Country-Throwback-Garth-Brooks-Releases-Hit-Sevens-Album-23-Years-Ago-Today

Country Throwback: Garth Brooks Releases Hit ‘Sevens’ Album 23 Years Ago Today

Garth Brooks released his seventh studio album, ironically named “Sevens” 23 years ago today. The award-winning album dropped on Nov. 25, 1997. But it might have released sooner if Brooks didn’t have a disagreement with his record label.

Upon release with Capitol Nashville, the album sold more than 10 million copies in sales. “Sevens” debuted at the top of both Billboard’s Country Albums chart (for 13 weeks) and Top 200 (for seven weeks). “Longneck Bottle” and “Two Pina Coladas” featured as singles on the album.

Brooks partnered with several artists including Steve Wariner on “Longneck Bottle” and New Grass Revival for “Do What You Gotta Do” as well. But it was his duet with future wife Trisha Yearwood that won Brooks a Grammy. The two sang a powerful rendition of “In Another’s Eyes.”

“I’m proud, I’m excited, I’m nervous, and it feels good to be back in the game again,” Brooks said in a statement. “This is a very personal album. I only wrote six of the songs, but there are many that are so ‘me’ that people I work with every day thought I wrote them.”

The album won Country Album of the Year for Billboard and Favorite Country Album at the AMA Awards.

Garth Brooks Fought with His Record Label

Despite the success the album later had, the road to release was bumpy. Originally, the album was supposed to drop a few months earlier. Brooks had planned to release the album at a Central Park concert. But due to a disagreement, Brooks held up the album’s release.

“I see the fights as ones I wish I didn’t have to,” Brooks told Billboard. “But what I’ve loved about the three or four major fights that I’ve had with my label is at some point, somebody from the label from that era will say, ‘Whether he was wrong or right is not what I’m going to answer. What I’m going to answer is he was doing what he felt was best for him and the music.’ That makes me have a ton of respect for them, and I hope that they feel the same way back.”