On This Day in 1990, Garth Brooks Released His Signature Hit That Almost Went to Another 90s Country Star

On this day (August 6) in 1990, Garth Brooks released “Friends in Low Places” as the lead single from his sophomore album No Fences. Later that year, it spent four weeks at the top of the country chart, giving Brooks his second consecutive No. 1 single. More than 30 years later, it remains one of his most popular songs. However, Mark Chesnutt almost released it as a single.

Before Brooks was one of the hottest young stars in Nashville, he was a shoe salesman in nearby Goodlettsville, Tennessee. That’s where he met Bud Lee and Dewayne Blackwell, who co-wrote “Friends in Low Places.” They struck up a conversation, and when the songwriters learned that Brooks moonlighted as a demo singer, they asked him to record the demo of the future megahit.

Brooks agreed. After singing the demo, he knew he wanted to record the song. According to Songfacts, he had the chorus stuck in his head for two weeks. At the same time, he knew it was going to be more than a year before No Fences was released. He was still awaiting the release of his self-titled debut record at the time. Despite the long wait, Brooks asked if he could put the track on hold for his next album. Lee and Blackwell agreed.

Garth Brooks Almost Missed Out on “Friends in Low Places”

Garth Brooks was the third artist to record “Friends in Low Places.” David Chamberlain cut the original version in 1989. Then, Mark Chesnutt recorded it for his 1990 album Too Cold at Home. His label, MCA, wanted to release it as the LP’s lead single.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1990, Garth Brooks Was at No. 1 With a Song He Promised To Cut Before He Signed His First Record Deal]

“We didn’t cut the song. We’d had it for a year, and we were playing it in bars. We were playing it long before it ever came out,” Brooks recalled. “Mark Chesnutt had cut it, and his label wanted it for his single. We found out and said, ‘Hey look, he can have it for a single, and we’re not going to cut it. We’re not going to put it on a record if he’s got it.’ They were sweet enough to honor the hold we had on it,” he explained. “So, that could have been either way. It could have been Mark Chesnutt who had the song.”

Featured Image by Neil Kitson/Redferns/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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