GARTH BROOKS CELEBRATES UNPRECEDENTED SEVEN DIAMOND ALBUM CERTIFICATIONS WITH AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT IN TENNESSEE

CMA "Entertainer Of The Year" Nominee Garth Brooks marked the unrivaled achievement of becoming the first recording artist in the history of music to earn Seven Diamond Album Certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last night, as thousands of fans filled every inch of Ascend Amphitheater and descended on the surrounding streets of downtown Nashville, TN to celebrate the monumental milestone. The atmosphere was palpable, as the festivities commenced with Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam welcoming the high-energy crowd by presenting Brooks with a congratulatory custom belt buckle with seven diamonds to highlight each of the awarded albums.  The evening continued as Brooks hosted a diverse group of surprise guests, including Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Chris Young, Steve Wariner and wife Trisha Yearwood.  The hand-picked selection of long-time friends and peers, as well as country music's superstars, brightest stars and icons, took the stage for a set of spine tingling performances. The revered guests all relished the unique opportunity to sing their chosen personal favorite songs from one of Brooks' Diamond Certified albums: Garth Brooks, No Fences, Ropin’ The Wind, The Hits, Double-Live, Sevens and The Ultimate Hits, all of which were recorded in the state of Tennessee.

With the audience in the palm of his hand, Brooks sustained the hit-filled set with seven more songs taken from his Diamond Certified albums, each one crescendoing into a city-wide singalong.  The unforgettable night's curtain call was marked by a rousing rendition of Brooks' infamous worldwide smash-hit "Friends In Low Places," for which he was joined back on stage by his earlier special guests, capped off by a breathtaking firework-filled finale.

A stacked-day of landmark events, Brooks also announced yesterday the official track-listing for his much-coveted GARTH BROOKS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, a 10-disc boxed set soon to be available at Target, featuring Brooks’ upcoming studio album GUNSLINGER and nine discs of curated music from his unrivaled catalog. The collection features 18 previously unreleased tracks, and last night backstage at the show, during his weekly "Inside Studio G" Facebook series, Brooks revealed that fans can exclusively preview previously unreleased songs, as well as their all-time favorites included in the upcoming boxed set exclusively on USA Today's "Listening Room" at garth.usatoday.com.