Brooks scores his first No. 1 in a decade

Garth Brooks has scored his 20th No. 1 hit with “Ask Me How I Know.” The Mitch Rossell-penned tune jumps eight percent from two to one on the Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated December 16th. This marks Brooks’ return to the top after a ten year and three month gap when “More Than A Memory” debuted at the top on September 15, 2007. The feat also marks a full-circle moment for Brooks, as this week is the 28th anniversary of his first No. 1 with “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” which summited the charts on December 9, 1989.

“I’m so proud of the Pearl Records team for working so hard for this No. 1,” Brooks says. “Congrats to [writer] Mitch Rossell on his first cut – so happy for you, pal! And, to country radio: four decades later, thanks for still believing. I’m humbled and very grateful.”

Brooks has the second-longest gap between chart toppers as Tracy Lawrence leads with 11 years and one day between “Texas Tornado” in 1996 and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” in 2007. Rossell follows LANCO’s Brandon Lancaster as the second straight No. 1 written by a single person. The song is Rossell’s first cut as a songwriter.

“Ask Me How I Know” marks the fourth consecutive decade in which Brooks has had a No. 1 single. That run began with “If Tomorrow Never Comes” in December 1989.

Billboard also reports that Brooks rules the top of Billboard’s Country Albums Chart with The Anthology: Part 1, The First Five Years, Brooks’ book/CD set that details his rise to fame between 1989-1993. This is the first time Brooks topped both charts simultaneously since “Longneck Bottle” went No. 1 on Country Airplay and Sevens topped the Top Country Albums chart on January 3, 1998.

Brooks is kicking off the final run of the Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood this week, returning to Nashville, TN on Friday, December 9th, where he will play seven shows at Bridgestone Arena to mark the end of the tour. In a little over three years, the tour has sold over 6.4 million tickets, making it the biggest North American tour in history and the biggest American tour in the world.

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