Garth Brooks on Waylon Jennings Feud: ‘I Never Knew What to Say’

The bad blood between Garth Brooks and country legend Waylon Jennings has long been rumored, and Brooks addressed the situation in a recent interview.

In an appearance on Broadway's Electric Barnyard to promote his new album, 'Man Against Machine,' Brooks professed bafflement at Jennings' reported animosity.

Brooks was making history with his astronomical sales at a time when Jennings' sales and airplay were declining, and Jennings reportedly made a number of snide comments about the superstar, including one often-touted vulgarity whose veracity has repeatedly been called into question.

In his book 'Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville,' author Bruce Feiler quotes Jennings as calling Brooks "the most insincere person I've ever seen ... he thinks it's going to last forever. He's wrong."

Brooks claims he never even met Jennings.

"No, never met Mr. Jennings. And for some reason man, I guess I was the guy that he targeted," he says. "You know, it’s kind of weird because all the people why I’m in the business, those people say the reason they were in the business was Waylon. So everyone loves him, and he’s a legend, and I just kind of let it go. I never knew what to say."

Part of the reason Jennings reportedly objected to Brooks was because he didn't think his music was really country.

"Yeah, I was definitely the guy that he targeted," Brooks adds with a laugh. "And it’s funny kinda being the non traditionalist then, and now everyone looks at you like, ‘Your stuff is as country as it gets.’ So that’s kind of a weird view. It was tough for me because he was a country legend and for some reason I was the guy that got the brunt of it. I never took it that personal. I just think he was addressing the different sound in country music and the changing of the guard. That’s tough for anybody to handle. The guy’s a legend and deserves nothing but respect."

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