Garth Brooks Named First Inductee To Inaugural Live Hall Of Fame At Pollstar Live! Conference

Photo by: Waterproof Pictures

Garth Brooks was named the first inductee to the just-announced Live Hall of Fame at a lively keynote Q&A session at Pollstar Live! moderated by OVG CEO and co-founder Tim Leiweke. The Feb. 8 session at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel also included co-panelists Ticketmaster President Jared Smith and Bridgestone Arena VP of Booking David Kells.

“It’s a total shock and quite an honor,” Brooks said upon accepting his award before a packed ballroom. “I don’t think an entertainer is anything without other people who allow him to do this.”

The country super star thanked his co-manager Bob Doyle and longtime promoter Ben Farrell, saying, “They have made my career possible.”

In December, Brooks wrapped up a three-year tour in which he sold more than 6.3 million tickets, setting a record as the biggest-ever excursion by a solo artist. The trek marked his return to touring after taking 16 years off the road to concentrate on his family.

Brooks also has the numbers when it comes to recorded music. He’s the first artist to receive seven RIAA Diamond awards for albums sales of over 10 million per album and is the No. 1 selling U.S. solo artist with more than 148 million albums sold.

“In discussing it with all of our folks,” Leiweke said, “there was only person who we thought ultimately had to be the first inducted into the Live Music Hall of Fame and that was Garth Brooks.”