Greatest Hits (Chris Gaines album)
Encyclopedia
Greatest Hits, also titled Garth Brooks in.... The Life of Chris Gaines, is part of the alter ego
project of American country music
artist Garth Brooks
, in which Brooks assumes the fictitious persona of alternative rock artist Chris Gaines
. Originally, this album was intended to be the soundtrack for a movie called The Lamb that would star Brooks as a rock star recalling the different periods of his life. This album was purposely released a year in advance from the scheduled film release date to pique interest in Brooks performing rock instead of country. The Lamb, however, was never filmed due to financial and management problems.
This is Brooks' 11th overall album, released on September 28, 1999. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200
chart, and also gained Brooks's first and, to date, only appearance on the U.S. Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, with "Lost in You", which peaked at #5. The track It Don't Matter to the Sun was later covered
in 2005, by Rosie Thomas
on her "If Songs Could Be Held" album.
On November 13, 1999, Brooks hosted Saturday Night Live
as himself but performed the musical numbers as Chris Gaines without acknowledging to the audience that they were the same person. He performed "Way of the Girl."
, and peaked at #5 on the Canadian Albums Chart
. In November 1999, it was Certified 2 x Platinum by the RIAA.
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
project of American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, in which Brooks assumes the fictitious persona of alternative rock artist Chris Gaines
Chris Gaines
Chris Gaines is a fictional alternative rock persona created as an alter ego for Garth Brooks to explore rock and roll styles far removed from his success as a country singer....
. Originally, this album was intended to be the soundtrack for a movie called The Lamb that would star Brooks as a rock star recalling the different periods of his life. This album was purposely released a year in advance from the scheduled film release date to pique interest in Brooks performing rock instead of country. The Lamb, however, was never filmed due to financial and management problems.
This is Brooks' 11th overall album, released on September 28, 1999. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, and also gained Brooks's first and, to date, only appearance on the U.S. Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, with "Lost in You", which peaked at #5. The track It Don't Matter to the Sun was later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
in 2005, by Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
on her "If Songs Could Be Held" album.
On November 13, 1999, Brooks hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
as himself but performed the musical numbers as Chris Gaines without acknowledging to the audience that they were the same person. He performed "Way of the Girl."
Track listing
- "That's the Way I Remember It" (Tommy SimsTommy SimsTommy Sims is a renowned bassist, songwriter, record producer and bandleader.-Music career:From 1987 to 1989 he was the bassist of the popular Christian rock band White Heart which he left to become a studio musician and producer. During 1992-1993, he played bass on the Bruce Springsteen and the...
, Tony ArataTony ArataTony Arata is an American singer-songwriter. He was born and grew up in Savannah, Georgia, attended the Georgia Southern University, and moved to Nashville in 1986....
) – 4:29 - "Lost in YouLost in You (Chris Gaines song)"Lost in You" is the title of a song co-written by Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tommy Sims. It was recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks under the fictitious persona of alternative rock artist Chris Gaines. It was released in July 1999 as the lead single from the album...
" (Gordon KennedyGordon Kennedy (musician)Gordon Kennedy is a multi Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer, world-class guitarist and visionary at the forefront of Nashville’s music community....
, Wayne KirkpatrickWayne KirkpatrickWayne Kirkpatrick is an American singer/songwriter and musician born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from Baton Rouge Magnet High School in 1979....
, Sims) – 3:05 - "Snow in July" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Mike More, Andrew Logan) – 4:20
- "Driftin' Away" (Sims) – 4:56
- "Way of the Girl" (Kennedy) – 3:44
- "Unsigned Letter" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Sims) – 4:17
- "It Don't Matter to the Sun" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Sims) – 4:21
- "Right Now" (Cheryl WheelerCheryl WheelerCheryl Wheeler is an American singer-songwriter of contemporary folk music, based in New England. To date, she has recorded several folk albums, and has toured extensively throughout the United States....
, Chet PowersChet PowersChester William Powers, Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, and a member of the rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service. He was also known by the stage name "Dino Valenti" and, as a songwriter, as Jesse Oris Farrow...
) – 3:24 - "Main Street" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Trisha YearwoodTrisha YearwoodPatricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
) – 4:12 - "White Flag" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick) – 4:43
- "Digging for Gold" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick) – 5:08
- "Maybe" (Kennedy, Phil Madeira) – 5:11
- "My Love Tells Me So" (Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Sims) – 4:33
Chart performance
Garth Brooks in.... The Life of Chris Gaines peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and peaked at #5 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
. In November 1999, it was Certified 2 x Platinum by the RIAA.
Charts
| Charts (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 2 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums | 13 |
| UK Albums Chart | 158 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
CAN AC | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| 1999 | "Lost in You" | 62 | 5 | 55 | 46 | 1 | 70 | ||
| "It Don't Matter to the Sun" | 24 | 113 | 23 | — | — | — | |||
| "That's the Way I Remember It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Sales and Certifications
| Region | Provider | Certification | Sales/Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | CRIA Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
1 x platinum | 100,000+ |
| United States | RIAA | 2 x Platinum | 2,000,000+ |
Personnel
- Kenny AronoffKenny AronoffKenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Eddie BayersEddie BayersEddie Bayers is an American session drummer who has played on 150 gold and platinum albums. He received the Academy of Country Music 'Drummer of the Year Award' for eight straight years, and has three times won the Nashville Music Awards 'Drummer of the Year'...
– drums - Garth BrooksGarth BrooksTroyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
(as Chris Gaines) – lead vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Lenny CastroLenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Chris Harris – background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Mark Heimermann – background vocals
- Hutch Hutchison – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Gordon KennedyGordon Kennedy (musician)Gordon Kennedy is a multi Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer, world-class guitarist and visionary at the forefront of Nashville’s music community....
– background vocals, lead vocals on "My Love Tells Me So," acoustic guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass guitar - Rami JaffeeRami JaffeeRami Jaffee, born March 11, 1969, in Los Angeles, is best known as the keyboardist of The Wallflowers and work for several bands and artists, including Foo Fighters, Pete Yorn, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam, Stone Sour, Joseph Arthur and Coheed and Cambria....
– Hammond B-3 organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard... - Wayne KirkpatrickWayne KirkpatrickWayne Kirkpatrick is an American singer/songwriter and musician born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from Baton Rouge Magnet High School in 1979....
– acoustic guitar, ClavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, background vocals - Mike Lawler – Clavinet, keyboards
- Phil Madeira – Hammond B-3 organ
- Blair Masters – keyboards
- Chris McHugh – drums, percussion
- Terry McMillan – percussion
- Dan Needham – drums
- Greg PhillinganesGreg PhillinganesGreg Phillinganes is an active session keyboardist in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan....
–keyboards - Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
– keyboards - Tommy SimsTommy SimsTommy Sims is a renowned bassist, songwriter, record producer and bandleader.-Music career:From 1987 to 1989 he was the bassist of the popular Christian rock band White Heart which he left to become a studio musician and producer. During 1992-1993, he played bass on the Bruce Springsteen and the...
– acoustic guitar, keyboards, programming, background vocals - Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
- Crystal TalieferoCrystal TalieferoCrystal Taliefero is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Since 1989 she has been a touring and recording member of the Billy Joel Band...
– background vocals - Reggie Young – electric guitar
- J.B. Baird - engineer, mixing
- Don Cobb, Erin Conn, Carlos Grier - digital editing
- George Massenburg - engineer, mixing
- Rik Pekkonen - engineer
- Glenn Spinner - engineer, mixing