9 Things to Know About Trisha Yearwood

An iconic name in country music, Trisha Yearwood is celebrating her 55th birthday on Thursday, Sept. 19, already having received a special message from husband Garth Brooks.

Yearwood released her first single in 1991 and has since become one of country music’s leading ladies, going on to sell over 15 million records and earning Grammy Awards, CMA Awards, ACM Awards and a membership with the Grand Ole Opry. In addition to her singing career, she has authored multiple cookbooks, hosts her own cooking show and has partnerships with several brands.

Read on for a few facts you might not know about the star.

She has an associate degree in business

Yearwood attended Young Harris College for two years after graduating high school in Georgia, where she earned an associate degree in business. She then attended the University of Georgia for one semester before dropping out and moving to Nashville, where she enrolled at Belmont University to pursue a music business degree.

Garth Brooks was instrumental in getting her career started

Yearwood and husband Garth Brooks knew each other long before they ever got romantically involved, with Brooks actually serving as a catalyst for his wife’s career. Yearwood worked at MTM Records where she recorded demo tapes and sang background vocals for various artists, one of whom was Brooks.

Brooks said he would help Yearwood sign a record deal if his career became successful, which he did, connecting her to a producer who helped her record a demo tape before she performed at a label showcase, which led to her earning a deal of her own. She then served as the opening act on Brooks’ 1991 tour.

She loves when her husband makes these two dishes:

Along with her singing, Yearwood is known for her multiple cookbooks and her Food Network Show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, where she regularly serves up Southern dishes ranging from barbecue to desserts. While she does plenty of cooking at home, Brooks does his share of stepping into the kitchen, with Yearwood revealing that two of her husband’s dishes are her particular favorites.

“His warm pasta salad or his taco pizza — both amazing, and even better because I get to relax while he cooks!” she told Fox News Magazine.

The “Every Girl in This Town” singer added that her other half has a bit of a different cooking style.

“I’d call Garth a freestyle cook! He never uses a recipe … always just thinks about what might taste good together, and he creates something fabulous every time,” she said.

Her signature cocktail is a fruity one

During an episode of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, Yearwood revealed her signature cocktail, which contains grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and vodka.

As for a signature dish, Yearwood told Today that when she wants to go all out for her husband, she turns to a classic option.

“One of the first things I ever made him was fettuccine alfredo — it’s one of the dishes he still really likes,” she said. “It was a full-on decadent version. I made it so rich, I think I doubled the cream or butter over what the recipe called for. He was almost literally falling asleep in his plate and he was like, ‘I love this but I need a nap.’”

Her mother passed away in 2011

The singer’s mom, Gwen, passed in 2011 after a battle with breast cancer, and Yearwood has worked since then to raise awareness and funds to help fight the disease. One of the ways she does so is by hosting a luncheon at her home for 14 Nashville-area breast cancer survivors, an even she told PEOPLE her mom “would have loved.”

Yearwood often speaks about her mom on her Food Network show, and her first two cookbooks, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen and Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood were written by the star along with Gwen and sister, Beth.

She is an avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity

Another cause Yearwood is passionate about is Habitat for Humanity. She and Brooks have been working with the organization for over 10 years, having first volunteered in New Orleans to help build the 1,000th and 1,001st post-Hurricane Katrina Habitat homes on the Gulf Coast. 

“We knew Habitat built houses, but we didn’t know the whole piece about it being a hand up, not a handout,” Yearwood told Habitat. “And how you work side by side with the homeowner and the sweat equity they put in. We just fell in love with the physical labor — Garth and I really like to build. I’m a little tomboy daughter, the son my dad never had. We were hooked.”

“Habitat is a great reminder to me of how grateful I need to be on a daily basis,” she added. “I believe the adage, ‘To whom much is given, from him much is expected.’ Part of my job in life is to give back, and this is a wonderful way for me to give back.”

Matthew McConaughey appeared in her video for ‘Walkaway Joe’

Yearwood “Walkaway Joe,” which features background vocals from Don Henley of The Eagles, appeared on the star’s 1992 album Hearts in Armor and was released as the project’s second single. The video stars a 23-year-old Matthew McConaughey in the actor’s first small screen role as the boyfriend in the song, spending time with his girlfriend in a cornfield and even going skinny dipping.

“He was cast from local talent in Austin, Texas, where the footage was shot,” Yearwood told PEOPLE in 2014. “The performance with Don Henley was shot in Nashville, so I never met Matthew. About 10 years ago, we were both at the Grammys and trying to connect but we kept missing each other.”

She once had a meet-and-greet with Linda Rondstadt

When she was young, Yearwood became an instant fan of Linda Rondstadt and earned a meet-and-greet at one of the singer’s shows, although she was so nervous, she ultimately left without meeting the star.

“I’m a student of Linda Ronstadt,” Yearwood told Parade. “In the 1970s, Linda was at the top of her game as a rock ‘n’ roll icon. She sang songs that really moved me and made me want to be a singer when I grew up. I have become friends with her. It’s a cool thing to be friends with your mentor and have them understand that what they did played an important role in shaping you.”

She had a recurring role on a TV show

From 1997-2002, Yearwood had a recurring role on the CBS drama JAG, playing Lieutenant Commander Teresa Coulter, a Navy coroner and forensic specialist, six times over four seasons. She also played Mary in the 2016 television movie musical The Passion.

Photo Credit: Getty / Jesse Grant