As they say, behind a great man, or in this case, a country music legend, are two great and supportive women.
Garth Brooks and his first wife Sandy Mahl both attended Oklahoma State University-Stillwater but first met at the Tumblewood Ballroom, according to Country Fancast. Apparently, their love story started with a first swing when Mahl had a fight in the club’s women’s restroom ending with her hand getting stuck in the wood paneling. It was then senior Brooks, who worked as a bouncer during that time, who had to break up the fight.
They started dating then and married in 1986. Sandy Mahl moved to Nashville with him leaving her life in Oklahoma. Garth Brooks began his career in country music with Mahl by his side. Mahl is even credited as a songwriter for the song ‘I’ve Got A Good Thing Going‘ in his 1989 debut album Garth Brooks. She was also credited for the 1993 song ‘That Summer‘.
Their bond may have been strong thanks to music and their three daughters. The couple split in 1999 and officially divorced in 2001. And according to Sandy Mahl, the separation was a long time coming.
Why did Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl split?
In a 2019 TV Program ‘Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On’, Sandy Mahl shared her feelings about her marriage with the country music legend. She mentioned how people were constantly pulling on him. He would be gone for a good 8-10 weeks. Then when he was home, there were a lot of parties and shows. The two quickly grew apart together.
But they’re good friends now. Although, Brooks noted that he did not realize how Sandy felt in their 15 years of marriage. In an interview with Us Weekly, Brooks said that he was on the road most of the time, and he guessed that she was trying to tell him things that he just heard in the biography. When he saw her, he just hugged her even harder now that he knew better.
Mahl never remarried. Garth Brooks, on the other hand, is now happily married to country singer Trisha Yearwood.
The Golden Country Music Couple: Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood
The two country music singers seem like a really good pair, and they really are. They married in 2005 and are still going strong until today. Garth Brooks met his now-wife a year after he married Sandy Mahl.
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At that time of introduction, Brooks already knew that Yearwood was his soulmate. But he wanted to stay with Mahl out of a commitment that he made in front of their families. The couple was just 13 months married then.
He also believed that things happen when they happen. He mentioned that his career in the 90s wouldn’t have been how it was had he married Yearwood at that time. And their marriage would not have lasted long either. And so, even if he had regrets now, he still wouldn’t change anything in the past.
The two started as friends who supported each other in their professional careers. When Brooks started to make a name in the country music scene, he helped Yearwood land a contract. He even made her his opening act on his 1991 national tour. They also sang duets and did features on each other’s albums.
And when Brooks and Mahl split, their friendship blossomed into romance. And in true rockstar style, Garth Brooks proposed to Trisha in May 2005 in front of 7,000 people during the unveiling of Brook’s eight-foot-tall statue at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California.
Are Sandy Mahl and Trisha Yearwood on good terms?
Shop Garth Brooks
- Double LiveVinylHis 1998 live albumSee it on Amazon
- LegacyVinyl collectionSee it on Amazon
- The Anthology Part I: The First Five YearsBook · 2017His own story of his first five years in musicSee it on Amazon
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In the documentary Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On, it was revealed that when Garth asked Trisha for her hand in marriage, Sandy told him that it was really a good move both for the children and for him. Needless to say, Sandy was definitely happy for the two.
But if the two are really good friends, we don’t really know for sure. They are both very private about their lives, and Sandy Mahl has only mentioned Yearwood a few times over the years. But since Mahl and Brooks are in very good terms with each other as friends and as parents to their three children, it’s not surprising if the two women also have a good relationship with each other.
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