You've heard Garth Brooks' mega-hit "Friends in Low Places," but you probably didn't know that there's a little professional and personal drama wrapped in those blue-collar country words.

This episode of The Secret History of Country Music explores the origination of "Friends in Low Places," a song Brooks would record for his No Fences album ... eventually. It was a long, windy road getting there — a road that pit-stopped with two superstars and paid tribute to a baby's birth.

Brooks tells Taste of Country about the origins of the song, confirming that George Strait got the pitch first, but he couldn't keep it for himself. Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee wrote "Friends in Low Places" after a barroom quip about paying for a bar tab when you've got no money.

Brooks cut the demo. In fact, he cut a lot of demos in those days, including one that would become a Top 5 hit for someone else just as the man who changed country forever was becoming the biggest star on the planet.

The Secret History of Country Music is a new weekly series hosted by Taste of Country News host Ania Hammar. We'll go deeper inside the stories of country music's biggest hits, moments and figures. Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan are two artists that will be featured soon. Be sure to subscribe to Taste of Country's YouTube channel so you never miss a new episode.

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