“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”
Introduction
Toby Keith’s name, age and hit country songs are well-known to fans and even non-fans. This list of facts about the singer digs deeper.
On Monday (Feb. 5), 62-year-old Toby Keith Covel died after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. For 31 years he was a country radio mainstay and one of the rare talents capable of filling venues of any size. Wife Tricia and children Shelley, Krystal and Stelen are surely in mourning.
The news was revealed on social media, and while everyone knew it was possible, it was no less shocking. This week will be dedicated to a look back at Keith’s life and career. He was a hell-raiser with a soft pen. He was a proud American, but a prouder father.
Here are 13 facts about the Oklahoma native, including what friends and family thought of his marriage to Tricia and a stunning career snub that looks like it will never be made right.
Here are 13 facts about the Oklahoma native, including what friends and family thought of his marriage to Tricia and a stunning career snub that looks like it will never be made right.
13 Toby Keith Facts You Probably Never Knew
Toby Keith lived a fascinating life, but even fans who thought they knew everything about this country music hero will learn a thing or two on this list of 13 Toby Keith facts.
1.Toby Keith’s Adopted His Oldest Daughter
Toby Keith’s wife Tricia already had a little girl when they got married in 1984, so he adopted her. One has to search to find this information, as he’s never referred to 44-year-old Shelley Rowland as anything other than one of his own.
2.They Said Toby Keith Should Get a Real Job
When Toby Keith married Tricia Covel in 1984, there were doubters. Many thought the singer needed to get a straight job instead of chasing a wild country music dream. She believed in him, however, and within a decade it’d pay off.
3.Toby Keith Wrote a Song for His 2-Year-Old Son
A forgotten deep cut in Toby Keith’s catalog is the song he wrote for his new son, Stelen. In 1999 he released “Heart to Heart (Stelen’s Song),” a remarkably tender ballad.
Find the hitmaker telling of the little boy’s misbehavior as he smiles, recognizing the similarities. “Just like me / We keep her on her toes a lot,” he sings during the pre-chorus. It’s very sweet.
4.Toby Keith Was a Professional Football Player
Before chasing country music, while he worked in the oil field, Toby Keith played football for a semi-pro team called the Oklahoma Drillers. That picture was from before that, but we hear he was quite good.
5.Toby Keith Started at a Hot Dog Stand
We’ll admit the source for this next Toby Keith fact is weak, but the story goes that one of the first places he played upon moving to Nashville was a Music Row hot dog stand named Houndogs. It was near where the Musica statue is today, and it’s confirmed to have been a launching point for several stars.
6.Toby Keith’s Band Is the Easy Money Band
Toby Keith named his band the Easy Money Band after scoring a wedding gig many years ago. He got a check for $1,000 and said it was “easy money.” The name stuck.
7.He Had the Most-Played Country Song of the 1990s
Toby Keith’s debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” was the most-played country song of the 1990s. It was a No. 1 hit and certified triple-Platinum.
8.Toby Keith Recorded Very Few Duets
We count five collaborations across Toby Keith’s 19 studio albums. They are:
I”m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying” with Sting
“Beer for My Horses” with Willie Nelson
“Mockingbird” with Krystal Keith
“She Ain’t Hooked on Me No More” with Merle Haggard
“Sailboat for Sale” with Jimmy Buffett
He did collaborate with other artists on their projects (most recently with Brantley Gilbert on “The Worst Country Song of All Time”), but for the most part, he remained a solo artist. Aside from his daughter, he never recorded a song with a female vocalist for one of his records.
9.Toby Keith and Willie Nelson Played the Super Bowl
No, the two “Beer for My Horses” singers did not play the halftime show, but in 2004, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith were trusted with a pre-game concert in Houston.
The New England Patriots would defeat the Carolina Panthers that year, but the day is probably best remembered for the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction.
10.Toby Keith Was an Accomplished Actor
Nobody will claim Toby Keith was robbed of an Oscar, but he built a short movie resume in 2008 with films like Beer for My Horses, based on his song of the same name.
Prior to that, he starred in Broken Bridges with Kelly Preston. The cast of each was remarkably deep.
11.Toby Keith Was the $500 Million Dollar Man
In summer 2013, Forbes profiled 100 celebrities and put Toby Keith on the cover, calling him the $500 million man. The article was focused on his many business ventures, but he’d later admit he hated it. His publicist made him do it, he said.
“I play golf with my shirttail out,” Keith said.
12.Toby Keith on Politics? It’s Complicated
Toby Keith has voted Republican and he’s voted Democrat. He’s supported Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. He’s said nice things about Bill Clinton and performed at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
On the record, Keith has admitted to once being a conservative Democrat who became disenfranchised with the party, so he went independent. There’s a want to tie his patriotism to conservatism, but that’s not necessarily true. It’s hard to say that politics were top of mind for Keith.
13 .Toby Keith Never Won a Grammy
Toby Keith earned seven Grammy nominations in his career, but never won. His most recent was for Male Country Vocal Performance for his ballad “Cryin’ for Me.”
