Garth Brooks’ ‘Sevens’ Turns 15
In 1997, Garth Brooks and his team were out to remind fans that this singer-songwriter was still a bona fide superstar. After album sales for his previous release (1995's 'Fresh Horses,' which sold an incredibly respectable 3 million copies) failed to reach the same sales heights as his previous albums ('No Fences' sold over 10 million copies), the team employed a top-notch marketing campaign for his '97 album, 'Sevens.'
The set was originally slated to be released in August 1997, spurred by the success of Brooks' much-publicized free concert in New York City's Central Park, which attracted a record-setting gathering of over 750,000 fans. However, Brooks' label, Capitol Nashville, went through a management shuffle, and the album's release was delayed until November 25, 1997. Despite a late start, the album still debuted atop the Hot Country Albums and the Billboard 200 charts.
'Sevens' included the singles 'Longneck Bottle' (featuring guitar wizard Steve Wariner), 'She's Gonna Make It,' 'Two Pina Coladas' and 'In Another's Eyes,' a powerful ballad featuring Trisha Yearwood, whom Brooks wed in 2005. 'In Another's Eyes' captured a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1998.
In 2006, 'Sevens' was certified ten-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Las Vegas hotel developer Steve Wynn recently hinted that Brooks has big plans for 2014, and fans of 'Sevens' are no doubt hoping those plans include new tunes from this superstar.