The young Marietta, Georgia native incorporated his lifelong influences of southern rock, blues and gospel into his country stylings during a honky-tonk apprenticeship that led him to the Warner Bros. label in 1989. Over the course of a decade, Tritt released seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label. His 1990 debut Country Club and its succession of hits put him in the vanguard of the genre's early '90s boom, dubbing him as one of “The Class of ‘89,” which included country music superstars Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Alan Jackson; all of whom dominated the charts in the early ‘90s.
“Country Club,” “Help Me Hold On,” “I’m Gonna Be Somebody,” and “Drift Off to Dream” peaked at numbers two and three on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts and led to Tritt winning the Top New Male Artist award from Billboard and the CMA Horizon Award (now known as the New Artist Award). Additionally, in 1991, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) marked Tritt’s debut album Country Club as certified platinum.
Tritt’s conspicuous lack of a cowboy hat and musical assertiveness set him apart. His next series of albums, seven of which are certified platinum or higher, scored him more hit singles and led him to amass more than 30 million in career album sales, two Grammys, three CMA Awards and a devoted fan base that has filled venues coast-to-coast.
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