Remembering Toby Keith
• UPDATED: Country star Toby Keith, who penned the most-played Country song of the ’90s with “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” died Monday night, Feb. 5 after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. He was 62.
The news of Keith’s passing was posted on his website and social media channels: “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”
It was June 2022 when Keith first went public with the news that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. “I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery,” Keith wrote at the time. “So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”
As Variety reports, Keith’s path to discovery involved a little luck — while hustling for a record deal in Nashville in the early ’90s, Keith’s big break came when a flight attendant gave his demo tape to Mercury Records executive Harold Shedd, who had worked with Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyrus. Shedd signed Keith and released his 1993 debut single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country chart and went on to become the most-played Country song of the decade.
Keith was a prolific songwriter, with some of his most well-known songs including “Red Solo Cup,” “As Good as I Once Was,” “Beer for My Horses” with Willie Nelson, “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!”
Keith played his final concert on December 14 in Las Vegas, where he performed his biggest hits at the sold-out show.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Tricia Lucus, and their three children, Shelley, Krystal and Stelen.
• Tim Roberts, Audacy Country Format VP, Brand Manager of Country WYCD/Detroit, and a longtime friend of Toby Keith, shared his thoughts during a conversation with Jackie Paige and Jonathan Carlson on sister WWJ: “The Country music world, first-of-all, is just devastated by this news. We all thought Toby was on the mend after going through chemo, and obviously, he had complications. I met Toby when I was a very young broadcaster at the time. I booked him for a show opening for Sawyer Brown, and we instantly became friends and have been friends with him for really 40 years, throughout every part of his career.”
Roberts added, “One of my favorite things about Toby, not only that he was one of the smartest and best songwriters really in the history of Country music, but he pretty much knew every Country song. He could name a Country song, any song, that was ever made, even in the ’40s and ’50s, and he pretty much could sing it, with the lyrics exactly right.” Roberts also mentioned Keith’s longtime dedication to the military and Keith being on the forefront of celebrity-branded restaurants. Roberts’ on-air remarks are posted here.
That’s Roberts (right) and his son, Justin (left), with Toby at Faster Horses Festival
• Compass Media and Rowdy Yates have produced a totally turn-key radio special, and six-song salute to Toby Keith. The special is 22:24 in length and ready for air now. This special has no inventory and is free to any broadcast outlet. Contact Doug Ingold for immediate download instructions — dingold@compassmedianetworks.com.
