Trisha Yearwood’s Debut Album Made Her a Star Overnight

Trisha Yearwood became a star straight out of the gate when she released her self-titled debut album in 1991.

What Were Trisha Yearwood’s Early Years in Nashville Like?

Yearwood came to Nashville from her native Georgia to study at Belmont University, then landed a job with MTM Records. She sang on a number of demo tapes for the label, and at one session she met a young singer named Garth Brooks.

The pair became fast friends and promised each other that whoever succeeded first, they’d help the other one. Brooks kept that promise, inviting Yearwood to sing backing vocals on his No Fences album in 1990.

He introduced her to his producer, who introduced her to Garth Fundis.

When Did Trisha Yearwood Release Her Debut Album?

That led to a deal at MCA Records, and Fundis produced her debut album for the label, which was released on July 2, 1991.

READ MORE: The Top Trisha Yearwood Songs

The album was an immediate hit, with its lead single, “She’s in Love With the Boy,” hitting No. 1 on Billboard‘s U.S. Country chart.

Brooks co-wrote and sang backing vocals on Yearwood’s second single, “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart,” which reached No. 4, and two more singles, “That’s What I Like About You” and “The Woman Before Me,” both hit the Top 10 as well.

Brooks also took Yearwood on tour, opening for him in 1991.

How Did Trisha Yearwood’s Debut Album Do in the Charts?

Trisha Yearwood peaked at No. 2 and went Double Platinum for sales of more than 2 million units.

It also earned rave reviews, with Entertainment Weekly gushing, “Whether tackling bluegrass, country rock, or ’50s-style R&B, she sings with deeply imagined experience, making herself one of the most exhilarating — and classiest — of newcomers,” while the Chicago Tribune wrote, “This is as good as it gets in female country album debuts … It is probably the most impressive female country debut in Nashville since the Judds.”