Sandy Mahl Worked a Regular Job to Make Ends Meet When Her Family Was Broke - Details about Garth Brook's Ex-wife

Sandy Mahl was married to country legend Garth Brooks before he was rich and famous, and she had to work multiple jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over her family's head.

Sandy Mahl married aspiring country singer Garth Brooks at 21 and poured her heart into helping him achieve his dreams. She stood by him through thick and thin and worked several jobs when they were broke.

Mahl, a talented songwriter, even wrote his 1989 breakthrough hit, "I've Got A Good Thing Going," but despite it all, a happily-ever-after was not in the cards even though they share three daughters.

Sandy Mahl was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965 and attended Oklahoma State University at the same time as her future husband, Garth Brooks. They met when Mahl found herself embroiled in a bar fight, and Brooks, who was a bouncer, broke it up.

Brooks was in love with another woman even before their children were born.

The two fell in love and married n 1986. They shared a love of music, and Mahl proved to be a gifted songwriter. She also believed in her new husband's talent and did everything she could to help him achieve his dream.

Sandy Mahl Struggled to Keep Her Family Afloat before Garth's Fame

Their first years together were difficult. The young couple couldn't afford an apartment, so they shared a home with seven other people. Mahl revealed:

“We had five guys, two wives, an infant child, a dog, and a cat. In one house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.”

To make ends meet, Mahl and Brooks sold boots in a shoe store while he did his best to break into the country music scene in Nashville. They lived on a shoestring, waiting for Brooks to become a star.

Sandy Mahl Quickly Grew Apart from Garth & Vice Versa

Then in 1989, a song Brooks had co-written with Mahl, "I've Got A Good Thing Going," placed the singer on the road to country music superstardom. It should have been a moment of fulfillment, but success doomed the marriage and shattered their bond. Mahl confessed:

"He'd be gone eight to 10 weeks at a time. He'd come home, [and] there would be number-one parties, or shows, or CMAs, or ACMs, American Music Awards, so it was constantly going. But we both grew apart really, really quickly."

Despite their distance and Brooks' constant absences, the couple welcomed three children together: Taylor Mayne in 1992, August Anna in 1994, and Allie Colleen in 1996. The marriage would endure 15 years, despite Brooks being in love with another woman even before their children were born.

Sandy Mahl Gave Garth Her Blessing to Marry Trisha Yearwood

Brooks had been married for thirteen months when he was introduced to fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood. He admitted to Ellen DeGeneres that he'd felt as if he'd met his wife, which confused him. He buried his feelings and worked at his marriage, but it was all in vain.

In 2001 Brooks and Mahl divorced, and she received a massive $125 million settlement. Only after his divorce was final did Brooks approach Yearwood at a personal level and asked her out on a date.

Brooks and Mahl were determined to give their daughters a happy, balanced childhood, and their relationship was amicable. So much so that Mahl encouraged Brooks to marry Yearwood and give their daughters a loving stepmom.

What Is Sandy Mahl up to Now?

After the divorce, Mahl's primary focus was her daughters, whom she co-parented with Brooks and Yearwood. She also devoted herself to conservation and was one of the founders of the Wild Heart Ranch, an organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife.

Brooks and Mahl's youngest daughter Allie Colleen is following in her father's footsteps and is pursuing a musical career. Mahl was there to cheer her on when Allie debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 2017.

Mahl and Brooks are the proud grandparents of a little girl, the child of August Anna. The little one was born in 2013, is called Karalynn, and is the apple of her grandmother's eye.