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 91裸聊视频淪hould91裸聊视频檝e Been a Cowboy91裸聊视频� singer-songwriter, who , died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on the country singer91裸聊视频檚 website. 91裸聊视频淗e fought his fight with grace and courage,91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频淐ourtesy of the Red, White and Blue,91裸聊视频� and boisterous barroom tunes like 91裸聊视频淚 Love This Bar91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淩ed Solo Cup.91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频淗ow Do You Like Me Now?!,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淎s Good As I Once Was,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淢y List91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淏eer for My Horses,91裸聊视频� 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 People91裸聊视频檚 Choice Country Awards in 2023 as he sang his song 91裸聊视频淒on91裸聊视频檛 Let the Old Man In.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淐ancer is a roller coaster,91裸聊视频� he told during an interview aired last month. 91裸聊视频淵ou just sit here and wait on it to go away. It might never go away.91裸聊视频�
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.
91裸聊视频淚 write about life, and I sing about life, and I don91裸聊视频檛 overanalyze things,91裸聊视频� Keith told The Associated Press in 2001, following the success of his song 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 Just Talking About Tonight.91裸聊视频�
Keith learned good lessons in the booming oil fields, which toughened him up, but also showed him the value of money.
91裸聊视频淭he money to be made was unbelievable,91裸聊视频� Keith told the AP in 1996. 91裸聊视频淚 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.91裸聊视频�
But the domestic oil field industry collapsed and Keith had not saved. 91裸聊视频淚t about broke us,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淪o I just learned. I91裸聊视频檝e taken care of my money this time.91裸聊视频�
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.
91裸聊视频淎ll through this whole thing the only constant thing we had was music,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淏ut it91裸聊视频檚 hard to sit back and say, 91裸聊视频業91裸聊视频檓 going to go make my fortune singing music, or writing music.91裸聊视频� I had no contacts.91裸聊视频�
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 91裸聊视频淭oby Keith,91裸聊视频� in 1993.
91裸聊视频淪hould91裸聊视频檝e Been a Cowboy,91裸聊视频� his breakout hit, was played 3 million times on radio stations, making it the most played country song of the 1990s.
But the label91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频淭hey were trying to get me to compromise, and I was living a miserable existence,91裸聊视频� Keith told the AP. 91裸聊视频淓verybody was trying to mold me into something I was not.91裸聊视频�
After a series of albums that produced hits like 91裸聊视频淲ho91裸聊视频檚 That Man,91裸聊视频� and cover of Sting91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 So Happy I Can91裸聊视频檛 Stop Crying,91裸聊视频� Keith moved to DreamWorks Records in 1999.
That91裸聊视频檚 when his multi-week 91裸聊视频淗ow Do You Like Me Now?!91裸聊视频� 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: 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e waited a long time for this. Nine years!91裸聊视频�
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. He91裸聊视频檚 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, 91裸聊视频淐ourtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)91裸聊视频� included a threat 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檒l put a boot in your ass 91裸聊视频� It91裸聊视频檚 the American way91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� 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 Keith91裸聊视频檚 song 91裸聊视频減andering to people91裸聊视频檚 worst instincts at a time they are hurt and scared.91裸聊视频�
Then there was the feud between Keith and The Chicks (formerly called the Dixie Chicks), who became a target of Keith91裸聊视频檚 ire when singer Natalie Maines told a crowd that they were ashamed of then-President George W. Bush. Maines had also previously called Keith91裸聊视频檚 song 91裸聊视频渋gnorant.91裸聊视频�
Keith, who had previously claimed that he supported any artist91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频淔UTK91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频淪hock 91裸聊视频檔 Y91裸聊视频檃ll.91裸聊视频�
His pro-military stance wasn91裸聊视频檛 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.
91裸聊视频淧robably 75% of the people in this town think I91裸聊视频檒l fail, and the other 25% hope I fail,91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频淟ove Me If You Can,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淪he Never Cried In Front of Me,91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淩ed Solo Cup.91裸聊视频� 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.
91裸聊视频淚 always felt like that the songwriting was the most important part of this whole industry,91裸聊视频� Keith told the crowd of fellow singers and writers.
READ ALSO:
