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Toby Keith loved playing for the troops to honor his father who was in the military. Courtesy photo
A bow of the head, and a moment of silence, for one of the most well-known and iconic country stars to grace the stage, Toby Keith. The singer, born Toby Keith Covel,passedawayonFebruary 5 at the age of 62.
The singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and restaurateur performed for over thirty years with numerous awards and accolades. Keith was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Donald Trump, and multiple grammy nominations and CMA Awards - Country Music Association for hits like “Should’ve been a Cowboy” and “Red Solo Cup”.
Keith released 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, totaling worldwide sales of over 40 million albums. He charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 20 number one hits and 22 additional top 10 hits.
His longest-lasting number onehitswere'BeerforMy Horses' a 2003 duet with Willie Nelson and 'As Good as I OnceWas',atsixweekseach. Keith was a native of Oklahoma and founding sponsor of The Toby Keith Foundation which has been helping children with cancer since 2006 and streamlined its efforts around no-cost housing for children with cancer. In 2014, the foundation opened OK Kids Korral, a cost-free, convenient and comfortable home for pediatric cancer patients receiving treatment at The Children’s Hospital at OUMedicalCenter,Stephenson Cancer Center and other nearby facilities.
Keith was one of the most patriotic performers and attributed that patriotism to his father.
'My father was a soldier,” Keith said in an interview. “He taught his kids to respect veterans. It's that respect and the thank-you that we have a military that's in place and ready to defend our nation, our freedom.”
Keith did eleven USO tours and played for troops serving overseas. A hit country crafter of pro-American anthems like “American Soldier” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” that both riled up critics and were loved by millions of fans.
Keith's music career and his various other business ventures made him one of the wealthiest celebrities in the United States stemming from his chain of restaurant’s named, I like this bar and grill, to his line of clothing and premium adult beverage WildShotMezcalwithworm. It is made not with Blue Weber agave, which is used for tequila but instead 100% Green Agave. Remembering the patriot, musician, businessman, andphilanthropist, and finally, family man. The world will be a little emptier. R.I.P.