Anybody know how that dream ended? After signing a deal at Mercury Records, his debut album "Toby Keith", which contained his first chart topper, "Should've Been A Cowboy", finally established him as a professional singer/songwriter. I always vote for the guy I think can get it done. Toby Keith's father, Hubert Covel Jr., died on the scene of a car accident in 2001 after his vehicle collided with a bus. '", at the Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert in 2013. The guys toured Oklahoma and Texas, and at the time, Keith was employed in the oil fields, so he sometimes had to leave in the middle of a concert if he was paged to work. On December 25, 2007, the Covel family was awarded $2.8 million for the wrongful death of H.K. Check outTaste of Countrys You Think You Know Country? The singer shared the news on his Facebook page Monday morning. Toby Keith's hometown of Moore, Oklahoma has experienced a great deal of tragedy over the years, and the musician seemed to be deeply impacted by watching his community suffer. [49][50], Keith had a public feud with the Dixie Chicks over the song "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue", in 2002, as well as over comments they made about President George W. Bush on stage during a concert in London, in March 2003. In the early 1990s, Keith went to Nashville, Tennessee, where he hung out and busked on Music Row and at a place called Houndogs. Toby Keith's "Should've Been a Cowboy" was the most played country music song of the 1990s, having been played more than 50 million times on country radio. [7] "I Wanna Talk About Me", written by Bobby Braddock, also displayed a country rap influence with its spoken-word lyrics. Keith even played for the USFL in 1982 when he joined the Oklahoma City Drillers. Feb. 18 JAM NIGHT LIVE! Sister Jill will lead a tribute from Joeys home state of Texas. Join in for the final day with a performance by Laurin Floyd + special guests. Keith released "She Never Cried in Front of Me", which went to number 1 in 2008. He is also a fan of professional wrestling, being seen in the front row of numerous WWE shows that take place in Oklahoma, as well as performing "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)" live at the first ever TNA Wrestling show on June 19, 2002. Shedd enjoyed what he heard, went to see Keith perform live and then signed him to a recording contract with Mercury. Debuts as One of the Most Added He performed jobs around the club and listened to the . In the Autumn of 2005, he filmed Broken Bridges, written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, and directed by Steven Goldmann. Here's a list of the top 10 best Toby Keith songs to date. That success can be measured with at least five more studio albums since "How Do You Like Me Now? The 2002 and 2003 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Entertainer of the Year, Toby Keith, was born Toby Keith Covel at Clinton, Oklahoma, on July 8, 1961. Keith performed on a series of television advertisements for Telecom USA for that company's discount long-distance telephone service 10-10-220. One of the "bad boys" of country music, Toby Keith has definitely made a name for himself in the industry throughout his career. Happy birthday, #ShouldveBeenACowboy! "Love Me If You Can" became Keith's first number 1 hit since "As Good as I Once Was" more than two years prior. Floyd died . Jennings later stated that, while the situation was regrettable, opening the show with the song "probably wouldn't set the right tone". Naturally, the beginning of Keith's fortune came from his music career. Rick Frederick, his wife Valerie, and their son Ryan, were attending their seventh or eighth Toby Keith concert. Joey Floyd - an actor turned musician who played multiple instruments in Toby Keith's Easy Money Band - has passed away at the age of 47. I saw firsthand how a child's cancer diagnosis can devastate a family. This incident was surely traumatizing for Toby and his family, but it seems that the father was relieved to find out the crash wasn't as devastating as it could have been. It was followed by "God Love Her", also a number 1 hit, and "Lost You Anyway". It was a rare and reluctant slowdown for the Oklahoma native. [May 2005]. #ValentinesDay #TobyKeith #OklahomaBreakdown. In mid-2013, he entered the charts with "Drinks After Work", the first single from his seventeenth album, also titled Drinks After Work. The Easy Money Band's repertoire covers a wide variety of musical genres and styles. By the end of the decade, "Should've Been a Cowboy" received more than three million spins at radio, thus making it the most-played country song of the 1990s. "He was just one of those larger-than-life guys, full of confidence," she recalled to People magazine in a . Following the death of his friend, Keith is still keeping up with his scheduled performances. Politics is what's killing America. He will also release the soundtrack to his movie. Toby later reflected on the crash during an interview with Rare Country. and for the last few years he was a member of Toby Keith's . [47] As the lead single from the album Unleashed (2002), "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" peaked at number one on the July 20, 2002 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In addition to sharing the stage with Keith, Floyd had also worked on a number of films, including "Honeysuckle Rose," in which he played Willie Nelson's son. By 1984, they finally began to build a following on the honky tonk circuit in Oklahoma and Texas. Celebrated his 21st #1 Country single with "As Good As I Once Was", his 10th #1 in only 5 years, with a total of 38 weeks combined at the top of the Country Charts with his hits. Success in music gave Toby Keith significant capital. First was "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)", which Keith wrote in 20 minutes as a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. [25], In September 2017, Keith released the compilation album, The Bus Songs. His family and friends were doubtful he would succeed, but, in 1984, Easy Money (various other band members included Mike Barnes, T.A. On May 6, 2008, he released 35 Biggest Hits, a two-disc compilation featuring most of his singles to date,[20] as well as the new song "She's a Hottie", which peaked at number 13. A duo called Waterloo Revival-a castoff from Big Machinealso still appears to be signed to the label. Then, as luck would have it, a fan of the Easy Money Band who was a flight attendant . [10] After exiting Mercury, Keith co-wrote Shane Minor's debut single "Slave to the Habit" with Chuck Cannon and Kostas. The musician shared a statement across his verified social media platforms that revealed he had been receiving treatment for stomach cancer since 2021. For booking information on the Easy Money Band or to book or hire this band for your wedding reception, college event, corporate function or concert, click . 1 With Wild Angels, 36 Years Ago: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris Release Trio, Jaimee Harris Finds Strength On Her Own With New Album Boomerang Town [INTERVIEW]. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, The Worst, Most Poisonous Bags of Brainless Protoplasm On the Planet. [41] He endorsed the re-election of President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election and performed at a Dallas, Texas, rally on the night before the election. Keith produced the album with session guitarist Kenny Greenberg and recording engineer Mills Logan. He was joined by a number of other musicians, including fellow Oklahoma natives Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood. Keith was discovered by Mercury Records chief Harold Shedd in an unlikely way a flight attendant handed a . His family and friends were doubtful he would succeed, but, in 1984, Easy Money (various other band members included Mike Barnes, T.A. After three years of dating, the pair got hitched on March 24, 1984 and have since enjoyed 37 years of wedded bliss. Once, Toby Keith's first earning as a musician was at a wedding where he made $1K. Keep reading to find out how tragic details about Toby Keith have impacted his career. Rest in peace ol' friend. According to Keith, following a performance for military leadership, Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his "duty as an American citizen" to record the song. Of the charity, Keith said: This is a special charity to me. "They've lost any sensibility that they had, and they've allowed all the kooks in. After graduating from Moore High School; Toby did not go on to college, but went to work in the Oklahoman oil fields with his father. I need time to breathe, recover, and relax. "He will be missed. . The budding actor was only 10 years old at the time, so this was one of his earlier gigs. ALL ACCESS extends sympathies to family and friends of JOEY FLOYD, longtime fiddle and banjo player for TOBY KEITH's Easy Money band, who passed away SUNDAY (2/14) after battling cancer. and last updated 9:30 AM, Jul 08, 2021. . They [Keith and his wife, Tricia Lucus] came back in when the song was almost finished, and Tricia stood there with me," Regina said. Access to exclusive ticket pre-sales, official Toby merch, contests and more! Keith received the "Colbert Bump" when he appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. From Rock-N-Roll to Country, R&B to Easy Listening, you can expect that everyone will have a great time. He also thought that it showed the signs of the style that Keith would develop on subsequent albums. For now, we don't know where Keith falls on this spectrum, but hopefully he makes a full recovery. Since 1988, EASY MONEY has been turning out the hits all over Houston and the Gulf coast. [65] In December of 2022, in a press release, Keith said that his battle with cancer is "pretty debilitating".[66]. Straight out of high school, Toby Keith began working as a derrick hand for the oil industry in his home state of Oklahoma. Toby Keith Tickets. Official Sites, Many of his songs are either about having good times or are patriotic and allegedly-right-wing political commentaries, though he is a known Democrat and has supported both. In 1993 , Keith went to Nashville . He was also set to star in the film Bloodworth, but later dropped out. On this 1996 outing, Keith, backed by his Easy Money Band, offers up a largely romantic set. Billy Dukes Published: February 15, 2016. SHOWS. Andy Winfree . He holds the distinction of being the only musical artist to have received a five star rating from Stephen Colbert on iTunes. Keith's last Mercury release was Greatest Hits Volume One in October 1998. [7] Also included on the disc were "The Taliban Song" and "Weed with Willie", two live songs recorded with Emerick. His fourth studio album, Dream Walkin', was also his first produced by James Stroud, who would also serve as Keith's co-producer until 2005. He later had two children with Tricia - Krystal (born in 1985 and married in 2011), and Stelen (born in 1997, and the only son of Toby and Tricia).At the time in which Krystal was born, the Oklahoma oil industry had collapsed; leaving Toby, Tricia and their two daughters in financial troubles.