Garth Brooks Donates Hat to Smithsonian

The top-selling solo artist of all time, Garth Brooks is known as much for his iconic black cowboy hat as for his catchy country songs — and now that hat, along with several other of Brooks’ items, can be found in the Smithsonian.

This past week Brooks donated 10 keepsakes, including his trademark hat, as well as a smashed guitar, handwritten lyric sheets for the song “Beaches of Cheyenne” and the first gold record he received for his 1989 debut album.

Brooks, who is semi-retired now, and spends most of his time with his children and wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, said that being a part of the Smithsonian’s collection was surreal.

"I see these things in here and all I can think of is what the hell am I doing here? It's amazing,” he said. "