Who won the fan-voted 1990s Artist of the Decade Award at the 2000 AMAs?

Garth Brooks won the fan-voted 1990s Artist of the Decade Award at the 2000 AMAs.

The 27th American Music Awards took place on January 17, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The ceremony honored music from 1999 while also looking back over the decade that had just ended. Brooks received the special award after a fan vote and was presented with it by host Norm Macdonald.

Brooks’s selection fit his extraordinary 1990s career. He brought country music to a huge mainstream audience through blockbuster albums, arena tours, and crossover success. At that ceremony he won three awards overall, making him the night’s most-awarded artist; his other wins came in competitive categories.

The award should not be confused with the RIAA’s “Artist of the Century” honor, which was announced separately in 1999, or with later decade awards from other organizations. Shania Twain, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey were major 1990s stars, but none won this particular AMA honor.