Toby Keith

Toby Keith
 
Throughout his career Toby Keith has accomplished numerous musical achievements. Thus far he has had 17 Billboard number 1’s, nine platinum and three gold albums.  Keith has also won and been nominated for multiple ACM and CMA awards. Keith is not only popular with country music fans and critics, but also the U.S. military.  He has performed countless times overseas for our troops.


 
 
Toby Keith- How Do You Like Me Now?
After graduating high school in Moore, Oklahoma, Keith went to work full time in the oil fields in Oklahoma.  Just a few years into this job, the oil industry took a swift decline, leaving Keith jobless.  At this time he decided to pursue his passion for singing, moving to Nashville in 1993.  But Keith soon left Nashville and moved back to Oklahoma after finding no one that would offer him a record deal. 
 
Within the same year, Keith was offered a record deal by Mercury Records executive, Harold Shedd, after a flight attendant gave him a copy of Keith’s demo.  Keith then went on to record his first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” which was a Billboard number 1 hit. 
 
Over the years Keith has changed record labels, switching to Polydor Records just after his first album.  Then he jumped to A&M Records Nashville, back to Mercury Nashville, and then to DreamWorks Nashville.  By 2005 Keith had had enough moving and he created his own record label, Show Dog Nashville.  Currently Show Dog Nashville has artists such as Carter’s Chord, Mica Roberts, Trailer Choir and Flynnville Train.
 

Duets
On the 1997 album, Dream Walkin’, Keith performed with Sting on one of Sting’s previous hits, “I Can’t Stop Crying.” This song marks the only time that Sting has ever been on the country charts. 
 
In 2004 Keith did a duet with his daughter, Krystal, an aspiring singer herself.  The two recorded a song made popular by James Taylor and Carly Simon, “Mockingbird.”  Krystal performed with her dad at the 2004 Academy of Country Music Awards.
 
On Keith’s 2002 album, Unleashed, he did a duet with Willie Nelson, which produced the successful song, “Beer For My Horses.”  The song made it to the top ten on country charts as well as winning 2003’s Video of the Year at the ACM awards.
 

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue
As well as being a successful country artist, Keith is also very patriotic.  He wrote the song, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” after the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to his late father, who was a very patriotic man.  At first he only sang the song during concerts, but he was finally convinced to record it.  Keith gained a lot of attention from this song, good and bad.  Many criticized the song including Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines.  But Keith stood by his song and it paid off for him, as it earned him another Billboard number 1 hit. 
 
He later recorded the song “American Soldier,” on his 2003’s Shockin’ Y’all album.  Since then Keith has been going overseas on a regular basis to entertain for our troops.
 
 
Other Successes
Besides owning his own record label and being a popular country singer-songwriter, Toby Keith has also opened up his own bar and grill.  I Love This Bar & Grill has three locations, one in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Las Vegas, Nev.
 
Keith has also co-written, co-produced and acted in the film, “Beer For My Horses.”  Willie Nelson also joined the cast, as this movie was the result of their 2003 single.
 

Toby Keith Hit Albums & Singles
 

• 1993 Toby Keith: “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “He Ain’t Worth Missing,” “Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action”
• 1994 Boomtown: “Who’s That Man,” “You Ain’t Much Fun”
• 1996 Blue Moon: “A Woman’s Touch,” “Me Too”
• 1997 Dream Walkin’: “I Can’t Stop Crying” (with Sting)
• 1999 How Do You Like Me Now?!: “How Do You Like Me Now?!” “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This”
• 2001 Pull My Chain: “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “My List”
• 2002 Unleashed: “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” “Beer For My Horses” (with Willie Nelson), “Who’s Your Daddy?”
• 2003 Shockin’ Y’all: “I Love This Bar,” “American Soldier,” “Whiskey Girl”
• 2005 Honkytonk University: “As Good As I Once Was,” “Big Blue Note”
• 2006 White Trash with Money: “Get Drunk and Be Somebody,” “A Little Too Late”
• 2007 Big Dog Daddy: “High Maintenance Woman,” “Love Me If You Can”
• 2008 That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy: “She Never Cried In Front Of Me,” “God Love Her”

 
Toby Keith Awards & Recognitions
 

• 2000 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year: How Do You Like Me Now?!
• 2000 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist
• 2001 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year
• 2002 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
• 2003 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
• 2003 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist
• 2003 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year: Shockin’ Y’all
• 2003 Academy of Country Music Video of the Year: “Beer For My Horses”
• 2004 American Music Award Favorite Country Male Artist
• 2005 CMA Video of the Year: “As Good As I Once Was”

 
Fun Facts about Toby

• Toby Keith was born on July 8, 1961 in Clinton, Oklahoma.
• He played football in high school.
• Toby married his wife, Tricia in 1984 and they have three children.  Shelley is their 29 year old daughter they adopted.  Krystal is 23, and Stelen (son) is 12.
• Keith is now on tour promoting his latest album, That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy.