Garth Brooks

Born: February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Status: Married, to Sandy Mahl

Love him or hate him for it, Garth Brooks is the guy responsible for new country.

Bringing together a traditional honky tonk sound, sensitive guy lyrics, and rock-concert-ready intensity, Brooks has brought country to the larger public and paved the way for countless other crossover performers. Some would argue that in its attempt to appeal to such a wide audience Brooks' music has become overly packaged and commercial. (He does have a degree in marketing). Could be, but try telling that to his legions of fans.

Brooks burst onto the scene with his self-titled debut album in 1989. It did surprisingly well, crossing over onto the pop charts. But it was his second album that would make him a superstar. No Fences was the first country album to break the million-copy barrier, selling 13 million in all. His follow-up, Ropin' the Wind was the first album in history to debut at the top of both the country and pop charts.

Brooks' concerts are legendary. In 1997 he got 750,000 people to cram in to New York's Central Park -- an unlikely venue for a country singer. (Admittedly, the concert was free.) His albums have continued to sell well over the past few years, though not in such astronomical numbers as in the early 90s. His most recent, In the Life of Chris Gaines, involved a major makeover for the singer: a "pre-soundtrack" to a movie about a fictional rock star, Brooks appears on the cover in a black wig and with a soul patch.

Brooks' pro-tolerance anthem "We Shall Be Free," the first title on his gospel-tinged The Chase, was a big hit with gay country fans, including Brooks' lesbian sister, musician Betsy Smittle, who is bass/acoustic guitarist and background vocalist for Brooks and the band Stillwater.

But Smittle was surprised when her brother called to warn her that he'd outed her in a 1993 television interview.

"It put me in a state of panic,'' Smittle told Newsweek. '"I thought, 'Oh my God, they're going to blow up the bus or something.' But nothing bad came of it. A lot of good came of it, really. People are a bit more open-minded."

Brooks even supports gay marriage. "If it's against the law, then that's something that you're just going to have to fight for," he told The Village Voice. "If you truly love somebody and you want to get married to them, get married to them. I know that's what I did."