Garth Brooks was a brand-new artist who had just released his first album when he debuted on the Grand Ole Opry on June 24, 1989.
Brooks released his debut single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” on March 6, 1989, and followed it with his self-titled album on April 12. He hit the stage of the Opry for the first time just over two months later, with his first single beginning to make an impression on country radio listeners.
According to the Opry’s website, the future best-selling country artist of all time cried tears of joy at the opportunity to play the iconic stage where his own heroes had performed over the decades. Brooks performed his debut single and “If Tomorrow Never Comes” at his Grand Ole Opry debut.
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“Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” would go on to peak at No. 8 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, and “If Tomorrow Never Comes” gave Brooks his first No. 1 hit in December of 1989 after Capitol released it as the second single from his debut. That began a string of now-classic hits that saw Brooks dominating most of the next decade of country music, shattering sales records and earning armloads of awards while bringing the genre to a much wider audience than ever before.
Brooks joined the cast of the Opry a year after his debut, and he still considers his induction one of the highlights of his career.
“To be recognized as a member [of the Grand Ole Opry] is among the class of honors that will never be topped, no matter how long or how far my career goes,” he states.
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