The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom [Hardcover]

Patsi Bale Cox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2009

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What a great inside look at Garth and the business! There's so much new stuff here it should set Music Row a-buzzing. And I really enjoyed all those stories behind the songs." (Ed Morris, former country music editor for Billboard )

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Center Street (May 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599950995
• ISBN-13: 978-1599950990
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Country & Folk

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garth's career in context, June 1, 2009

By 

Mahlon Christensen (Monterey, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom (Kindle Edition)

In The Garth Factor, Patsi Bale Cox chronicles the highs and lows in

Garth Brooks roller coaster ride to becoming the biggest selling

recording artist of all time. In the process she sets straight many

misconceptions that have plagued Garth for much of his career. Through

interviews with many of the musicians, songwriters and executives

integral to Garth's success, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how

his music was recorded and marketed. You'll also learn the stories

behind your favorite Garth Brooks songs. Long-time fans who've

followed Garth's career closely may think they know all there is to

know about the major confrontations that Garth had with various music

row executives and other industry insiders, but I can guarantee that

they will be surprised by the perspective Bale Cox offers on these

major controversies. Fans will feel that they understand Garth better

both professionally and personally after they've finished this book.

The author not only offers the reader an in-depth analysis of Brooks

career, she also places it in the context of everything going on along

music row at the time, discussing both artists who influenced Garth,

as well as the careers of many of his "Class of '89" contemporaries,

and also the next generation of performers who have risen to

prominence in the wake of his retirement. In short, she paints a

comprehensive picture of Country Music in the '90's. It's this aspect

of The Garth Factor that elevates it above the realm of mere Biography

and makes it a work of serious scholarship. This book is essential

reading for every serious student of the genre, and even casual fans

of Garth, or those who came of age listening to Country Music in the

last two decades will find much to enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Readable, but not particularly objective, February 6, 2010

By 

DSA "DSA" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom (Hardcover)

"The Garth Factor" is a quick read, but it's also a bit unsatisfying. Patsi Bale Cox doesn't have much distance or objectivity when it comes to Brooks, as one other reviewer mentioned. It comes off as if he can do no wrong, which is not true: He's only human, after all. But judging from this book, he virtually walks on water. Perhaps Cox was afraid of offending him? The same thing applies to people close to Brooks: When Trisha Yearwood's album sales falter, it's due to poor marketing, Cox writes. Couldn't it simply be the natural progression that happens with most artists, when their time on the charts is over? She is also overly effusive with people she interviews: She writes that "Gary Morris remained a player in Nashville" even though he longer lives there and hasn't been signed to a major label for nearly 20 years. It's as if there is a need to suck up to those who grant her interviews.

The book is a bit sloppy: She briefly mentions an incident involving Brooks' first wife putting her fist in a bathroom wall, but gives no details or explanation or even puts it in context. Did it happen early in the marriage, when they were dating or just before Brooks told a reporter about it? You get no clue from the book. Factual errors are also distracting. Eddy Raven's name is misspelled, and she states that Lacy J. Dalton's "The Heart" was the only Universal single that had much success -- "that was it," she writes. But Raven scored two No. 1 hits on the label ("In a Letter To You" and "Bayou Boys"), so the research seems a little haphazard.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Read, June 17, 2009

By 

Leslie Roay "Leslie" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom (Hardcover)

I just found Garth Brooks' music (yeah, OK I'm a little slow on the uptake here)and found this book an interesting look at the music industry. It is obvious that the author likes Mr. Brooks, which I think says alot after working around the man for several years. Naysayers think there has to be a dark side to the man but Pollyana that I am I prefer to believe he's an all around nice guy who made it REAL big. What's wrong with that?