Garth Brooks, the best-selling recording artist of all time, symbolizes the evolution of "new wave" country music in the late twentieth century. Brooks was popular in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s with a blend of country, honky-tonk, and rock that signaled country's move into the mainstream of popular music. From his first self-titled album in 1989, the Oklahoma singer achieved fame beyond the traditional country listener base to achieve acceptance by a mass audience. Between 1989 and 1996 he sold more than sixty million albums. Prior to Brooks's third album, Ropin' the Wind, it was nearly impossible for a country artist to sell a million copies, and no country recording had ever premiered at the top of the pop charts. His stage performances, which were filled with many special effects such as fantastic lighting displays, explosions, and even a harness that allowed him to sing...