Arriving in 1989 with his self-titled debut album, Garth Brooks quickly became synonymous with the ’90s country movement. His second single, “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” became his first No. 1 hit the ...

Plenty of other country stars scored big pop crossover hits prior to Garth Brooks, but the phrase “crossover” itself illustrates what Brooks did differently. Prior to Garth, country singers became ...

Brooks released Ropin’ the Wind on September 2, 1991. It debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart dated September 28. The LP maintained the top spot for a whopping 29 consecutive weeks.

(In 2018, the Billboard staff released a list project of its choices for the Greatest Pop Star of every year, going back to ...