Garth Brooks Reflects on Why He Didn’t Even Last a Day in Nashville the First Time He Came to Town

Garth Brooks is one of the biggest stars in country music history. He has sold tens of millions of albums, launched a stack of singles to the top of the country chart, and his stadium shows sell out in minutes. Like many country stars, Brooks even has a bar in Nashville. However, the first time he came to Music City, he left within the first 24 hours.

He burst onto the scene with his debut single in March 1989. Then, he followed that with his first No. 1 single “If Tomorrow Never Comes” in August. After releasing the single Brooks appeared on Music City Tonight to talk about his budding career and promote his self-titled debut album. While on the show he revealed that he left Nashville in under 24 hours the first time he came to town.

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Garth Brooks on His First Time in Nashville

One of the show’s hosts pointed out that Garth Brooks came to Nashville for the first time in 1985. He arrived in Music City with big dreams but left after only 23 hours. “What happened within the 23 hours?” he asked before jokingly adding, “Apparently nothing.”

“That’s it. Right on the head,” Brooks said, laughing. “I don’t know. Dreamers don’t last long in this town,” he replied more seriously. “The ones that are here to change their dreams to goals do. I was nothing but a dreamer,” he added.

“When you step out and you finally go for the big dream, you call on everything that you’ve ever known. And everything I ever knew I left in Oklahoma and I realized that. There was something about Nashville that I wanted to be here but the time wasn’t right,” he explained. “One of the big things was my wife, Sandy, who wasn’t my wife yet. Then, I came out here with her. I can do anything with her.”

Then, he reflected on getting a slow start in Nashville. “Things happen for a reason. How you translate them at the time makes them good or bad,” he said. “It wasn’t nobody’s fault but mine. If you run with your eyes shut, you’re going to run into something,” he added.

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