From Booklist
Long on sincerity and short on scandal, this look at middle-of-the-road country music idol Brooks by his former drummer basically confirms his dedicated fans' affections. Either Brooks really is just the aw-shucks-boy-next-door-made-good he seems, or he has O'Meilia buffaloed along with all the rest of us. Tracing Brooks from his days as a bar bouncer to his emergence as a consistent platinum-record-producing superstar, O'Meilia lets drop that he and Brooks "were friends, but . . . never close pals" --a statement implying that O'Meilia has both credible access to and credible perspective on his subject. Still, the resulting profile may well strike those who are not Brooks or country music fans as a bit fawning. And still, this fine if not earth-shattering effort is valuable for setting down details of Brooks' early career and also some rare stories in an enjoyable, accessible manner. Mike Tribby
Review
Between 1989 and 1996 Garth Brooks sold over sixty million albums: this provides a powerful biographical sketch of the country music artist, examining his early influences and his early roots. O'Meilia was a drummer in Brooks' band in the '80s: his background lends to sympathetic insider's view of Garth Brooks and the strategies which won him success. -- Midwest Book Review
