One of the biggest stars of contemporary country music, Toby Keith has cut 14 albums over his long career, and has won five Academy of Country Music Awards including Entertainer of the Year in 2002 and 2003. Keith’s high-energy, often humorous lyrics have made him a favorite for young country music listeners, while his conservative, patriotic ballads have made him a favorite among older fans as well.
Keith was born on July 8, 1961 in Clinton, Oklahoma and raised in a suburb of Oklahoma City. Though he always wanted to be a country musician, Keith spent much of his early life playing football and working in the Oklahoma oil fields. After graduating from Moore High School in 1979, Keith formed the band Easy Money while he worked as an oil field operation manager. The group found modest local success in the early 80s on the Oklahoma-Texas honky tonk circuit, and during this time Keith was also raising his family with his wife Tricia and playing semi-professional football with the Oklahoma City Drillers.
A move to Nashville in the early 90s initially proved to be a frustrating time for Keith, who had hoped to score a recording contract. After returning to Oklahoma, Keith received a break after a friend gave his demo tape to Mercury Records exec Harold Shedd, who offered Keith a contract and ultimately spearheaded his debut self-titled album. Its lead single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” hit #1 on the Country charts, propelling the album to platinum certification. Since this early success, Keith has released a hit album or compilation nearly every year, and has achieved a whopping 14 #1 Country singles. Keith’s latest album “White Trash with Money,” his first on his brand-new record label Show Dog Nashville, has been a sizable hit. This latest offering is emblematic of Keith’s image over the last several years – in many of his songs he explores socio-political themes that typically have a conservative edge.