“Ropin’ the Wind” hit record stores in 1991, and was the first country record to rank #1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts since the release of Kenny Rogers’ album a decade before. Garth Brooks covered Billy Joel’s “Shameless” as part of this record, which came out as its second single. Other singles include “Rodeo” (written by Larry Bastian), “What She’s Doing Now,” “Papa Loved Mama,” and “The River.” Brooks initially wanted the song “Rodeo” to be sung by a woman, but he cut it himself when he couldn’t find a female singer to record it. Writing for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis described Brooks’ music as “exploding country stereotypes.”

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