July was a slow month for news. Other then the normal sell-outs at his shows, there wasn't really anything notable.

   This month I went on my second road trip to Las Vegas to see Garth. I had a blast, met some great Garth fans, and enjoyed two wonderful shows.

Garth debuts "It's Your Song" in Las Vegas. It's an emotional song for him as his mom is fighting for her life, and about to undergo surgery. The concerts in Las Vegas are all filmed for a TV special. A second song is debuted in Vegas, his third duet with Trisha Yearwood, "Wild As The Wind."

   Garth's mom undergoes major surgery for throat cancer in Los Angeles. The surgery is successful, and while they had thought they would have to remove her voicebox, they didn't have to.

   Garth makes his first ever visit to South America, performing at the Barretos, Brazil Rodeo. He finds out that the Brazilian fans love him as much as his U.S. fans do, and they know the words to his songs as well.

   It's announced that Garth Brooks: Double Live will be released on November 17th.

   The CMA's were presented this month. Garth wins the Entertainer of the Year award again. He and Trisha do a first, by singing "Where Your Road Leads" live from a concert in Buffalo, NY.

   October 6th is proclaimed Garth Brooks Day in Minnesota. Garth is awarded a star outside the Target Center, where he performed a record breaking nine shows. This is the highest amount of shows in a single city on this tour.

   Later that month, on Halloween weekend, the show thought to be the end of the tour, in Tampa, Florida, ends up to be rather disappointing for some fans as the last show is shorter than a usual concert. Speculation runs wild as to the cause of the show ending early, but no official word is given.

   Fans are further upset that what they thought to be the last show won't be after all. Garth was scheduled to perform in Belfast, Ireland for five shows, which were to be the last shows of the tour, but he decides to end the tour in College Station, TX the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Fans scramble for tickets, and the last show ends up to be very special, and what some fans who attended the shows in Tampa thought it should have been like there.

   Garth was presented with the Distinguished Artist Award in Los Angeles.

   Double Live is released on November 17th, and breaks the record for most units sold in a week. Over 1 million copies are sold.

   Garth does a special Wal-Mart in-store concert, then tapes three separate LIVE specials to promote the album. The specials are taped live for Eastern/Central, then Mountain, then Pacific times.

   Garth opens the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, this year, filling in for Madonna in a big way. He sings Ain't Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up) while flying over the crowd, as he did in Texas Stadium several years ago.

   Garth also received six Billboard Music Awards, bringing his total to 24. He won Country Artist, Country Album, Male Album, Male Album's Artist, Country Singles Artist, and Country Albums Artist.

   Garth and Hillary Clinton light the Rockerfeller Christmas Tree in New York City.

All in all, 1998 has been a wonderful year for Garth. He's had a very emotional year with his mom being so sick, but he's much more relaxed nowadays, since her operation was successful.

What does 1999 hold for Garth? Well, he won't be touring, with the exception of the one concert that will be given for a fan winning a contest with "Garth in your backyard."

Garth plans to work on producing The Lamb, and possibly even starring in it, although it doesn't seem that he's pushing for that.

There is also the possibility that Garth will be playing baseball with the Padres. This isn't confirmed yet, either. The money Garth would receive for playing would be given to children's charities.

I wouldn't count out an appearance at the Opry next Summer, either.

Garth isn't the type to crawl in a hole and not make any news. His album, Garth Brooks: Double Live, closes out the year at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 Albums, and Country Albums charts.

Garth also plans on doing some writing next year, and hopefully recording that duet album with Trisha Yearwood. Then next Christmas we can expect a new Christmas album, along with a television special.

Only Garth knows what he'll be doing next year... but I'm sure it will be exciting, record-breaking, and something his fans will love.

Garth Accused of Plagiarizing Song

Garth Settles Plagiarism Suit

Garth Sells Out Six in Dallas/Ft Worth

Garth and Babyface to Produce Movie

Garth to Host Saturday Night Live

Garth and Sandy Donate $1 Million to Nashville Zoo

Garth Visits Oprah in Amarillo

Garth Live From Central Park Debuts at #1

Garth & Trisha Win Grammy for "In Another's Eyes"

Garth's Special Focuses on Ireland

Garth Ropes a Workout With the Padres

Limited Series to Come Out On May 5th

Garth Live from Central Park Earns Six Emmy Nominations

Garth Joins other Stars for "One Heart At A Time"

Garth Plays Nine Shows in Minneapolis, MN

Garth Named Entertainer of the Year at CMA's

Garth Offers Free Concert In Your Backyard

Wal-Mart Broadcasts Brooks Concert

Over One Million Copies of Double Live Sold in One Week