Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind

With Ropin' the Wind, Garth Brooks begins to make his '70s rock influences more explicit. Naturally, that is most notable in his reworking of Billy Joel's "Shameless," which he transforms from a rock power ballad into contemporary country. But that influence is also evident on ambitious epics like "The River" and even the honky tonk ravers of "Papa Loved Mama" and "Rodeo." Some might say that those rock influences are what make Brooks a crossover success, but he wouldn't be nearly as successful if he didn't have a tangible country foundation to his music -- even when he comes close to standard arena rock bombast, there are gritty steel guitars or vocal inflections that prove he is trying to expand country's vocabulary, not trying to exploit it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alan Umstead Strings Allen Reynolds Producer Anthony LaMarchina Strings Antoine Silverman Strings Betty Smittle Guitar (Bass), Vocals Beverly Parker Photography Bobby Wood Keyboards Brent Dannen Audio Engineer Brian Petree Stage Manager Bruce Bouton Lap Steel Guitar, Pedal Steel, Guitar (Steel), Dobro Bruce Christensen Strings Bruce Sweetman Strings Carl Gorodetzky Strings Carl Jackson Vocal Harmony, Vocals Cate Myer Strings Catherine Umstead Strings Charles Cochran String Arrangements Chris Leuzinger Guitar (Electric) Connie Ellisor Strings Craig Nelson Strings Crom Tidwell Merchandising Dan Heins House Sound Dave Butzler Lighting Director Dave Gant Keyboards, Vocals, Fiddle David Angell Strings David Davidson Strings Dennis Molchan Strings Denny Purcell Mastering Edgar Meyer Bass (Acoustic), Bass Elizabeth Stewart Strings Garth Brooks Vocal Harmony, Vocals Gary VanOsdale ?, Strings George Binkley III Strings James Garver Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Vocals Janet Askey Strings Jerry Douglas Dobro Jerry Joyner Design Joann Cruthirds Strings Jocelyn Jones Strings John Catchings Strings John McBride Production Coordination Julia Tanner Strings Karen Winkelmann Strings Kathryn Plummer Strings Kenny Malone Percussion Kristin Wilkinson Strings Kristin Wilskinson Strings Larry Cordle Vocals, Vocal Harmony Lee Larrison Strings Mark Casstevens Guitar (Acoustic) Mark Greenwood Stage Manager Mark Miller Engineer Mary Beth Felts Make-Up Michel Weber Management Mike Chapman Bass Mike Palmer Percussion, Drums Milton Sledge Percussion, Drums Monisa Angell Strings Pamela Sixfin Strings Paul Tobias Strings Randall Olson Strings Richard Grosjean Strings Rob Hajacos Fiddle Robert Mason Strings Roy Christensen Strings Sam Bush Mandolin Steve McClure Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Steel) Susan Ashton Vocals Ted Madsen Strings Thomas McAninch Strings Tony Baker Assistant Photographer Trisha Yearwood Vocal Harmony, Vocals Ty England Vocals, Guitar (Acoustic) Vanosdale Strings Virginia Team Art Direction