Award is Taylor ’s first songwriting award, and is an award
voted upon by her peers, the professional songwriter members of the
NSAI. She was honored earlier this year by AOL as Country’s Hottest
Female Artist, won the 2007 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of
the Year, and is a nominee for the prestigious Horizon Award at next
month’s CMA Awards as well as for Favorite Female Country Artist at this
year’s American Music Awards. Taylor is the first female solo artist in
country music history to write or co-write every song on a Platinum-
selling debut album.
A downloadable photo of Taylor with Hank Williams Jr., who was inducted
into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last night, and Keith Urban
from last night’s event is available at http://photos.bigmachinemedia.
net/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=43667
Taylor spent all day yesterday flying home to Nashville from Canada in
order to attend the Songwriter’s Foundation event. Currently on tour with
Brad Paisley, she played a show in Saskatoon , SK , Canada on Saturday
night.
"I am just freaking out,” Taylor said of her surprise win. “I’m so excited
because I got a publishing deal when I was 14 and every single day was
devoted to writing songs. And it was before I got a record deal, it was
before any of this started. I was a songwriter in town. And the fact that this
award is voted on by my songwriter peers…I don't even know how to
explain how honored I feel. I mean, I was sitting at the table and they
called Alan Jackson's name and I'm just like, 'Oh my God! That's
awesome!' And then all of the sudden they say my name and I'm like, 'What
happened?' I'm so humbled by this experience. It's just so unbelievable."
Professional membership within NSAI is quite elite. In order to qualify as a
professional member of NSAI, a songwriter must derive the majority of his
or her income from songwriting. Professional NSAI members include
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees and chart-topping hit-
makers.
Taylor’s self-titled debut album recently spent 8 consecutive weeks at #1
on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. The CD will be re-issued on
November 6th as The Taylor Swift Limited Deluxe Edition a CD / DVD dual
set. The special edition contains exciting new music and video extras,
including three new songs from Taylor and a very special behind-the-
scenes home movie of her life over the past year, compiled and edited by
Taylor herself.
The Nashville Songwriters Association International, established in 1967
and with more than 100 chapters around the country, is the world’s
largest not-for-profit songwriter’s trade organization dedicated to serving
songwriters of all genres of music.
To hear music by Taylor Swift, log on to: www.taylorswift.com or www.
myspace.com/taylorswift.
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