Best Known As:

Gist:  Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident." She is Happily married to longtime boyfriend Garth Brooks

Originally discovered by Garth Brooks in the late 1980s, Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA Records in 1990. She came to prominence with her debut single, "She's in Love with the Boy" which became a #1 hit on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1991. Her second album release, Hearts in Armor (1992) reflected Yearwood's own personal issues, which won her widespread critical acclaim among music critics and further success in country music. Her later album releases such as, The Song Remembers When (1993), Thinkin' About You (1995), and Everybody Knows (1996) also demonstrated her creative control, featuring collaborations from Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson, and Garth Brooks.

Yearwood also found major success in country radio during much of the 1990s, including with the 1997 song "How Do I Live." Initially released on the soundtrack of the film, Con Air, the song was also issued on her "greatest hits" compilation entitled (Songbook) A Collection of Hits (1997) and would eventually win Best Female Country Vocal Performance from the Grammy Awards. In addition she would also win accolades from the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Awards in 1997 and 1998. In addition she also set aside a project to release her first cookbook in April 2008 titled Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, which consisted of southern cooking recipes from Yearwood, her mother, and sister.

Life Facts:  Yearwood was born in Monticello, Georgia, United States to Gwen Yearwood, a schoolteacher and Jack Yearwood, a local banker. As a child, she grew accustomed to listening to country artists Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, and Hank Williams. In elementary school, Yearwood sang in musicals, choir groups, and talent shows. In high school, Yearwood and her sister, Beth were A students and she took a strong interest in hopefully becoming an accountant. After graduating, she enrolled at the University of Georgia, however grew unhappy with the school's large campus, and transferred in 1985 to Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. At Belmont, Yearwood majored in the school's music business program, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in business administration in 1987.

While in school at Belmont, Yearwood gained an internship with MTM Records, and was eventually hired as a full time employee following her graduation. With the help of the record label's resources, she recorded a series of demo tapes and also sung background vocals for new artists. One of the new artists Yearwood recorded with was Garth Brooks in 1989. The pair developed a friendship and Brooks promised to help Yearwood sign a recording contract, if his career succeeded. Brooks brought her to his producer, Allen Reynolds, who then brought her to Garth Fundis. Fundis and Yearwood soon began working together, and together they created a demo tape. In 1990, she sung background vocals on Brook's second album, No Fences, and performed live at a label showcase. MCA record producer, Tony Brown was impressed by her vocal ability at the concert, and helped her sign a recording contract with MCA Nashville Records shortly afterwards. Following her signing with the label, she served as a the opening act on Brook's 1991 nationwide tour.

In 1992, Yearwood released her second studio album, Hearts in Armor, which was critically acclaimed. About.com gave it five stars, and called Hearts in Armor, "possibly Trisha?s best album ever." The album would spawn four singles. The first two reached the Top 10?"Wrong Side of Memphis", which peaked at #5 and "Walkaway Joe" (a collaboration with Don Henley), which peaked at #2? and the third and fourth singles ("You Say You Will" and "Down on My Knees") peaked within the Top 20, reaching #12 and #19 respectively. Like her previous effort, it certified "Platinum".

Yearwood released her third album in 1993 entitled, The Song Remembers When, with the title track reaching #2 on the Billboard Country Chart that year. The album was later accompanied by a cable television concert special in 1993, where the title track's music video is derived from.

In February 1995, Yearwood issued her fourth studio album, Thinkin' About You, which was aimed more towards Adult Contemporary and Country pop music.

The album was given a positive review by Rolling Stone Magazine, who compared Thinkin' About You to many of Linda Ronstadt's albums in the 1970s. The disc included a version of Melissa Etheridge's "You Can Sleep While I Drive" and Tammy Wynette's "Till I Get it Right." The album found widespread popularity, with its first two singles becoming Yearwood's first #1 singles since 1991: "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" and the title track. Its third single, "I Wanna Go too Far" would reach the Top 10 after its release at the end of 1995.

At the 1995 Grammy awards, Yearwood's duet with R&B artist, Aaron Neville titled, "I Fall to Pieces" (a cover of the 1961 song by Patsy Cline) won in the category of Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The award became Yearwood's first accolade from the Grammys.

In August 1996, she released her fifth studio album, Everybody Knows, which also was aimed in a country pop direction. The album mainly consisted of ballads and each song also contained larger melodies. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, calling the songs "a little uneven." However, Entertainment Weekly praised the album, calling the title track an "emotional release of a pounding piano." Everybody Knows spawned the single, "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)," which became Yearwood's fourth #1 single on the Billboard Country Chart. The title track was released as the second single in 1996 and peaked within the Top 5 that year.

Yearwood has been married a total of three times. She married her first husband, musician, Chris Latham in 1987. However, the two divorced in 1991. She remarried on May 21, 1994 to Robert "Bobby" Reynolds, a bass player for the country music group, The Mavericks, but divorced for a second time in 1999. This led Yearwood to take a four-year hiatus from music. On May 25, 2005, Brooks proposed marriage in front of 7,000 fans in Bakersfield, CA and Yearwood accepted without hesitation. On December 10, 2005, they were married in a private ceremony at the couple's home in Owasso, Oklahoma. Brooks has three daughters from his first marriage - Taylor, August, and Allie.

In 1996, while flying from Nevada to New York, Trisha saved a man's life. Francesco Maccarrone, a baggage handler, was trapped in the belly of the plane. When the plane left the gate, Trisha heard pounding and screaming from under her seat and insisted the pilot stop the plane. After he emerged from the plane a shaken but relieved Francesco said, "I was a big Reba fan, but now I'm an even bigger Trisha fan."

In late August 2008, the plane Yearwood was aboard from Boston, Massachusetts to Oklahoma, nearly crashed. One of the plane's windows cracked and nearly broke open at 30,000 feet. The pilots made an emergency landing in Baltimore, Maryland, before the window cracked even more.

Career Facts:  In 1992, Yearwood released her second studio album, Hearts in Armor, which was critically acclaimed. About.com gave it five stars, and called Hearts in Armor, "possibly Trisha?s best album ever." The album would spawn four singles. The first two reached the Top 10?"Wrong Side of Memphis", which peaked at #5 and "Walkaway Joe" (a collaboration with Don Henley), which peaked at #2? and the third and fourth singles ("You Say You Will" and "Down on My Knees") peaked within the Top 20, reaching #12 and #19 respectively. Like her previous effort, it certified "Platinum".

Yearwood released her third album in 1993 entitled, The Song Remembers When, with the title track reaching #2 on the Billboard Country Chart that year. The album was later accompanied by a cable television concert special in 1993, where the title track's music video is derived from.

In February 1995, Yearwood issued her fourth studio album, Thinkin' About You, which was aimed more towards Adult Contemporary and Country pop music.

The album was given a positive review by Rolling Stone Magazine, who compared Thinkin' About You to many of Linda Ronstadt's albums in the 1970s. The disc included a version of Melissa Etheridge's "You Can Sleep While I Drive" and Tammy Wynette's "Till I Get it Right." The album found widespread popularity, with its first two singles becoming Yearwood's first #1 singles since 1991: "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" and the title track. Its third single, "I Wanna Go too Far" would reach the Top 10 after its release at the end of 1995.

At the 1995 Grammy awards, Yearwood's duet with R&B artist, Aaron Neville titled, "I Fall to Pieces" (a cover of the 1961 song by Patsy Cline) won in the category of Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The award became Yearwood's first accolade from the Grammys.

In August 1996, she released her fifth studio album, Everybody Knows, which also was aimed in a country pop direction. The album mainly consisted of ballads and each song also contained larger melodies. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, calling the songs "a little uneven." However, Entertainment Weekly praised the album, calling the title track an "emotional release of a pounding piano." Everybody Knows spawned the single, "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)," which became Yearwood's fourth #1 single on the Billboard Country Chart. The title track was released as the second single in 1996 and peaked within the Top 5 that year.

In May 2007, Yearwood announced her departure from MCA Nashville Records, and signing with the independent label, Big Machine Records. Yearwood and Big Machine CEO, Scott Borchetta met when she originally worked for MTM Records in the late 1980s, and then worked together when Borchetta worked at MCA during the 1990s. Yearwood left the label after over sixteen years with them, and selling over ten million records. Following her separation, MCA released a Greatest Hits compilation in September, which included all of her Top 10 singles up until 2001.

After signing with Big Machine, Yearwood announced plans for the recording of her tenth studio album, which was originally planned for release in 2008.

In November 2007, Yearwood released her tenth studio album titled, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love. The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart while also reaching #30 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album was given some of the highest reviews of her musical career, gaining even more praise then her 1992 effort, Hearts in Armor. Allmusic.com gave the album 4 in a half out five stars, and called it their "album pick." Reviewer, Thom Jurek praised the album highly, stating, "It's better than good, it's beyond expectation -- and it was high after Jasper County -- it's the best example of what a popular record -- not just a country one -- should aspire to be, period." Slant Magazine also reviewed the album, also giving it four in a half stars, calling it, "a testament to the vitality, intelligence, and soulfulness of modern country's best music." The title track was released as the first single July 16, 2007. where it debuted at #49 shortly afterward and peaked at #19 on Hot Country Songs chart at the end of the year. The second single, "This Is Me You're Talking To" was released to radio in January 2008, and was given high critical acclaim, including from The 9513, who called the song, "one of the best singles of the year." It eventually reached a peak of #25 in June 2008. In early 2009 Yearwood joined Chris Isaak on his show, The Chris Isaak Hour, to promote a song they recorded on his latest album, Mr Lucky called "Breaking Apart."

Yearwood stated she will not tour for 2009, however she does expect to return to the studio towards the end of the year to record her follow-up studio album to Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love.