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American Morning

Garth Brooks Performing for Service Men and Women Aboard USS Enterprise

Aired November 20, 2001 - 07:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Giving his own thanks this week: country singer Garth Brooks. He says -- I'll say it ain't so -- but he says he's getting out of the music business, but he's doing it on a patriotic note.

Brooks is performing for service men and women aboard the USS Enterprise. CNN's Sherri Sylvester sat down with the music superstar to talk about his career and his retirement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARTH BROOKS, COUNTRY SINGER (singing): It's all you've found (ph)...

SHERRI SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Garth Brooks is kicking off Thanksgiving with a live concert for U.S. military troops. It's not exactly the retirement plan he had in mind a year ago, but there is no place he'd rather be this holiday.

GARTH: To actually be singing from the flight deck of the USS Enterprise for our fighting men and women, it's going to be a very poignant and very -- we're just going to use a lot of what we know as Garth music.

SYLVESTER: The concert is one of three coast-to-coast performances for CBS. It's Brook's first face-to-face music in two- and-a-half years.

GARTH: This is when I fly. That's why when you see me on stage and my arms go out, it's because just I'm having the time of my life, and this going to be nice.

SYLVESTER: It is in some ways his golden parachute. A year ago, Brooks quit the music business with a caveat that he would produce one more album and promote it, but his time off was difficult. He and his wife divorced. Brooks' mother died of cancer.

GARTH: It threw me into a very dark time, dealing with the passing of my mother and dealing with the dissolving of a relationship that has been the majority of my adult life.

SYLVESTER: He turned his attention to his three daughters. GARTH: Just because you're retired doesn't mean you have to be retired from feeling passion, and so the passion went into being a father. The passion went into being a cook, you know, for my kids. The passion went into soccer. The passion went into all of the stuff for them, and for me, it turned to "Scarecrow."

SYLVESTER: "Scarecrow" is meant to be his final album. Its music has been healing in unexpected ways. Brooks was in New York on September 11. He says he felt useless, helpless and worthless.

GARTH: And driving out of there, we heard the song of change come on. And you're going, wait a minute, yes, that's what I do. But I don't save people, but the music may be a part of the healing process.

SYLVESTER: This Thanksgiving, Garth Brooks hopes to lift the spirits of our troops and end his career on a high note.

Sherri Sylvester, CNN Entertainment News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Oh, Garth, come back, come back. We need you back on the airways.

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