Inside Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s Long Road To Love
In 1987, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were both unknown singers trying to make it big in Nashville. As a…
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood; Photo via Facebook
In 1987, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were both unknown singers trying to make it big in Nashville. As a side hustle, they would each pick up jobs singing demos for cash as many up-and-coming artists did at the time. One day, Brooks and Yearwood found themselves at songwriter Kent Blazy’s home studio where Yearwood says they immediately “hit it off.”
The timing, however, was not ideal as they were both married to other people.
“It’s strange because I felt that feeling like when you just meet your wife, but I’d been married [to Sandy Mahl] for 13 months,” Brooks later recalled to Ellen DeGeneres.
The pair struck up a friendship and Brooks promised Yearwood that she could open for him if he ever got a record deal.
Two years later, Brooks signed a deal with Capitol Records and followed through with his promise to Yearwood.
In addition to touring together, the pair often collaborated in the studio. In 1991, Yearwood released the song “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart,” which was co-written by Brooks. They released their first major collaboration, “In Another’s Eyes,” six years later. Yearwood and Brooks also sang background vocals on many of each other’s albums.
While their careers flourished, quite a bit was also happening in Brooks and Yearwood’s personal lives. Yearwood’s first marriage ended in 1991. She re-married in 1994 and was divorced again by 1999.
Brooks and Sandy went on to have three daughters, Taylor Mayne Pearl (born in 1992), August Anna (born in 1994) and Allie Colleen (born in 1996). They became estranged and filed for divorce in the fall of 2000. By 2001, Brooks’ divorced was finalized.
“Being married, it’s got to be right. This is who you went to college with, and you were married in front of God and your family and everything,” Brooks told DeGeneres. “So you keep hacking, and you work and 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?’”
That’s when the stars aligned. For the first time in 14 years, Brooks and Yearwood were single at the same time.
“This was somebody I always enjoyed being around. And we had a lot more in common than I ever dreamed we did. And so we started seeing each other after the divorce,” he said. “We’d known each other music-wise, but we got to see each other as people. And I’ve got to tell you, if you like her and don’t know her, you’ll love her. If you love her and don’t know her, you’ll worship her. She’s the real deal.”
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Brooks asked Yearwood to marry him in May 2005 while on stage at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California.
The couple tied the knot on December 10, 2005 during a private ceremony at their Oklahoma home.
Brooks and Yearwood have managed to make their marriage last. The secret, according to Yearwood, is being together.
“When we got married we made a very conscious effort to be together and not apart,” she explained to Country Living. “We’ve both been married before and it doesn’t work when you’re not together. That’s kind of been the benchmark of our marriage that we try really hard not to be apart.”
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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