Garth Brooks is influenced by music from the American South.
 His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena
 In 1981, after hearing "Unwound", the debut single of George Strait, Brooks decided that he was more interested in playing country music

