Country Music News

Kenny Loggins’ new memoir details encounter with Garth Brooks that turned litigious

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Kenny Loggins’ revealing new memoir, Still Alright, sheds light on several little-known details of the singer-songwriter’s life, including a feud with Garth Brooks that led to a lawsuit.

According to Page Six, Kenny says it started in 1993, when Garth had a top-five country radio hit with “Standing Outside the Fire.” It reminded Kenny of a song he’d co-written with guitarist Guy Thomas two years earlier, called “Conviction of the Heart” — so much so that the two called Garth and confronted him about it.

Kenny goes on to say that he hoped to reach an agreement without suing, alleging that Garth freely admitted to him that he’d copied the song. But things went south when Kenny suggested that he and Guy should earn a percentage from the song.

“Garth didn’t like that idea at all,” Kenny writes. “His tone grew steely and defensive.”

Eventually, they wound up filing suit against Garth to the tune of $5 million; the country star agreed to settle in court. “Garth actually showed up in the courtroom with an acoustic guitar, ready to play the song live for the judge,” Kenny recounts.

The amount that Garth agreed to settle for is anybody’s guess: The settlement stipulated that the price not be disclosed. For his part, Loggins says he’s putting the whole experience behind him.

“I let that one go. I haven’t seen him since,” he writes.

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