Nash Country Daily was on hand at Nashvilleâs State Capitol building this morning (Oct. 3) as Governor Bill Haslam named Garth Brooks a Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill in honor of his record-setting seven RIAA diamond certifications.
âIâm an Oklahoma native, but Tennessee is where the dream led me to,â says Garth to NCD. âWe all came to Nashville for a dream. Iâm always going to be from Oklahoma, and 99 percent of this music was based on what I learned in Oklahoma growing up. I think being an ambassador for Tennessee is a wonderful marriage of two states that have treated me like sons.â
To commemorate Garthâs seven diamond certificationsâalbums with 10 million units soldâGovernor Haslam announced that Garth has joined forces with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to host a free concert at Nashvilleâs Ascend Amphitheater on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., with additional seating at downtownâs Riverfront Park.
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âSeven diamond certifications is at the top of my list [of accomplishments] because itâs all about the musicâthatâs what I like about it,â says Garth. âThe truth is, maybe a year from now Iâll have a better grip on this accomplishment, but right now, this one is out there. I feel very lucky to be standing here.â
Free tickets for the Ascend show will be available using codes issued on TDTDâs new Snapchat account @Tennessee, which officially launches today. By following the account, fans can access these codes as well as exclusive Garth Brooks stories and surprise celebrity takeovers.
âOctober 24 will be a celebration, so if we look at it that way instead of a show, youâll get a lot more honed in on what itâs going to be,â says Garth. âItâs going to be me and my guitar. Tennessee Tourism says Iâll get to pick one song from each diamond album, so those seven songs are going to be a lot of fun. Iâm hoping to see the fansâwho gave me these seven diamondsâtake these songs over and sing them. Iâm just going to be watching and laughing and crying the whole time. After that, weâll see what happens. Itâs going to be fun.â
The albums that have reached diamond certification are Garth Brooks, No Fences, Ropinâ the Wind, The Hits, Double-Live, Sevens, and The Ultimate Hits.
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photos by Jim Casey