Here’s the Real Story Behind Garth Brooks’ Smash Hit ‘Friends in Low Places’

Garth Brooks scored one of the most important hits of his career with "Friends in Low Places" in 1990.

In a 2020 episode of Music's Greatest Mysteries on AXS TV, songwriter Earl Bud Lee opened up about a story that's been making the rounds in Nashville for years.

Who Wrote "Friends in Low Places"?

Lee and Dewanye Blackwell co-wrote the song, and they pitched it to Brooks when he was a young and unknown singer.

How Did "Friends in Low Places" Do on the Charts?

He cut it and released it as the lead single from his sophomore album, No Fences.

"Friends in Low Places" became a career-changing song for Brooks, reaching No. 1 on Oct. 6, 1990, and spending four weeks there.

It went on to win Single of the Year honors at both the ACM and CMA Awards.

What Is the Story Behind "Friends in Low Places"?

In the clip below, legendary Nashville songwriter Wynn Varble relates the legendary story about Lee and his smash hit.

READ MORE: George Strait Passed on "Friends in Low Places"

"He settled his bar tab by giving his publishing to this song, 'Friends in Low Places,' that had just been cut by this young, unknown artist, and that come back to bite him in the butt," Varble says.

Did George Strait Ever Cut "Friends in Low Places"?

In Brooks' book The Anthology Part 1, he revealed that George Strait had passed on the song before he cut it.

In 2020, he told Taste of Country Nights that he sang the demo years before he had a record deal.

"The reason they asked me to do the demo was because I wanted to be George Strait for years, so I do a pretty good impersonation of him," Brooks revealed.

"So the original demo of ‘Friends in Low Places,’ I did my best George Strait on it before I ever had a record deal."

Strait did not cut the song after it was pitched to him, leaving it free for Brooks.

It appeared on his second album, No Fences, in 1990, and "Friends in Low Places" became the biggest song of his career.

Brooks performs it at every show to this day, adding in a special "lost" verse to give the song even more impact.