Garth Brooks Admits He Still Wakes Up Every Day Wanting To Be George Strait

When you hear the names George Strait and Garth Brooks you probably put them at the top of country music royalty. The guys have had incredible careers that have paved the way for so many artists and inspired countless others.

In a recent conversation on the Serendipity With Inky Johnson podcast, Brooks opened up about what led him to his career in country music and how it wasn't his first calling.

Many superfans will know that Brooks also had his sights set on being an athlete despite maybe not being the best athlete out there and he further talked about it during his interview. 

"As a kid, you always think you're going to be something. I was going to be a professional athlete and the only thing that kept me from being a professional athlete was my athletic ability,” he explained. 

He continued that he was looking for "that other thing" and that's when a fresh face in the country scene, George Strait, came on the radio. 

“I heard George Strait and was like, 'Holy cow, that’s what I want to do.' I love music. The last of six kids so lots of music in the house. Dad played guitar, Mom was actually signed to Capitol Records in the '50s so the dream had kind of always been in our house — so it didn't seem impossible at the time,” he said. "When I heard George Strait that's when I realized that's what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

Later in the chat, he admitted that although he's done some pretty cool things in his life he has one more goal: “I would be lying if I told you every morning when I woke up I no longer want to be George Strait. That would be a lie. Every day I still want to be [him]. There's just something about him that's gonna be forever cool for me.”

Brooks is pretty dang great at being himself as he is one of music's best-selling artists of all time with over 170 million albums sold in his career. According to the RIAA, he is also the best-selling solo artist in the United States with Elvis right behind him — Strait comes in at number 11 on that list!

You can listen to the full conversation below.

Photo: Getty Images