Staying true to music and herself is Yearwood's secret to success

ROSS RAIHALA, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, February 15, 2002

In a decadelong career, Trisha Yearwood has established herself as one of country music's most reliable females with a string of hit albums and singles as well as a commitment to stay true to her genre.

All the while, she's managed to deal with a rumor that might've killed the career of a lesser artist -- the one that suggests her friendship with superstar Garth Brooks is more than just a friendship.

Shortly after her 1991 debut album, Yearwood told the Los Angeles Times: "It's no fun to defend yourself against nasty rumors or hear people saying you rode somebody's coattails to get where you are. OK, I probably wouldn't have made it as quickly without Garth, but I would have made it somehow. I do have talent."

And, if nothing else, her millions of album sales and rabid legion of fans handily prove that point.

Yearwood, who plays Seattle on Wednesday night, befriended Brooks when the two were struggling to make it in Nashville. Brooks was the first to land a record deal. Yearwood sang backup vocals on his albums and opened for him on his 1991 tour.

That same year, Yearwood released her own first album, a self-titled collection that featured two songs co-written by Brooks, who also sang on "Like We Never Had a Broken Heart." It was the hit "She's in Love With the Boy," however, that established Yearwood as a major country-music player.

"Music has always been a means for me to express things that I would not necessarily express otherwise," Yearwood told one reporter, "being a private person who doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve."

Still, Yearwood's 1992 album "Hearts in Armor" sounded like "an emotional diary of Yearwood's divorce" from husband Christopher Latham, according to the All Music Guide.

Fans latched on to Yearwood and made hits out of songs such as "The Wrong Side of Memphis," "Walkaway Joe," "The Song Remembers When," "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" and "I Wanna Go Too Far."

By 1997, Yearwood had even crossed over into the mainstream with her version of "How Do I Live," which was featured on her first compilation, the 4-million-selling "Songbook: A Collection of Hits."

Yearwood remained humble about her success: "I've had a label that's been pretty supportive," she said in 1998. "We've always done well sales-wise, and I've kind of been on that fence where I've sold enough records to make them happy but I haven't had to compromise my musical integrity. It's a nice place to be."

"How Do I Live" brought Yearwood success outside the country charts, but she resisted the temptation to follow the pop-friendly path of Shania Twain and instead upped the steel guitar and began to sound like a country traditionalist.

Some of that influence might have come from Yearwood's second husband, Robert Reynolds, bass player for the Mavericks. When the couple announced plans to divorce in 1999, however, all eyes turned once again to her frequent musical partner Garth Brooks, who was in the process of ending his own marriage.

Tabloids flocked to the story, claiming a longtime affair between the two was Nashville's worst-kept secret.

Yearwood kept cool.

"I don't like it, but I understand it," she told one reporter when asked about the divorce. "But think of the most unpleasant thing you've ever gone through and then to have strangers come up and ask you about it ... most of what's printed is inaccurate."

And just as Yearwood's latest album, "Inside Out," entered the country charts at No. 1, she reflected on how her songs transcend her personal life.

"When people listen to music, they don't dwell on what a song means to Trisha Yearwood. They're interpreting it according to what it means in their lives. That's what we all do with music."

Ross Raihala covers music and entertainment for The Olympian and can be reached at 360-754-5406 or OlyRoss@aol.com.

Trisha Yearwood

- When: 7 p.m. Feb. 20.

- Where: Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle.

- Tickets: $29.50-$53.50.

- For information: Call Ticketmaster Northwest at 206-628-0888.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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