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79-474: The Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center was designed by Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham , the winner of what was, at the time, the largest open architectural competition ever organized by the American Institute of Architects . The original facility was built between 1974 and 1976 for approximately US$ 104 million. A.G. Gaston Construction Company, Inc. served as contractors. A critical component of

158-910: A 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m) ballroom that can seat up to 1,200 for banquets. The ten-story Medical Forum, with meeting space, a 275-seat theater, classrooms, conference space, and offices, is also located here. The adjacent 838-room Sheraton Birmingham Hotel provides a large ballroom and other convention and meeting facilities nearby. The 294-room Westin Birmingham Hotel within the Uptown Entertainment District provides more than 7,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and an additional 2,500 square feet of pre-function space. 33°31′26″N 86°48′43″W  /  33.524°N 86.812°W  / 33.524; -86.812 Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham Robert Louis Geddes (December 7, 1923 – February 13, 2023)

237-462: A 24-foot-(7.3 m)-tall proscenium. Its grid height of 105 feet (32 m) makes the concert hall the tallest building in the complex. There is also a pipe organ at the Concert Hall, and backstage there are 2 chorus rooms and 12 dressing rooms, as well as two rehearsal areas and a VIP Reception Room. The 1,000-seat BJCC Theatre is used for operas, ballets, and smaller concerts and stage shows, and

316-413: A brief break from retirement early in 2005 to perform in various benefit concerts . He also released a new single, " Good Ride Cowboy ", as a tribute to his late friend and country singer, Chris LeDoux , via Walmart. In early 2006, Walmart reissued The Lost Sessions as a single CD apart from the box set, with additional songs, including a duet with Trisha Yearwood, "Love Will Always Win", which reached

395-695: A broader audience. Brooks has later claimed that out of all the songs he has recorded, "The Dance" remains his favorite. In 1989, Brooks embarked on his first major concert tour, as opening act for Kenny Rogers . Brooks' second album, No Fences , was released in 1990 and spent 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and eventually became Brooks' highest-selling album, with domestic shipments of 17 million. It contained what would become Brooks' signature song ,

474-504: A domed stadium, but on a smaller scale. The Alabama Department of Transportation began a project to replace the aging I-20 / 59 elevated viaduct adjacent to the complex, involving the reuse of some right-of-way to improve interstate ramps, which was expected to temporarily interfere with plans to build a multipurpose stadium at the complex's current site. In 2013, the new viaduct was expected to be completed and reopened to traffic by January 2020; work began in 2015 and on January 17, 2020, it

553-477: A list of Phelps' contacts in Nashville and some of his credit cards, Brooks traveled to Nashville to pursue a recording contract; he returned to Oklahoma within 24 hours. Phelps continued to urge Brooks to return to Nashville, which he did. In 1987, Brooks and wife Sandy Mahl moved to Nashville, and Brooks began making contacts in the music industry. Garth Brooks' eponymous first album was released in 1989 and

632-426: A loss in proper royalty payments , persuaded Capitol Records to not ship his 1993 album, In Pieces , to stores which engaged in this practice. This led to several antitrust lawsuits against the record label, ending with Capitol shipping the albums to the stores. Despite the delay in shipping, In Pieces was another success, peaking at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, and selling

711-525: A new version of " Friends in Low Places ", featuring George Strait , Jason Aldean , Florida Georgia Line , and Keith Urban singing along with Brooks. The album release has since been delayed due to royalty disputes. The track was later featured on his 2016 compilation album, The Ultimate Collection . On October 13, 2016, Brooks released the first single, " Baby, Let's Lay Down and Dance ", from his upcoming album. The following week, Brooks released

790-589: A periodic weekend concert residency at Las Vegas 's Encore Theatre from December 2009 to January 2014. Following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014. In September 2014, he began his comeback world tour , with wife and musician Trisha Yearwood , which culminated in 2017. This was followed by his Stadium Tour , which began in 2019, and another Las Vegas concert residency, Garth Brooks/Plus ONE , continuing into 2024. His most recent album, Time Traveler ,

869-507: A press conference in Atlanta. Man Against Machine was released via Pearl and RCA Nashville and was available online exclusively through GhostTunes. GhostTunes closed on March 3, 2017. Brooks' digital catalogue moved to Amazon Music, who maintain exclusive rights over it. In September 2015, it was announced Brooks would reissue his album No Fences later in the year to commemorate its 25-year release anniversary. The release would include

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948-535: A press conference where he announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville , as well as confirming plans for a new album, world tour, the release of his music in a digital format, and remorse for the Ireland concert controversy. Fifteen days later, tickets first went on sale for the world tour . On September 3, 2014, Brooks released his comeback single, " People Loving People ", in promotion of his world tour and new album, Man Against Machine . The song debuted onto

1027-527: A private jet to quickly transport him between Las Vegas and his home in Oklahoma . Brooks' first weekend on shows in Vegas received positive reviews and was called the "antithesis of Vegas glitz and of the country singer's arena and stadium extravaganzas" by USA Today. The shows featured Brooks performing solo, acoustic concerts, and included a set list of songs that have influenced him. Artists covered in

1106-400: A total of 400,000 tickets were sold. However, due to licensing conflict, Aiken Promotions and Croke Park management were prompted to cancel two of the five concerts after conflict among nearby residents. Brooks, committed to performing the five original concerts, refused to follow through with the request to only perform three, and all concerts were cancelled. On July 10, 2014, Brooks held

1185-673: A total of nearly 10 million copies. After a delay in its worldwide release, the album also peaked at No. 2 on the United Kingdom Albums Chart . That same year, " The Red Strokes " became Brooks' first single to make the UK Singles Chart, reaching a high of No. 13; it was followed by " Standing Outside the Fire ", which reached No. 23. Previous albums No Fences , Ropin' the Wind and The Chase also remained in

1264-693: Is also home to the Birmingham Children's Theatre , the nation's largest children's theater. The theatre contains a 46-by-70-foot (14-by-21-meter) stage and a grid height of 58 feet (17.5 m). There are 2 rehearsal areas, 2 chorus dressing rooms and 6 dressing rooms, including a star's dressing room. The 220,000-square-foot (20,000 m) Exhibition Halls are used for Birmingham's largest trade shows and conventions. They are divisible into three smaller halls and can accommodate 1100 exhibit booths. The complex contains 64 meeting rooms totaling 100,000 square feet (9,300 m) of meeting space, including

1343-540: Is an American country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances , while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena. Brooks is the only artist in music history to have released nine albums that were certified Diamond by

1422-819: Is second only to the Beatles in total album sales overall. Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012, having been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame the year before. He was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016 with his studio musicians, The G-Men. In 2020, Brooks became the youngest recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song . Troyal Garth Brooks

1501-845: The American Institute of Architects and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and, along with his firm, was the recipient of the Architecture Firm Award . Geddes was born Robert Leon Goldberg on December 7, 1923, in Philadelphia , the only child of Louis J. Geddes (born Goldberg) and Kate Geddes (born Malmed), both of Ukrainian-Jewish families settled in Woodbine, New Jersey , by Maurice de Hirsch . He grew up and attended elementary school in Ventnor City, New Jersey ; John Burroughs Middle School in

1580-424: The Billboard 200 at No. 1, a first for a country artist. The album's musical content was a melange of country pop and honky-tonk ; singles included " The River ", " What She's Doing Now ", and a cover of Billy Joel's " Shameless ". It would become Brooks' second-best selling album, after No Fences . The success of Ropin' the Wind further propelled the sales of Brooks' first two albums, enabling Brooks to become

1659-698: The Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the highest-debuting single in the chart's history. In November 2007, Brooks embarked on Garth Brooks: Live in Kansas City , performing nine sold-out concerts in Kansas City at the Sprint Center , which had opened a month prior. Originally scheduled to be only one show, the performance expanded to nine due to incredibly high demand, with all nine shows (equaling about 140,000 tickets) selling out in under two hours. The final concert of

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1738-667: The Hancock Park, Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Angeles; and graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1941. He started university studies at the University of California, Berkeley , transferring to Yale University in the fall of 1942 due to concerns over transcontinental travel after the start of World War II. His university studies were interrupted by three years in the United States Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945. He left Yale in 1947 for

1817-699: The Harvard Graduate School of Design , where he earned an M. Arch. in 1950. In 1953, he co-founded a collaborative practice, Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham: Architects (also known as GBQC Architects), in Philadelphia, later adding an office in Princeton. Prior to founding GBQC, he worked briefly for Hugh Stubbins, Jr. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. GBQC won national and international competitions and awards, starting with being runner-up in

1896-791: The Philadelphia Center City master plan, and his best-known work, the Dining Commons, Birch Garden, and Academic Building at the Institute for Advanced Study . He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects ; recipient of honorary doctorates from Princeton University , City College of New York , and the New Jersey School of Architecture/NJIT ; recipient of the Topaz Award from

1975-771: The Recording Industry Association of America (surpassing The Beatles ' former record of six); those albums are Garth Brooks (diamond), No Fences (17× platinum), Ropin' the Wind (14× platinum), The Chase (diamond), In Pieces (diamond), The Hits (diamond), Sevens (diamond), Double Live (21× platinum), and The Ultimate Hits (diamond). Since 1989, Brooks has released 27 records in all, which include 17 studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, three Christmas albums, and four box sets, along with 77 singles. He has won several awards in his career, including two Grammy Awards , 17 American Music Awards (including "Artist of

2054-738: The WHA from 1976 to 1978 and another version of the Birmingham Bulls of the ECHL from 1992 to 2001. It was also home to the UAB men's basketball team starting in 1978 before the team moved into Bartow Arena in 1988. The Alabama Steeldogs , an af2 team, played in the arena from 2000 to 2007. Currently, it is the home of the Birmingham Squadron in the NBA G League . In 2009 and 2017,

2133-496: The blue collar anthem " Friends in Low Places ", as well as other popular singles, " The Thunder Rolls " and " Unanswered Prayers ". Each of these songs, as well as " Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House ", reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. While Brooks' musical style placed him squarely within the boundaries of country music, he was strongly influenced by the 1970s singer-songwriter movement, especially

2212-614: The javelin . At nights, he worked as a bouncer at a local bar and formed his own band, Santa Fe, learning to play whatever the college audience wanted. Brooks graduated in 1984 with a degree in advertising. His roommate, Ty England , later played guitar in his road band until going solo in 1995. In 1985, Brooks began his professional music career, singing and playing guitar in Oklahoma clubs and bars, most notably Wild Willie's Saloon in Stillwater. Through his elder siblings, Brooks

2291-566: The persona of " Chris Gaines ", a fictitious rock-and-roll musician and character for an upcoming film titled The Lamb . In October 1999, the film's pre-release soundtrack, Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines (also dubbed Gaines' Greatest Hits ), was released to much public criticism. Brooks also appeared as Gaines in a television mockumentary for the VH1 series Behind the Music , and as

2370-445: The soundtrack to the film, Hope Floats . Brooks' first live album, Double Live was released in 1998. Recorded at various shows over the course of his second world tour, the album contained new material not previously released, such as "Tearin' It Up (and Burnin' It Down)" and "Wild as the Wind," featuring Trisha Yearwood . Peaking at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, Double Live went on to become

2449-555: The '90s") and the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the U.S. Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2005. During this time, he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Walmart and sporadically released new singles. In 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, giving select performances and releasing two compilation albums. In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn ,

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2528-768: The Dining Hall and Birch Garden quad at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Design, and GBQC was awarded the highest professional honor of the American Institute for Architects, the Architecture Firm Award (1979), for "design quality, respect for the environment, and social concern." He was the urban design consultant for the Center City Plan of Philadelphia (1988), and for

2607-611: The Isley Brothers ' " Shout ". On October 15, 2009, Brooks suspended his retirement to begin Garth at Wynn , a periodic weekend concert residency at Encore Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip . The schedule allowed Brooks both to have the family life during the week and to continue to perform on the weekend. The financial terms of the agreement were not announced, but Steve Wynn did disclose that he gave Brooks access to

2686-555: The Nielsen BDS-driven Country Airplay chart at No. 19, tying for the third-highest debut of Brooks' career. On September 4, 2014, Brooks released his entire studio output on digital for the first time ever. Bypassing traditional digital music service providers, Brooks opted into releasing his albums directly his own new online music store , GhostTunes . On September 19, Brooks confirmed the release date for his next album, scheduled for November 11 via

2765-607: The Search for Alternatives." After studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the post-war Walter Gropius and Joseph Hudnut era, he taught architecture and civic design at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design (formerly University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts) from 1951 to 1965. He moved to Princeton University in 1965 to become the first Dean of the School of Architecture, and

2844-1122: The Sydney Opera House design competition (1955). He was GBQC design partner or co-partner for the Pender Labs at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania; the Police Headquarters of the City of Philadelphia; Richard Stockton College in New Jersey; Hill Hall at Rutgers University-Newark; the College of Liberal Arts of Southern Illinois University; the Architects Housing in Trenton, New Jersey; Princeton Community Housing's Griggs Farm neighborhood; and probably best known,

2923-796: The Third Regional Plan of New York for the Regional Plan Association (1996). GBQC won first prize in the international design competition for Vienna-South urban extension (1972), and the GBQC master plan for Liberty State Park was exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art (1979). He worked with the City University of New York's Newman Institute on alternatives for the Hudson Yards in midtown Manhattan. He co-founded

3002-653: The US, celebrating at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center . Brooks' final album before retirement, Scarecrow , was released on November 13, 2001. The album did not match the sales levels of Brooks' heyday, but still sold well, reaching No. 1 on Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. Although he staged a few performances for promotional purposes, Brooks stated that he would be retired from recording and performing at least until his youngest daughter finished high school. In 2005, Brooks expressed his interest in returning to live performances; however, he remained adamant to

3081-465: The album had sold over three million copies. Despite its promising start, Fresh Horses plateaued quickly, topping out at quadruple platinum. The album's lead single, " She's Every Woman " peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart; however, its follow-up single, " The Fever " (an Aerosmith cover) only peaked at No. 23, becoming Brooks' first country single to not chart on the top 10. However, Brooks had three additional top 10 singles from

3160-471: The album were unspectacular, at least compared with most of Brooks' previous albums, and although it made it to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, expectations had been higher and retail stores began heavily discounting their oversupply. Less-than-expected sales of the album (more than two million) brought the project to an indefinite hiatus in February 2001 and Gaines quickly faded into obscurity. Despite

3239-450: The album, including " The Beaches of Cheyenne ", which reached No. 1. Following the release of Fresh Horses , Brooks embarked on his second world tour . Its total attendance, approximately 5.5 million, ranks third on the all-time list of concert attendance, and its gross of over $ 105 million ranks it among the highest-grossing concert tours in the 1990s. In 1997, Brooks released his seventh studio album, Sevens . The album

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3318-626: The arena hosted Davis Cup tennis matches. The arena has hosted major concert tours, Disney on Ice , American Idol Live!, the PBR Unleash the Beast Series , Monster Jam , Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , and other events including trade shows. In 2023, the arena hosted the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA March Madness Men's tournament . Construction of a new football stadium, located just east of

3397-469: The best-selling live album of all time, certified 21× Platinum by the RIAA , and is the seventh-most shipped album in United States music history. In 1998, Brooks also released the first installment of The Limited Series , a six-disc box set containing reissues of his first six studio albums. Each of the reissued albums included a bonus track not available on the original release. In 1999, Brooks took on

3476-568: The chain as well). Three months later, in November 2005, Brooks and Walmart issued an updated The Limited Series compilation, a box set containing reissues of Brooks' albums, including Double Live , and The Lost Sessions , featuring eleven previously unreleased recordings. The box set sold more than 500,000 physical copies on its issue date. By the first week in December 2005, it had sold over 1 million physical copies. Brooks took

3555-627: The civic association, Princeton Future, which created the concept design for the new plaza, housing and parking in downtown Princeton, New Jersey. For the United Nations Center for Human Settlements, he directed the "UNCHS Conference on Cities in North America", produced its report "Cities in Our Future", published by Island Press, and wrote for the journal American Prospect, "Metropolis Unbound: The Sprawling American City and

3634-486: The competition program was making a viable connection across the elevated I-59 / I-20 highway from the Civic Center facility to the existing administrative and cultural facilities surrounding Linn Park to the south. For several decades after the complex opened, this problem was not addressed. A proposal to create a park underneath the elevated highway was part of the expansion of the complex. Multiple plans to expand

3713-416: The complex were presented before the final proposal was approved. An attempt by former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford to build a large domed stadium was unsuccessful. The BJCC authority purchased several parcels of land required for that expansion, but as of 2013, the project did not have major financial backing and lacked a clear design. Former Birmingham Mayor William Bell expressed some interest in building

3792-480: The conflicts between career and family. He first talked of retiring from performing in 1992, and again in 1995, but each time returned to touring. In 1999, Brooks appeared on The Nashville Network 's Crook & Chase program, again mentioning retirement in a more serious tone. On October 26, 2000, Brooks officially announced his retirement from recording and performing. Later that evening, Capitol Records noted Brooks' achievement of selling 100 million albums in

3871-577: The country was evident, with a top disc jockey, Nick Barraclough , referring to Brooks as Garth Vader (a play on Darth Vader ) for his "invasion" of the charts and his success in the country genre. Unlike Alan Jackson , who refused to return to the UK after being treated in a similar negative manner by the press, Brooks would later return in 1996 for more performances. Brooks also took his World Tour to other regions throughout Europe, as well as Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1994, Brooks paid homage to one of his musical influences, KISS , appearing on

3950-509: The development of his unique country pop genre. The box set's albums were individually certified Platinum and the compilation received a Billboard Music Award nomination. In a December 2013 appearance on Good Morning America to promote the album, Brooks also surprisingly announced plans for a world tour, beginning in 2014. In February 2014, Brooks announced two concerts at Croke Park , Dublin, Ireland, to be held on July 25 and 26, 2014. Due to high demand, three additional shows were added, and

4029-405: The duet " In Another's Eyes " with Trisha Yearwood , which reached No. 2 on Hot Country Songs chart, and its first single, " Longneck Bottle ", with Steve Wariner , reached No. 1. The album spawned two additional number-one singles, " Two Pina Coladas " and " To Make You Feel My Love " (a Bob Dylan cover), which also was a top 10 hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and was released on

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4108-445: The family hosted weekly talent nights. All of the children were required to participate, either by singing or doing skits. Brooks learned to play both the guitar and banjo. As a child, Brooks often sang in casual family settings, but his primary focus was athletics. In high school, he played football and baseball and ran track and field. He received a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater , where he competed in

4187-466: The first country artist with three albums listed in the Billboard 200's top 20 in one week. After spending time in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots , Brooks co-wrote a gospel-country-rock hybrid single, " We Shall Be Free ", to express his desire for tolerance. The song became the first single off his fourth album The Chase . The single only reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Country Singles chart, Brooks' first song in three years to fail to make

4266-506: The less-than-spectacular response to the Gaines project, Brooks gained his first (and only) Billboard Top 40 pop single in " Lost in You ". The album was later certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. On November 23, 1999, Brooks released his second holiday album, Garth Brooks & the Magic of Christmas . The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboard ' s Top 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums, making it Brooks' 10th number-one album. As his career flourished, Brooks seemed frustrated by

4345-437: The main complex, began on July 25, 2019 with grading work. A ceremonial groundbreaking had been held on December 13, 2018. During construction, the venue was named Protective Stadium via a sponsorship deal with the Birmingham-based Protective Life insurance company. The 47,100-seat facility opened on October 2, 2021 as the new home of UAB Blazers football , with UAB's first game being a 36–12 loss to Liberty . It served as

4424-486: The most successful single from the album, reaching No. 1 in July 1993. Brooks released his first Christmas album, Beyond the Season on August 25, 1992. The album included classics such as "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" as well as an original tune "The Old Man's Back in Town." "Beyond the Season" was the best selling Christmas album in 1992, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1993, Brooks, who had criticized music stores selling used CDs since it led to

4503-410: The musical guest on an episode of Saturday Night Live , which he also hosted as himself. Brooks' promotion of the album and the film did not garner excitement, and the failure of the Gaines project was evident mere weeks after the album was released. The majority of the American public was either bewildered, or completely unreceptive to the idea of Brooks portraying a rock-and-roll musician. Sales of

4582-486: The normally staid country music approach to concerts. The band KISS was also one of Brooks' early musical influences, and his shows often reflect this. Despite all the cited influences, Brooks stated the energetic style of his stage persona is directly inspired by Chris LeDoux . In late 1990, Brooks was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry . Brooks' third album, Ropin' the Wind , was released in September 1991. It had advance orders of 4 million copies and entered

4661-426: The premise of not releasing new music until 2014. Despite this, later that year, Brooks signed a deal with Walmart , leasing them the rights to his entire catalog following his split with Capitol Records. Brooks was one of the first musicians to sign an exclusive music distribution deal with a single retailer (along with fellow country music artist Ricky Van Shelton , who issued his 1998 album Making Plans through

4740-409: The series was simulcast to more than 300 movie theaters across the U.S. In January 2008, Brooks embarked on another incredible feat performing five sold-out shows (in less than 48 hours) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a fundraiser towards the 2007 wildfires season that impacted much of Southern California's cities and counties. The first concert (of the five) titled Garth Brooks: Live in LA

4819-433: The show include Simon and Garfunkel , Bob Seger , Billy Joel , and Don McLean . His first performances at Encore Las Vegas coincided with his wedding anniversary, and his wife Trisha Yearwood joined him for two songs. In 2013, influenced by the set list of the Las Vegas shows, Brooks released Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences via Walmart, a compilation album consisting of songs Brooks attributes to

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4898-474: The site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 World Games . On June 4, 2022, country superstar Garth Brooks performed at the first concert ever held at the stadium. The 2,835 -seat BJCC Concert Hall was the home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra before moving to UAB 's state of the art Alys Stephens Center. Concerts and touring Broadway and family shows are also held here. It features an 84-foot (26 m)-by-88-foot (25.5-x-27-m) stage with

4977-469: The top 10. Nonetheless, "We Shall Be Free" peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Christian Songs charts through a marketing deal with Rick Hendrix Company, and earned Brooks a 1993 GLAAD Media Award . The next single released from The Chase was " Somewhere Other Than the Night ", followed by " Learning to Live Again ", which peaked at numbers one and two on the Hot Country Songs chart, respectively. The album's final single, " That Summer ", would go on to be

5056-454: The top 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The couple were later nominated for a "Best Country Collaboration With Vocals" Grammy Award . On August 18, 2007, Brooks announced plans for a new box set, The Ultimate Hits . The new set featured two discs containing 30 classic songs, three new songs, and a DVD featuring music videos. The album's first single, " More Than a Memory ", was released on August 27, 2007. It debuted at No. 1 on

5135-420: The top 30 in the UK Albums Chart. Brooks' first world tour began in 1993, reaching the UK after many domestic concerts. Brooks sold-out venues such as Birmingham 's National Exhibition Centre and London's Wembley Arena , a feat never accomplished by an American country music artist. He also began the London radio station, Country 1035 . Despite the disdain of the British media, Brooks' overall popularity in

5214-512: The tribute compilation, Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved , a collection of songs performed by popular artists from various genres. The unlikely collaboration of Brooks and KISS' rendition of " Hard Luck Woman " was performed live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , and despite its hard-rock appeal, Brooks' version appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In November 1995, Brooks released Fresh Horses , his first album of new material in two years. Within six months of its release,

5293-406: The upcoming album's title, Gunslinger , via Facebook Live . It was released on November 11, 2016, as a part of The Ultimate Collection , a compilation album Brooks released through Target . Brooks' other project for 2016 was a duet holiday album with wife Trisha Yearwood , Christmas Together . After years of royalty disputes and an opposition to online music streaming , Brooks launched

5372-416: The works of James Taylor , whom he idolized and named his first child after, as well as Dan Fogelberg . Similarly, Brooks was influenced by the 1970s-era rock of Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen and the operatic rock of Queen with Freddie Mercury . In his live shows, Brooks used a wireless headset microphone to free himself to run about the stage, adding energy and arena rock theatrics to spice up

5451-560: Was William Kennan Professor Emeritus. Under his leadership over 17 years, the School of Architecture emerged as a major center for the exchange of architectural ideas, while retaining its small size and close connections with the rest of the university. During his time as Dean, the School admitted women for the first time in 1968, advanced academic research was conducted on this historic threshold by Dr. Meral Ekincioglu with MIT-Architecture Department's academic sponsorship. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Bcie-0p8Q&t=253s ). In 1990, he

5530-581: Was a chart success. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. Most of the album was traditionalist country, influenced in part by George Strait. The first single, " Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) ", was a country top 10 success. It was followed by Brooks' first number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart, " If Tomorrow Never Comes ". " Not Counting You " reached No. 2, and " The Dance " reached No. 1; its music video, directed by John Lloyd Miller , gave Brooks his first push towards

5609-427: Was an American architect, planner, writer, educator, past principal of the firm Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham (GBQC), and dean emeritus of the Princeton University School of Architecture (1965-1982). As principal of GBQC, select major projects include Pender Labs at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering , University of Pennsylvania , the Philadelphia Police Headquarters , the Liberty State Park master plan,

5688-582: Was announced that the highway would reopen by January 21. Legacy Arena (formerly known as the BJCC Coliseum until February 1999 and the BJCC Arena until December 2014), seats 17,654 for sporting events, 19,000 for concerts and 8,000 in a theater setting. It has been the home to ice hockey, college basketball and arena football teams in Birmingham. It was home of the Birmingham Bulls of

5767-622: Was appointed the Henry Luce Professor of Architecture, Urbanism, and History at New York University, and was elected a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities. He pioneered in connecting architecture with the humanities and social sciences, and with public affairs and urban design, and is best known for his undergraduate course at Princeton and NYU, Architecture 101, "Buildings, Landscapes, and Cities." He

5846-708: Was born on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma . He was the youngest child of Troyal Raymond Brooks Jr. (1931–2010), a draftsman for an oil company, and Colleen McElroy Carroll (1929–1999), a 1950s-era country singer of Irish ancestry who recorded on the Capitol Records label and appeared on Ozark Jubilee . This was the second marriage for each of his parents, giving Brooks four older half-siblings (Jim, Jerry, Mike, and Betsy). The couple had two children together, Kelly and Garth. At their home in Yukon, Oklahoma ,

5925-1835: Was co-author of the Princeton Report on Architectural Education for the American Institute of Architects (1967). Geddes and his wife, Evelyn, had two children and were married for 73 years until her death in 2020. Geddes died at his home near Princeton, New Jersey , on February 13, 2023, at the age of 99. • Pender Labs, Moore School of Electrical Engineering , University of Pennsylvania (1958, demolished 2003) • Sydney Opera House , Sydney, Australia. Second place in an international design competition (1955) • Philadelphia Police Headquarters (1960) • Caesar Rodney Residence Hall Complex , University of Delaware (1966) • Hill Hall , Rutgers University–Newark (1967) • Institute for Advanced Study . Dining Commons, Birch Garden, and Academic Building. Princeton, New Jersey (1970–72) • Corning, New York Main Street Renewal (1972) • Stockton University (then Rickard Stockton College). Master plan and building design (1970–76) • Architects Housing Company, Trenton, New Jersey . Affordable senior housing (1975) • Rutgers University–New Brunswick , Piscataway campus. Psychology building (1975) • Rutgers University–New Brunswick , Livingston campus. Student Center (1985) • Trexler Library, Muhlenberg College . Allentown, Pennsylvania (1988) • Princeton Community Housing. Affordable housing (1989) • Environmental and Health Science Laboratory, Mobile Oil Corporation Technical Center, Hopewell, New Jersey (1989) • Vienna-South urban expansion (1972) • Liberty State Park , Jersey City, New Jersey (1974–84) • Philadelphia City Center. Master plan (1988) Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962)

6004-576: Was exposed to a wide range of music. Although he listened to some country music , especially that of George Jones , Brooks was most fond of rock music, citing James Taylor , Dan Fogelberg , and Townes Van Zandt as major influences. In 1981, after hearing " Unwound ", the debut single of George Strait , Brooks decided that he was more interested in playing country music. In 1985, entertainment attorney Rod Phelps drove from Dallas to listen to Brooks. Phelps liked what he heard and offered to produce Brooks' first demo. With Phelps' encouragement, including

6083-619: Was originally scheduled to be released in August 1997, allowing for promotion during Brooks' Central Park concert ; however, plans went awry after a dispute within Capitol Records. The Central Park concert went on as planned, receiving 980,000 fans in attendance and becoming the largest concert in park history. Sevens debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. It later became Brooks' fourth album to reach sales of 10 million copies. The album included

6162-469: Was released in November 2023. Brooks is one of the world's best-selling music artists , having sold more than 170 million records. Billboard ranked Brooks as the greatest male solo artist on the Billboard 200 chart of all time. As of 2020 , according to the RIAA, he is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 162 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley , and

6241-709: Was taped and broadcast repeatedly on CBS with all donations going to all of the victims and families in state of California who were impacted by the fires. In January 2009, Brooks made another one of few public appearances since his retirement, performing at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial concert in Washington, D.C.. In his three-song set, Brooks performed "We Shall Be Free", along with covers of Don McLean 's " American Pie " and

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