Garth Brooks Makes Claim for Trisha Yearwood to Be Inducted Into the Hall of Fame

Garth Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012, calling it one of the highest honors of his life. But Brooks may not be able to fully appreciate his induction until his wife, Trisha Yearwood, joins the hallowed institution as well.

“Long before I ever thought it was possible to date the woman, much less marry her, I’m the biggest fan of Trisha Yearwood’s voice you can imagine. One of the greatest crimes in country music history right now: Trisha Yearwood is not in the Country Music Hall of Fame yet,” Brooks said during his Inside Studio G weekly Facebook series. “That is a crime because I can’t tell you how many people have moved to this town because this woman’s voice drove them here. This is the greatest singer we have in country music, arguably, and so I’m a huge, huge fan.”

Brooks and Yearwood originally met when songwriter Kent Blazy asked both Brooks and Yearwood to sing together for a demo session, never imagining how much sparks would fly, even though Brooks was married to his first wife, Sandy, at the time. Although it took more than 15 years from that initial session until the couple was able to marry, Brooks was immediately smitten with both Yearwood’s flawless vocal ability and who she was as a person.

“I remember everything about it. I remember everything down to the clothes she was wearing.” Brooks previously recalled of their initial encounter, during the Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On documentary, which aired last year on A&E.

Brooks, who says “In Another’s Eyes,” their first duet together, “saved his career,”  might be a fan of Yearwood, but she is an equally big fan of her husband as well.

“Our marriage is a great love but also a great friendship,” Yearwood told Parade. “We laugh a lot and there’s a lot of mutual respect. He is kind of perfect. He’s neater than I am. His closet looks way better than mine. He’s always been respectful. My only pet peeve is that he whistles—all the time. Right now, it’s the theme song from The Dating Game. If I need him to change (literally) his tune, I’ll sing a line of something else and then he’ll be on that. At least I can change the station without him knowing!”

Read 5 of Our Favorite Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Duets here.