Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Married

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Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Married

James Joyner | Sunday, December 11, 2005

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were married yesterday at their Oklahoma home.

Country Music Stars Brooks, Yearwood Wed (AP)

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood said “I do” on Saturday in a private ceremony at their Oklahoma home. Brooks, an Oklahoma native, and Yearwood exchanged vows before family members, said Nancy Seltzer, a publicist for the couple.
“They said it is the perfect Christmas gift to each other and they couldn’t be happier,” Seltzer said. She declined to provide any other details.

Brooks, 43, got down on one knee and proposed to Yearwood, 41, in May in front of 7,000 fans at the “Legends in Bronze” event at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif. Ten larger-than-life bronze statues honoring country stars were unveiled during that event, including one of Brooks.

The marriage is the second for Brooks, who has three children, and the third for Yearwood.

Brooks is credited with widening the genre’s appeal in the 1990s by merging traditional country with honky tonk, pop, folk and rock. His “Ropin’ the Wind” album was the first such country recording to debut at the top of the pop music charts. His latest album, “Scarecrow,” went triple platinum. Yearwood was named the Country Music Awards female vocalist of the year in 1997 and 1998. Her latest album is “Jasper County.”

Brooks was at the forefront of a group of artists whose first albums came out in 1989 and 1990. Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, and several others were part of that “class.” Together, they helped make “country” a genre with huge international appeal.

The wife and I heard about this on the way back from dinner with friends last night and she remarked on the similarity of the Brooks-Yearwood romance and that of Johnny Cash and June Carter, at least as depicted in the film “Walk the Line,” which we saw last week.

It’s a good point and I imagine there are similar examples. Certainly, it’s understandable that people get estranged from their spouses if they lead essentially separate lives, as touring musicians whose families stay home do. “Being there” is a huge advantage and it’s also natural that performers would be attracted to other performers, since they can better empathize with the trials and tribulations of the road life. Still, it’s awfully sad for the families back home. It’s not the kids’ fault that daddy’s on the road.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Engaged

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About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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