Last night I was invited by Garth Brooks to sit at his table at the Songwriters Hall of Fame when he was being inducted. What a treat — I had a fabulous time. I was so excited to meet Garth’s tribe, and his teenage daughters — Taylor, August and Allie — were wonderful. And yes, his wife Trisha Yearwood was there too (as Garth puts it, she’s his soulmate).
Billy Joel introduced Garth as the last inductee of the night. Garth sang solo and was then joined by Billy to perform a number together — well, the house was rockin’!
But what really touched me was when Garth accepted the award, he said “the real success for me, is if my daughters are happy.” And during the evening Trisha sang a medley of Hal David songs, which was amazing. When I turned to see Garth’s reaction to his wife’s performance, tears were running down his face. I can only guess that he was touched by the love he felt for her.
Garth…you are a winner in more ways than one…I am proud to be your friend.
Garth, Trisha and I
Me with Trisha Yearwood and Garth’s daughters: from left, August, Allie and Taylor
Other inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame were John Bettis, Leon Russell, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, Allen Toussaint. And special awards went to Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Drake, Chaka Khan, and Hal David.