Garth Brooks

NEW YORK — Garth Brooks said he's happy to share the first of five anthologies he created with his fans while he's still alive and kicking.

“Every artist seems to wait 'till they're dead, and I just don't know how you enjoy that. Or everybody is so old that nobody can remember the stories, it just gets kind of all muddied up,” he said. “So just to be able to do this while you're up and running really was cool.”

The 55-year-old singer released “Garth Brooks: The Anthology Part 1 The First Five Years” on Tuesday. It includes a book written by Brooks, five albums — including songs never heard before — and behind-the-scenes stories and photos focused on the years 1989-1993.

Brooks, who released his debut in 1989, plans to release the other four anthologies in the next few years.

The singer, who is currently on tour, spoke with The Associated Press about the anthology.

QUESTION: What was going through your mind when you looked at the first five years of your career?

ANSWER: To be honest I was scared because I've told these stories my whole career. Now I was scared that I'd have to go back and find, “Well maybe that wasn't exactly how it happened. Maybe we were stretching the truth a little bit or whatever to make a good story.” And then what I love is you go back — there it is; there is a first take of “Much Too Young” and that whole thing of you're looking at all these guys who know what they're doing and you don't know what you're doing.

QUESTION: What would the Garth Brooks today tell the 1989 version of Garth?

ANSWER: What I'll tell him is, “You're just so full of (expletive), you're scared to death and you're running and you're praying to God that each day you don't kill yourself,” you know. But I think that's all young artists.

QUESTION: What was it like to win entertainer of the year at the CMAs for the second year in a row?

ANSWER: It was very sweet. ... Everybody was saying “Hey ringer,” they were calling me ringer ... “You're a shoo-in” and I was going, “We're not going to take it home this year” because everybody thinks (we will). ... We're still celebrating!

QUESTION: How's the new album coming along?

ANSWER: We've been touring so hard, so right now it's in thoughts and pieces.