{"id":3771,"date":"2024-02-06T14:31:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=3771"},"modified":"2024-02-06T14:31:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:31:10","slug":"remembering-the-life-of-country-singer-songwriter-toby-keith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2024\/02\/remembering-the-life-of-country-singer-songwriter-toby-keith.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Life of Country Singer-Songwriter Toby Keith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Toby Keith, a sometimes polarizing figure in country music who created an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger, died at 62 years old. According to a statement on the country singer\u2019s website, Keith, who was battling stomach cancer, died peacefully surrounded by his family. The statement said, \u201cHe fought his fight with grace and courage.\u201d Keith was diagnosed in 2022.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-4 singer-songwriter hit the scene in the country boom years of the 1990s, writing songs that fans loved to hear. Over his career, Keith publicly clashed with journalists and other celebrities, often pushing back against record executives who wanted to smooth his rough edges. He was known for his overt patriotism on post-9\/11 songs like \u201cCourtesy of the Red, White and Blue\u201d and boisterous barroom tunes like \u201cI Love This Bar\u201d and \u201cRed Solo Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had a powerful booming voice, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and a range that carried love songs as well as drinking songs. Among his 20 No. 1 Billboard hits were \u201cHow Do You Like Me Now?!,\u201d \u201cShould\u2019ve Been a Cowboy,\u201d \u201cAs Good As I Once Was,\u201d \u201cMy List,\u201d and \u201cBeer for My Horses,\u201d a duet with\u00a0Willie Nelson. As a young man, Keith worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Oklahoma, then played semi-pro football before starting his career as a singer. He told The Associated Press <\/em>in 2001, after the success of his song \u201cI\u2019m Just Talking About Tonight,\u201d \u201cI write about life, and I sing about life, and I don\u2019t overanalyze things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keith learned valuable lessons in the booming oil fields, which toughened him up but also showed him the value of money. He told the AP in 1996, \u201cThe money to be made was unbelievable. I came out of high school in 1980, and they gave me this job in December of 1979, $50,000 a year. I was 18 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the domestic oil field industry collapsed, and Keith was not saved. \u201cIt about broke us,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I just learned. I\u2019ve taken care of my money this time.\u201d He spent a couple of seasons as a defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a farm team for the now-defunct United States Football League. But he found consistent money playing music with his band throughout the red dirt roadhouse circuit in Oklahoma and Texas.<\/p>\n

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pic.twitter.com\/NfdLKGLQQe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Toby Keith (@tobykeith) February 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n