About
Toby Keith is a popular country sensation known for straddling the line between fun, laid-back party hits and charged political statements. He grew up on a farm near Oklahoma City, and was inspired to learn guitar by local country musicians he used to watch at his grandmother’s club. While working as a rodeo hand and oil miner, he put together the Easy Money Band, which played honky tonk bars throughout the area. After the oil industry took a downturn in the 1970s, Keith did a two-year stint as a semi-professional football player until he decided to focus his energy on music. Keith’s demo tape landed in the hands of Alabama producer Harold Shedd, who soon helped him get signed with Mercury Records.
In 1993, Keith released his self-titled debut album to chart-topping success, with the help of the popular single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” His second album, Boomtown (1994), went gold and produced his second number one hit “Who’s That Man,” as well as two other Top Ten hits. Keith’s success snowballed even further with Blue Moon (1996) and Dream Walkin’ (1997), which earned him five more Top Ten Hits.
Despite his success, Keith left Mercury due to disagreements over promotional methods and joined DreamWorks. His label debut, How Do You Like Me Now!? (1999) brought him even wider recognition than before, with its title song going number one on country charts. The album’s rough, brash attitude helped establish Keith’s identity as a performer. It also brought him Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2001. Academy of Country Music Awards. During that year he made a few TV appearances on Dukes of Hazard and Touched by an Angel, and recorded another chart-topping album, Pull My Chain.
In response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, Keith recorded the livid “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” which struck a deep chord among fiercely patriotic listeners. The song and ensuing media coverage made his next album, Unleashed, incredibly successful, debuting at number one on both country and pop charts. Shock’n Y’all (2003) and Honky tonk University (2005) packed in plenty of rowdy hits which achieved smashing popularity among heartland Americans. Keith went on to start his own label, Show Dog Nashville, and self-produced the album Big Dog Daddy.
Keith’s career did anything but slow down following his move toward independence. He released a slew of popular albums including That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy (2008), American Ride (2009), Bullets in the Gun (2010), and Clancy’s Tavern (2011), an album inspired by his grandmother’s club. That year he was made Artist of the Decade at the American Country Awards.
Keith performs regularly at shows across the nation and is often booked for corporate events and private parties. His latest albums include Drinks After Work (2013), 35 MPH Town (2014), and The Bus Songs (2017). Keith has released 19 albums to date.
