Nash Country Daily was on hand at Nashville’s 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.
“I’m an Oklahoma native, but Tennessee is where the dream led me to,” says Garth to NCD. “We all came to Nashville for a dream. I’m 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.”
To commemorate Garth’s seven diamond certifications—albums with 10 million units sold—Governor Haslam announced that Garth has joined forces with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to host a free concert at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., with additional seating at downtown’s Riverfront Park.
“Seven diamond certifications is at the top of my list [of accomplishments] because it’s all about the music—that’s what I like about it,” says Garth. “The truth is, maybe a year from now I’ll have a better grip on this accomplishment, but right now, this one is out there. I feel very lucky to be standing here.”
Free tickets for the Ascend show will be available using codes issued on TDTD’s 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.
“October 24 will be a celebration, so if we look at it that way instead of a show, you’ll get a lot more honed in on what it’s going to be,” says Garth. “It’s going to be me and my guitar. Tennessee Tourism says I’ll get to pick one song from each diamond album, so those seven songs are going to be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to see the fans—who gave me these seven diamonds—take these songs over and sing them. I’m just going to be watching and laughing and crying the whole time. After that, we’ll see what happens. It’s going to be fun.”
The albums that have reached diamond certification are Garth Brooks, No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind, The Hits, Double-Live, Sevens, and The Ultimate Hits.
