Country Music's Royal Couples

Country coupledom goes beyond Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Here are 5 more famous pairings

by: Sarah White, from: AARP The Magazine, April 4, 2011

An Enduring Friendship: Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were close for years before they wed in 2005. — Mathew Imaging/WireImage/Getty Images

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood knew there was chemistry the very first time she ever sang with future husband Garth Brooks. "It felt like we'd sung together forever, she has said about the first duet. Though married to his first wife at the time, Brooks helped Yearwood land her first record deal. In 1991 she hit it big with the hit song "She's in Love with the Boy" and was the first female country music singer to sell 1 million copies of her debut album.

Yearwood's success is impressive — she's a two-time winner of CMA's female vocalist award and has won three Grammy Awards. But Brooks’ achievements are historic. He is the second highest-selling solo recording artist in U.S. history — Elvis Presley is in the first spot — with sales topping 128 million. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the Beatles have sold the most albums.

Brooks has always mixed both rock, pop and country influences in his music. In the 1990s he was one of the first country artists to crossover to the pop album charts when No Fences reached the #3 spot. A year later, Ropin’ The Wind topped the Billboard 200 albums charts, the first of 7 number one albums during the decade. As the 1990s closed out, Brooks took a huge gamble, creating alter ego Chris Gaines, a fictional Australian alternative rocker. The album In…the life of Chris Gaines was a blend of new wave and R&B music. Though panned by critics, the move showed Brooks' willingness to reach for new heights and break out of familiar territory.

This same conviction could be said of his relationship with Yearwood. After many years of friendship, Brooks proposed to Yearwood on stage at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace before 7,000 cheering fans in 2005.

Brooks took a long hiatius from recording and touring to spend more time with his three daughters from his first marriage, but he has played a few live shows recently. Yearwood's latest record Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love was released in 2007. She finished a recent tour last month.

Next: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill