© 2026 ABC News

\"I'd just stare at them,\" he said of this trying time. \"I knew their sweet faces and their dispositions. But I didn't know who they were.\"

After getting into a rhythm with his girls, he relished his new role as dad.

\"The dads across the soccer field looked at me as a dad just like them,\" he said. \"The saying is, as long as your babies are healthy, everything else you can deal with.\"

Now with his girls graduated from high school, Brooks is touring again with his wife and fellow country star, Trisha Yearwood.

\"Thank God I'm with the love of my life,\" he said.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/garth-brooks-walked-country-music-15-years-ago/story?id=30157759","legacySlug":"/culture/story/garth-brooks-walked-country-music-15-years-ago-30157759","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:30","publishDate":"04-08-2015","updatedTime":"19:58","updatedDate":"04-08-2015","socialImage":{"alt":"Recording artist Garth Brooks speaks onstage during the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, April 6, 2014, in Las Vegas.","credit":"Ethan Miller/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/GTY_garth_brooks_jef_140710_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"4/8/2015 16:30:20 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":30157759,"headline":"AC","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_garth_150408","description":"The sweet reason he retired.","duration":"2:25","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/2014/11/141107_gma_garth_int_0847_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["137597685","137597683","137060236"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"October 27, 2026","headline":"Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","section":"News","slug":"/video/137597685","id":"137597685","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Powerful king tide waves hit both coasts","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_zee_tides3_712_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"October 27, 2026","headline":"All eyes on Israeli election","section":"News","slug":"/video/137597683","id":"137597683","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: All eyes on Israeli election","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: All eyes on Israeli election","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261027_gma_rivers_israel2_708_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"October 7, 2026","headline":"French protests as hundreds of schools partially shut down this week","section":"News","slug":"/video/137060236","id":"137060236","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: French protests as hundreds of schools partially shut down this week","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: French protests as hundreds of schools partially shut down this week","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261007_gma_burridge_france1_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"AC","description":"The sweet reason he retired.","duration":"2:25","uploadDate":"04-08-2015","publication":"04-08-2015","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/2014/11/141107_gma_garth_int_0847_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/2014/11/141107_gma_garth_int_0847_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/garth-brooks-walked-country-music-15-years-ago-30157759"}},"playlist":[{"id":"137443017","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137471181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136253720","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137220313","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137234817","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137147457","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137132187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945841","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136930796","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136874802","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136841854","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136766868","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136694294","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136682772","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136631130","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136644492","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136623234","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136614308","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136605272","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"AC","pubTime":"12:30","pubDate":"04-08-2015","modTime":"15:58","modDate":"04-08-2015","taxonomyTags":"none","id":30157759,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"AC","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_garth_150408","videoId":30157759,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/garth-brooks-walked-country-music-15-years-ago-30157759"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/30157759","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/30157759","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};