<p id="nnaText_author"><em>Ed Christman, N.Y.; Ray Waddell and Ken Tucker, Nashville</em></p>
<p class="nnaText_text">The <strong><a href="http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com/garth-brooks/" title="Garth Brooks">Garth Brooks</a></strong> juggernaut is setting the table for a <strong>new release</strong>. And this time, <strong><a href="http://www.billboard.com/" title="Billboard">Billboard</a></strong> has learned, you won&#8217;t find it only at <strong><a href="http://www.walmart.com/" title="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</a></strong>. After exclusively selling his music through that big-box merchant for the last two years, <strong>Brooks </strong>will once again make it available to all retailers. But in a surprise move, his <strong>Pearl Records</strong> imprint will apparently be self-distributed.<img src="http://www.billboard.com/billboard/photos/art/b/brooks_garth_01l.gif" title="Courtesy of Billboard.com" alt="Courtesy of Billboard.com" align="right" height="153" hspace="6" vspace="6" width="220" /><br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />Meanwhile, speculation regarding a live performance aspect to <strong>Brooks</strong>&#8216; resurfacing has been centered around an extended run in one market.<br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />According to retail sources, the <strong>country star</strong> will issue a three-disc boxed set, &#8220;<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FUltimate-Hits-Garth-Brooks%2Fdp%2FB000UVT3OI%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic%26qid%3D1200586205%26sr%3D1-1&;tag=drunkenhill05-20&;linkCode=ur2&;camp=1789&;creative=9325">The Ultimate Garth Brooks</a></strong><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=drunkenhill05-20&;l=ur2&;o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" />&#8221; that will street either Nov. 6 or 13. The set will contain a 34-track, two-CD <strong>greatest hits</strong> retrospective with four new songs, and a DVD with videos, many of them recently filmed, for all tracks on the CDs. In addition, <strong>Brooks </strong>is re-releasing his catalog titles, some of which have been on moratorium at general retail since 1998.<br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />Nashville-based <strong><a href="http://www.bigmachinerecords.com/site.php" title="Big Machine Records">Big Machine Records</a></strong> is involved with promoting the new cuts to radio; the first single is expected in September. One of the new cuts is reportedly a remake of <strong><a href="http://www.hueylewis.com/" title="Huey Lewis">Huey Lewis</a>&#8216;</strong> 1982 hit &#8220;<strong>Workin&#8217; for a Livin</strong>&#8216;,&#8221; on which <strong>Lewis </strong>plays harmonica.<br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />Programmers from across the country, who have been given few details, have been invited to an Aug. 17-18 event in Nashville. <strong>Brooks </strong>has also scheduled an Aug. 18 press conference there.<br clear="none" /><br />
In 2005, <strong>Brooks </strong>split from <strong><a href="http://www.capitolrecords.com/splash.aspx" title="Capitol Records">Capitol Records</a></strong> and left with ownership of his catalog. Later that year, he issued a &#8220;<strong>Limited Series</strong>&#8221; boxed set exclusively through <strong><a href="http://www.walmart.com/" title="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</a></strong>, which contained three of his prior albums, a previously unreleased DVD and a disc of never-before-heard songs. In early 2006, <strong>Brooks </strong>rereleased his catalog exclusively at <a href="http://www.walmart.com/" title="Wal-Mart">Wal-Mart</a> and then, in time for Christmas 2006, he issued &#8220;<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGarth-Brooks-Entertainer%2Fdp%2FB000K8O27O%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Ddvd%26qid%3D1200586383%26sr%3D1-1&;tag=drunkenhill05-20&;linkCode=ur2&;camp=1789&;creative=9325">The Entertainer</a></strong><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=drunkenhill05-20&;l=ur2&;o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" />&#8220;, a five-disc DVD package, solely at the giant merchant.<br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />On the live front, standing offers from promoters have apparently been on the table for <strong>Brooks </strong>since his retirement in 2000. Last time out, <strong>Brooks </strong>shattered country <strong>touring </strong>records with an outing centered around his 1998 Capitol release &#8220;<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSevens-Garth-Brooks%2Fdp%2FB000002ULQ%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic%26qid%3D1200586472%26sr%3D1-1&;tag=drunkenhill05-20&;linkCode=ur2&;camp=1789&;creative=9325">Sevens</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=drunkenhill05-20&;l=ur2&;o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important" border="0" height="1" width="1" /></strong>&#8220;. The three-year extravaganza grossed more than $105 million (country&#8217;s first $100 million run) and drew close to 5.5 million people. Notably, <strong>Brooks </strong>charged a relatively paltry $20 per ticket when he likely could have demanded three times that amount.<br clear="none" /> <br clear="none" />Since retiring, <strong>Brooks </strong>has made sporadic live appearances, including a <strong>Hurricane Katrina</strong> benefit, a <strong><a href="http://www.opry.com/" title="Grand Ole Opry">Grand Ole Opry</a></strong> appearance in 2005 and a more recent performance at a <strong>Live Earth</strong> concert in Washington, D.C. He previously said he would not embark on a full-blown <strong>tour </strong>until his youngest daughter graduates from high school in 2015.</p>
<p class="nnaText_text">~Courtesy of <a href="http://www.billboard.com">Billboard.com </a></p>
<p>Country Music Photo Gallery</p>