The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom

Garth Brooks is certified by the RIAA as the #1 selling solo artist in US history. Since his debut in 1990, he has sold over 128 million albums. But success rarely comes without controversy, and Garth has had more than a share. Is he a media and market manipulator, a country music poseur, and a megalomaniac, or is he simply a brilliant businessman and marketing strategist?Industry insider Patsi Bale Cox, who generated all label material on Brooks throughout his career, examines the meteoric rise of the country star. Examining his career within the context of country music history, she takes readers behind closed doors at the labels, and delves into the inner sanctum of the Nashville music community. THE GARTH FACTOR will paint a portrait of how Brooks's friendship with Trisha Yearwood developed into love and marriage, explore the truth behind his "alter-ego" Chris Gaines, and update readers on what he has been up to since retirement.

Patsi Bale Cox is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, and Loretta Lynn's autobiographies. She has written magazine cover stories and worked with a who's who vareity of country artists ranging from Johnny Cash to Keith Urban and Faith Hill. A former magazine editor with BA and MA degrees in history, she is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Science (NARAS) and served on the Grammy nominating committee. She lives in Nashville, TN.