Garth Brooks Confirms the Return of Chris Gaines

After Garth Brooks hinted that he is planning a return of Chris Gaines, the country star confirmed the speculation during the latest episode of his Facebook Live show, Inside Studio G, though he didn’t give too much away when it comes to the next project from his alter-ego. “I can’t tell you anything except: You’re going to have it in every format you can possibly imagine. It’s coming, even on vinyl,” he said in response to a fan who asked if Garth Brooks in … the Life of Chris Gaines would be made available in a format besides CD.

Brooks also confirmed that along with widening distribution for the 1999 album, he’s planning to release additional Gaines material. “You’re going to have Chris Gaines stuff nobody’s ever heard before, either,” he said. “It’s all coming … I love that project, so I’m excited.” Australian rocker Chris Gaines was a fictional persona created by Brooks as a way for him to explore genres far outside of country music. As Gaines, Brooks released one album, the aforementioned Garth Brooks in … the Life of Chris Gaines, which was intended to be a soundtrack to a movie about Gaines, titled The Lamb, though the film never materialized.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to get that at all. You know, all I can say is, my ribs are still sore from getting the s— kicked out of me for doing that one,” Brooks told 102.3 Blake FM of The Lamb in 2015. “But, I love that record, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, to tell you the truth, because it’s all about the music, and I thought the music was fantastic.”

While Garth Brooks in … the Life of Chris Gaines had sales considered to be disappointing compared to the massive success of Brooks’ previous albums, the project sold over two million copies and earned its star his first and only appearance to date in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Lost in You”, which peaked at No. 5.

In October, the Oklahoma native told Billboard that fans haven’t seen the last of Gaines. “Trust me, it’s got a whole life of its own and it’s all coming,” he said. “It won’t be anything predictable, I can guarantee you, because that’s kind of what that character’s thought process was.” He also pointed out, “If you know the greatest hits, they had to come from somewhere, if that tells you what’s coming.”