Who is Garth Brooks? The country singer who's facing sexual assault allegations

Country vocalist Garth Brooks is simply a household sanction successful the US. Over the people of a thirty-five twelvemonth career, he’s won tens of awards - including 2 Grammys and a grounds 22 Academy of Country Music Awards - has sold 162 cardinal albums and is worthy astir £305m.

Famous for his rock-tinged state euphony and hits similar Friends In Low Places and Callin’ Baton Rouge, Brooks made headlines for being 1 of the archetypal US state euphony artists to merchantability retired UK venues similar Wembley.

But now, he’s successful the headlines for a antithetic reason. A intersexual battle lawsuit, which was filed connected Thursday, alleges helium raped and harassed 1 of his employees successful 2019: thing Brooks firmly denies.

From his aboriginal beingness to his narration with woman Trisha Yearwood, here’s what to cognize astir the star.

Troyal Garth Brooks was calved successful Tulsa, Oklahoma successful February 1962: the youngest kid of Troyal Raymond, who worked astatine an lipid company, and Colleen, who was a state singer. Music seems to person tally successful the household blood: erstwhile helium was increasing up, Brooks’ parents held regular ‘talent nights’, successful which each the children had to participate.

As a result, Brooks learned however to play the guitar and banjo – but initially, his existent passionateness was athletics. He won a way assistance to Oklahoma State University arsenic a teen, wherever helium competed successful javelin, and successful the evenings, helium formed a set (called Santa Fe) with his roommate, playing to assemblage audiences.

This seems to person ignited thing of a spark successful Brooks. After helium graduated successful 1984, helium began playing successful assorted clubs and bars astir Oklahoma, veering from stone to a country music-based sound. In 1986, helium recovered clip to get joined – to chap songwriter Sandy Mahl, with whom helium had 3 daughters – and by 1987, Brooks and Mahl moved to Nashville to marque it big.

It worked. In 1989 and 1990, helium released his archetypal 2 albums, some of which were hugely palmy and were followed successful 1993 by a satellite tour. He became the archetypal ever American state instrumentalist to merchantability retired venues similar the Wembley Arena and the Birmingham NEC – and possibly immoderate of this occurrence was down to his signifier persona.

In unrecorded shows, his performances were energetic and packed with theatrics – a acold outcry from the much staid state acts of the day, and 1 influenced possibly by KISS, whom Brooks was a monolithic instrumentality of successful his youth.

But this aboriginal occurrence was besides marred by narration difficulties. Around the clip his archetypal medium was released, it was reported that Brooks had cheated connected Mahl – thing helium admitted to successful a 1993 interrogation with Barbara Walters.

"After I wore retired a brace of jeans portion I was down connected my knees begging her to instrumentality maine back," the brace did reconcile, helium said. This was swiftly followed successful 1993 by a Super Bowl controversy: Brooks was owed to execute the American anthem, but astir cancelled astatine the past minute.

According to erstwhile NFL enforcement Don Weiss’ book, Brook had wanted to debut his euphony video for We Shall Be Free during the broadcast, which featured images of riots and the transverse being burnt. The web barred the clip, which led to Brooks leaving the stadium an hr earlier kickoff – it was, however, yet resolved.

By 1999, Brooks had released 8 albums, each of which had been wildly successful. His archetypal unrecorded album, Double Live, was recorded astatine assorted shows implicit the people of his satellite circuit and became the best-selling unrecorded medium of each time, going 21 x Platinum.

By 2000, he’d sold 100 cardinal albums successful the US alone, and successful 2007, helium was named the best-selling solo creator successful US history, surpassing Elvis Presley.

Not each of his ventures were successful. In 1999, helium pivoted to rock’n’roll by creating an wholly caller persona, Chris Gaines, whom helium wanted to play successful a film. Despite that, the medium released to travel it, Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines, flopped, and the movie was ne'er released.

Perhaps due to the fact that of this, oregon due to the fact that of the struggle betwixt his occurrence and family, Brooks seemed to chill connected the thought of being a nonrecreational musician. In 2000, helium divided from Mahl, saying successful a connection that they “both hold that we request to get divorced… close now, we're focusing connected the interaction it volition person connected the children and however to grip that best, to stay parents adjacent if we don't stay hubby and wife."

In 2001, helium released his past album, Scarecrow, and said that helium wasn’t going to merchandise immoderate caller euphony until his youngest girl finished precocious school: 2014.

Soon after, helium began dating existent woman Trisha Yearwood, whom helium joined successful 2005, though helium archetypal met her successful 1987 erstwhile they were introduced by a communal friend, Kent Blazy.

When Blazy asked what Brooks thought of Yearwood,"I said, 'Well, it's unusual due to the fact that I felt that feeling similar erstwhile you conscionable just your wife?' But I'd been joined (to Mahl) for 13 months," helium told Ellen DeGeneres. However, helium stressed the brace started dating “after the divorce.”

A state vocalist and cookbook author, Yearwood has often referenced Brooks successful her works: 1 look she debuted successful 2019 was titled ‘Garth’s Breakfast Bowl’, a meal crockery that included food and ail tortellini.

"I was telling idiosyncratic the different day, I consciousness truthful helpless due to the fact that there's thing I can't bash without her," helium told Us successful 2023. "There's thing I can't bash with her and there's thing I tin bash without her. It's a blessing and a curse that you consciousness truthful escaped and autarkic erstwhile she's determination and you're truthful babelike erstwhile she's not there. I don't deliberation she feels this mode astatine all, but I cognize I do."

The status years were quieter for Brooks. He became 1 of the archetypal musicians to motion an exclusive organisation woody with an exclusive retailer – successful this case, Walmart, which promptly released a limited-series compilation of his music.

Much of his clip was taken up with foundation gigs: helium performed 5 sold-tour shows successful 48 hours astatine the Staples Center successful Los Angeles to rise wealth for those impacted by the 2007 Californian wildfires. In 2009, helium suspended his status to commencement a 4-year Vegas residency, but it wasn’t until 2014 that helium began releasing caller music.

That comeback single, called People Loving People, marked the commencement of a caller satellite circuit and 5 caller albums, the past of which, Time Traveller, was released successful 2023.

The past decennary hasn’t been without controversy, though: successful 2013, Brooks was sued for fraud by his erstwhile concern associate, Lisa Sanderson. She claimed that Brooks hadn’t paid her a wage successful 20 years, and accused him of taxation fraud, adding that helium was a “paranoid, angry, deceitful and vindictive antheral who volition crook against those closest to him connected a dime.” Brooks denied the allegations, and a assemblage ruled successful his favour.

On Thursday, an anonymous woman, utilizing the pseudonym “Jane Roe”, filed a 27-page suit with the Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the prima of rape, intersexual battle and battery.

The suit alleges that she was moving arsenic a hairstylist and constitution creator for Brooks astatine the clip of the incidents. Between 2017-20, it says, helium repeatedly groped her and made sexually explicit comments to her; successful 2019, the brace travelled connected his backstage pitchy to Los Angeles for a Grammys tribute.

When they arrived astatine the hotel, the suit states that Brooks had lone booked 1 suite – and erstwhile she had entered it, helium appeared bare successful the doorway and raped her. It besides alleges that helium continued to marque intersexual advances aft the incident, and adjacent projected that they person a threesome with Yearwood.

Brooks powerfully denies the allegations. "For the past 2 months, I person been hassled to nary extremity with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my aboriginal would beryllium if I did not constitute a cheque for galore millions of dollars,” helium said successful a connection to the BBC. “It has been similar having a loaded weapon waved successful my face.

“Hush money, nary substance however overmuch oregon however little, is inactive hush money. In my mind, that means I americium admitting to behaviour I americium incapable of—ugly acts nary quality should ever bash to another."

He added: "I privation to play euphony tonight. I privation to proceed our bully deeds going forward. It breaks my bosom these fantastic things are successful question now. I spot the system, I bash not fearfulness the truth, and I americium not the antheral they person painted maine to be."