ABC/Image Group LAFor the first time today, Garth Brooks fans who buy The Ultimate Collection at Target will get to hear the CMA Entertainer of the Year’s new album, Gunslinger. It’s part of the boxed set that includes exclusive tracks like the all-star 25th anniversary re-recording of “Friends in Low Places,” as well as “1982,” Garth’s tribute to new Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis.
“I just love Randy,” Garth says. “You know, we did that in the Vegas show out there too. And so, we decided to put it on this thing called Old School that’s in the Target box. There’s 10 different discs and each one kinda has its own theme. Old School is kinda the beginning. So I can’t imagine my music without Randy Travis and I can’t imagine anybody that came around my time or after that can imagine their career with Randy Travis. So, [I] just love that guy and it was an honor to put that on there.”
It turns out the feeling is mutual, as Randy, who’s recovering from a stroke, recently came to see Garth’s concert celebrating his seven albums that have sold ten million copies each.
“I knew he was there,” Garth recalls. “What shocked me was he wanted to sit out in the crowd. And it was like, ‘Holy cow, there’s Mr. Country Music right there in this crowd!’ And just smiling, and his wife Mary — just sweet people. It was really cool.”
Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Collection has already broken Target’s record for the most pre-orders in the retailer’s history. Also new today is Garth’s first duet album with wife Trisha Yearwood, titled Christmas Together. It’ll be two more weeks before his new album, Gunslinger, is widely available as a standalone set.
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