Since the recent film A Star is Born was released, the love story of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood has sprung to mind. Before the pair made it big, it was Brooks who helped Yearwood made her way, promising she could open for his shows one day.
The two were in relationships when they first met and they started as just friends. Yet, while recording together, it became nearly impossible for Brooks to take his eyes off Yearwood. The pair immediately hit it off but made sure to keep things platonic.
Garth Brooks kept his promise and a little while later Trisha Yearwood was touring with the superstar.
Power Couple
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are arguably one of the best power couples in country music. Country music fans are certainly aware of this power couple who have been together for over a decade (an accomplishment for celebrities).
But little is known about their difficult journey before tieing the knot. As Brooks revealed he can’t be away from his wife, we take a look at what got them to this point. From being just friends to an inseparable marriage, this is their journey.
Just Friends
Before either had a record label, the pair became friends! Brooks and Yearwood met in 1987 while recording a demo at songwriter Kent Blazy’s attic studio and immediately hit it off.
Married at the time, Yearwood, said, “We hit it off, but I had no idea he’d turn out to be Garth Brooks!” While her unknowingly future partner later revealed, “It’s strange because I felt that feeling like when you just meet your wife, but I’d been married for 13 months.”
Keeping Things Platonic
After recording at Blazy’s studio, Yearwood was paid $10 for her work, while Brooks walked away without a dime, according to CMT. However, he did manage to gain a lot more than money from the recording; his first meeting with his future wife.
Despite their instant connection, Brooks was married to his then-wife, college sweetheart Sandy Mahl, and Yearwood was married to her college beau, Chris Latham. Therefore, the singers had no choice but to maintain a professional relationship and keep things platonic.
Going On Tour
Brooks even promised to Yearwood that when he got his record deal and made it big, she could open shows for him. Brooks stuck to his word and two years later, following the release of his first album, the two friends went on tour together.
They also collaborated on duets such as “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart,” from Trisha’s debut album, and “In Another’s Eyes,” which appeared on her 1997 record, “A Collection of Hits.” Despite his initial feelings, the two remained faithful to their partners.
Brooks’ Journey
For the next few years while performing together, the friends got on with their lives. Brooks and his wife, Mahl, had three daughters: Taylor Mayne Pearl (1992), August Anna (1994), and Allie Colleen Brooks (1996).
Despite being the best-selling solo albums artist in the US and the only artist in history to have released 7 albums achieving diamond status, Brooks decided to take a break from his career in 2000 in order to spend more time with his daughters. A year later, he and Sandy filed for divorce.
Meanwhile…
While Brooks was becoming a huge success, Trisha was making a name for herself and released her debut album in 1991, which contained the number 1 single “She’s in Love with the Boy.”
She recorded some duets with Garth, including “In Another’s Eyes,” which became a huge success and won them a Grammy Award. Unfortunately, her romance was less successful. She divorced her first husband Chris Latham in 1991 and married Robert “Bobby” Reynolds, bass player for the country music group The Mavericks, in 1994. The couple divorced in 1999.
Free To Blossom
Finally, the two friends were single and dynamics began to change. Away from the public eye, romance began to blossom. In 2002, they were spotted holding hands at a memorial service for Nashville songwriter Harlan Howard.
This was their first public appearance as a couple. After that, they made appearances in public including at events and restaurants. Brooks revealed to Ellen DeGeneres, “You keep hacking [at marriage], you work and you work and then comes that time where you’re looking at the rest of your life going, how do you want to live it?”
The Surprise
Brooks continued to say “[Trisha] is somebody who I always enjoyed being around, and we had a lot more in common than I ever dreamed we did and we started seeing each other after the divorce after we came off tour.”
Three years later the couple was at star Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace. They were at the unveiling for the bronze statues of Garth and other music legends. When Garth’s statue was revealed, it had a wedding band on its left hand. Quite the giveaway, Trisha said, “You’re not going [to do this] in front of these people?”
The Proposal
But Brooks did not listen to her and, on stage, in front of a crowd of 7,000 people, he got down on one knee, removed his hat, and asked Trisha, “Will you marry me?” Despite living together for a few years, Yearwood was stunned, “Her knees were like Jell-O,” talent coordinator Jerry Hufford told People.
While crying tears of joy, she accepted the proposal. A year later, they tied the knot at their home in Oklahoma in front of only four family members.
A Family Affair
The happy couple had an extremely intimate Christmas-style wedding, marrying in mid-December 2005. “It’s the perfect Christmas gift to each other. We could not be happier.” Brooks and Yearwood make it a point to make their anniversary a family affair.
“When we got married … we married the girls,” Yearwood says, referring to Brooks’ three daughters, Taylor, August, and Allie. “So the five of us always celebrate together.” Up to this point, life seemed pretty perfect. But what are the strange facts about their marriage that we do not know about?
Can’t Stand To Be Apart
Garth Brooks has admitted that he cannot spend a day apart from his beloved wife. While it is acceptable for couples to spend time apart, Brooks wants to be right by Yearwood’s side day in and day out.
In a 2014 interview with People, Brooks told reporters they were “looking at the luckiest, most blessed guy on the planet.” He reportedly began to tear up when he said, “I’m madly in love with her and I can’t stand to spend a day without her.”
Public Displays Of Affection
As you may already be able to tell, Brooks is not shy about PDA. On their 12th anniversary, he spoke openly on iHeartRadio, “It’s just twelve. It could be a hundred and twelve and it would still feel the same.
Every day is like the first day for me. Everything from the way she smells to the way she talks. Just things that never get old.” That year Garth and Trisha celebrated their anniversary on stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena during the final shows of their world tour.
The Love Of My Life
Ready for more cringe? While visiting The View, Brooks continued to share his devoted love for his spouse. He joked with the talk show hosts that he introduces his wife as “the love of his life” everywhere they go.
Meanwhile, Yearwood jokingly refers to him as “her current husband.” During that same interview, Yearwood called Brooks her “biggest cheerleader” off and on the stage and said even when they’re not all “lovey-dovey and passionate,” they’re still the best of friends.
From Country To Pop
They may be the King and Queen of country music and have dominated the country music charts, but when it comes to their own personal downtime preferences, the pair claim to be fans of pop music.
Brooks surprised Yearwood for her 53rd birthday with an impromptu trip to Louisville, KY to see Bruno Mars perform live. In a Facebook post, Yearwood said she wasn’t sure “who had more fun” at her birthday – her or Brooks! Judging by pictures, it seems the joy was mutual!
My Queenie
Yearwood shyly revealed in an interview with Today that her hubby nicknames her “Queen.” Despite apparently pleading to call her just “Trisha,” we all know this affectionate man won’t be budging at any point in the near future.
On his Instagram account, pictures he takes alongside Yearwood usually include a royal reference. He captioned a picture at the Country Music Awards in November 2016 with “Standing next to the QUEEN makes any day a great day, but especially today! love, g.”
Love Is In The Air
We are not sure just how much more sappy Brooks can get, but we think this may top it off. During a joint interview with Parade magazine, he revealed another quirky fact about their marriage.
The “Ask Me How I Know” singer admitted he knew Yearwood was the one because when they started dating, he discovered she was everything he wanted her to be and more. He even declared that he loves “breathing the same air she’s breathing.” Cringeworthy or cute? You take your pick.
Generosity Goes A Long Way
Yearwood and Brooks are so content in their marriage that they want to spread the love. They even go out of their way to make sure other couples feel the same way they do.
According to CBS News, the couple has helped settle the bill for a newlywed couple’s honeymoon and sent wedding gifts to another set of fans. But Brooks does not just do this for anyone, the generosity was triggered by an event that happened during one of his Oklahoma City concerts.
Pick Hawaii
One fan, Drew Bargsley, got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend Chelsea Townsend during the song “Unanswered Prayers” and she said yes. Creating a commotion, the singer stopped his performance to see what was going on.
“Chelsea, where do you want to go on your honeymoon?” Brooks asked. After revealing she did not know yet, Brooks said. “Tell you what, if you pick Hawaii, Miss Yearwood and I will pay for it.” Yearwood congratulated the couple too but hoped no one else would get engaged that night.
Wedding Gifts
The generosity didn’t stop there. At a show in Lafayette, Louisiana, Jude and Jamie Blanchard held up a sign reading: “Best Week Ever. Garth this Friday, our wedding next Friday.” Brooks spotted it and serenaded the couple with a song.
He then asked them if they wanted him to purchase anything from their wedding registry. The couple (obviously) couldn’t refuse and passed forward a wedding invitation for the superstar. The newlyweds certainly got more than expected, they reportedly received “a pair of lounge chairs, a KitchenAid mixer, and other items” delivered to their doorstep.
The Scent Of A Woman
Just like a puppy dog, when Brooks is not breathing in the same air that his wife breathes, he is catching a whiff of her natural scent. Brooks told iHeart Radio on their 12-year anniversary that “It could be a hundred and twelve [years of marriage] and it would still feel the same.
Every day is like the first day for me.” He added, “Everything from the way she smells to the way she talks. Just things that never get old.”
Personal Barista
Having a Starbucks within a mile is great, but Yearwood is lucky enough to get her coffee delivered every morning to her from her beloved husband. “He gets up every morning and makes my coffee,” she told People magazine.
“And it’s the best. And if I have to get up early, like right now I’m filming my cooking show and I’m getting up at like 6 o’clock in the morning, and he doesn’t have to get up at 6 o’clock, he gets up and makes my coffee.” What’s more, Brooks doesn’t even drink it himself!
Cooking Keeps Them Together
The main cause for celebrity couple failure is limited quality time together. Even once Brooks had retired, Yearwood was still making tracks. In order to be closer, she cut her tour dates “way down” and eventually quit touring entirely.
Instead, she created a series of cookbooks and started hosting her own Food Network cooking show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen. This way they would never be apart. She said they’re together “99 percent of the time … We don’t spend very many nights apart.”
Emotional Rollercoaster
After thirteen years in retirement, Brooks came back on tour. From 2014, he and Yearwood spent three years on tour together, covering 383 shows. Brooks called the tour an “emotional rollercoaster”.
He said, “It’s been three years of your life with your best buddies out there so you’re proud of your work but at the same time you hate to see it end because this is how you become accustomed to your days.” Demand was so high the pair performed multiple concerts with even two shows per night in some cases.
