Toby Keith, a hit country crafter of pro-American anthems who both riled up critics and was loved by millions of fans, has died. He was 62.
The B次元官网网址淪houldB次元官网网址檝e Been a CowboyB次元官网网址� singer-songwriter, who , died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on the country singerB次元官网网址檚 website. B次元官网网址淗e fought his fight with grace and courage,B次元官网网址� the statement said. He announced his cancer .
The 6-foot-4 singer broke out in the country boom years of the 1990s, writing songs that fans loved to hear. Over his career he publicly clashed with other celebrities and journalists and often pushed back against record executives who wanted to smooth his rough edges.
He was known for his overt patriotism on post 9/11 songs like B次元官网网址淐ourtesy of the Red, White and Blue,B次元官网网址� and boisterous barroom tunes like B次元官网网址淚 Love This BarB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淩ed Solo Cup.B次元官网网址� He had a powerful booming voice, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and range that carried love songs as well as drinking songs.
Among his 20 No. 1 Billboard hits were B次元官网网址淗ow Do You Like Me Now?!,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淎s Good As I Once Was,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淢y ListB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淏eer for My Horses,B次元官网网址� a duet with . His influences were other working class songwriters like Merle Haggard and tallied more than 60 singles on the Hot Country chart over his career.
Throughout the cancer treatments, Keith continued to perform, most recently playing in Las Vegas in December. He also performed on the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Choice Country Awards in 2023 as he sang his song B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 Let the Old Man In.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐ancer is a roller coaster,B次元官网网址� he told during an interview aired last month. B次元官网网址淵ou just sit here and wait on it to go away. It might never go away.B次元官网网址�
Keith worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Oklahoma as a young man, then played semi-pro football before launching his career as a singer.
B次元官网网址淚 write about life, and I sing about life, and I donB次元官网网址檛 overanalyze things,B次元官网网址� Keith told The Associated Press in 2001, following the success of his song B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 Just Talking About Tonight.B次元官网网址�
Keith learned good lessons in the booming oil fields, which toughened him up, but also showed him the value of money.
B次元官网网址淭he money to be made was unbelievable,B次元官网网址� Keith told the AP in 1996. B次元官网网址淚 came out of high school in 1980 and they gave me this job December of 1979, $50,000 a year. I was 18-years-old.B次元官网网址�
But the domestic oil field industry collapsed and Keith had not saved. B次元官网网址淚t about broke us,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o I just learned. IB次元官网网址檝e taken care of my money this time.B次元官网网址�
He spent a couple seasons as a defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a farm team for the now-defunct United States Football League. But he found consistent money playing music with his band throughout the red dirt roadhouse circuit in Oklahoma and Texas.
B次元官网网址淎ll through this whole thing the only constant thing we had was music,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 hard to sit back and say, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 going to go make my fortune singing music, or writing music.B次元官网网址� I had no contacts.B次元官网网址�
Eventually his path took him to Nashville, where he attracted the interest of Mercury Records head Harold Shedd, who was best known as a producer for the hit group Alabama. Shedd brought him to Mercury, where he released his platinum debut record B次元官网网址淭oby Keith,B次元官网网址� in 1993.
B次元官网网址淪houldB次元官网网址檝e Been a Cowboy,B次元官网网址� his breakout hit, was played 3 million times on radio stations, making it the most played country song of the 1990s.
But the labelB次元官网网址檚 focus on global star Shania Twain overshadowed the rest of the roster and Keith felt that the executives were trying to push him in a pop direction.
B次元官网网址淭hey were trying to get me to compromise, and I was living a miserable existence,B次元官网网址� Keith told the AP. B次元官网网址淓verybody was trying to mold me into something I was not.B次元官网网址�
After a series of albums that produced hits like B次元官网网址淲hoB次元官网网址檚 That Man,B次元官网网址� and cover of StingB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 So Happy I CanB次元官网网址檛 Stop Crying,B次元官网网址� Keith moved to DreamWorks Records in 1999.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 when his multi-week B次元官网网址淗ow Do You Like Me Now?!B次元官网网址� took off and became his first song to crossover to Top 40 charts. In 2001, he won the male vocalist of the year and album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, exclaiming from the stage: B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e waited a long time for this. Nine years!B次元官网网址�
Keith often wore his politics on his sleeve, especially after the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in 2001, and early on he said was a conservative Democrat, but later claimed he was an independent. HeB次元官网网址檚 played at events for Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the latter giving him a National Medal of the Arts in 2021. His songs and his blunt opinions sometimes caused him controversy, which he seemed to court.
His 2002 song, B次元官网网址淐ourtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)B次元官网网址� included a threat B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l put a boot in your ass B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 the American wayB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� to anyone who dared to mess with America.
That song got pulled from a patriotic ABC Fourth of July special after producers deemed it too angry for the show. Singer-songwriter Steve Earle called KeithB次元官网网址檚 song B次元官网网址減andering to peopleB次元官网网址檚 worst instincts at a time they are hurt and scared.B次元官网网址�
Then there was the feud between Keith and The Chicks (formerly called the Dixie Chicks), who became a target of KeithB次元官网网址檚 ire when singer Natalie Maines told a crowd that they were ashamed of then-President George W. Bush. Maines had also previously called KeithB次元官网网址檚 song B次元官网网址渋gnorant.B次元官网网址�
Keith, who had previously claimed that he supported any artistB次元官网网址檚 freedom to voice their opinion about politics, used a doctored photo of Maines with an image of Saddam Hussein at his concerts, further ramping up angry fans.
Maines responded by wearing a shirt with the letters B次元官网网址淔UTKB次元官网网址� onstage at the 2003 ACM Awards, which many people believed was a vulgar message to Keith.
Keith, who has acknowledged that he holds onto grudges, walked out of the ACM Awards in 2003 early because he had gotten snubbed in earlier categories, causing him to miss out when he was announced as entertainer of the year. Vince Gill accepted on his behalf. He came back the next year and won the top prize for a second year in a row, along with top male vocalist and album of the year for B次元官网网址淪hock B次元官网网址檔 YB次元官网网址檃ll.B次元官网网址�
His pro-military stance wasnB次元官网网址檛 just fodder for songs, however. He went on 11 USO tours to visit and play for troops serving overseas. He also helped to raise millions for charity over his career, including building a home in Oklahoma City for kids with cancer and their families.
After Universal Music Group acquired DreamWorks, Keith started anew again, starting his own record label, Show Dog, in 2005 with record executive Scott Borchetta, who launched his own label Big Machine at the same time.
B次元官网网址淧robably 75% of the people in this town think IB次元官网网址檒l fail, and the other 25% hope I fail,B次元官网网址� he said that year.
Later the label became Show Dog-Universal Music and had Keith, Trace Adkins, Joe Nichols, Josh Thompson, Clay Walker and Phil Vassar on its roster.
His later hits included B次元官网网址淟ove Me If You Can,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淪he Never Cried In Front of Me,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淩ed Solo Cup.B次元官网网址� He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
He was honored by the performance rights organization BMI in November 2022 with the BMI Icon award, a few months after announcing his stomach cancer diagnosis.
B次元官网网址淚 always felt like that the songwriting was the most important part of this whole industry,B次元官网网址� Keith told the crowd of fellow singers and writers.
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