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From his debut single “Should’ve Been A Cowboy, to his most recent hit “Red Solo Cup”, Toby Keith has proven he’s a good ole boy with a sense of humor and flair. Almost two decades since his 1993 debut album took country music by storm, Keith has mixed classic and contemporary styles with a mix serious and hilarious tongue-in-cheek lyrical motifs. The majority of his work lands on the upbeat humorous side of the fence, which is why Keith has earned a pick-up truck work of awards including: Country Artist of the Decade from Billboard magazine, over half a dozen from the Academy of Country Music, another four from the American Music Awards, and one year ago he received the Visionary Artist Award at the Inagural American Country Awards. All of this when he’s not bust acting of course.
The Oklahoma native has released fifteen studio albums, two Christmas albums, and multiple compilation albums. His most recent album, Clancy’s Tavern hit stores in October of this year.
Keith is a man of strong faith, conviction and ideals. he’s also not shy about letting people know exactly how he feels. His post-911 anthem “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” ruffled many a liberal’s feathers, and led to a highly publicized war of words with Dixie Chicks vocalist Natalie Maines. The fallout from this incident, amidst her anti-Bush comments almost single-handedly ended the career of the Chicks.
Keith wears his patriotism on his sleeve, and waves that flag proudly, something that has enamored his to a massive base of conservative country fans. Last year the singer received the Johnny “Mike” Spann Memorial Semper Fidelis Award named for the CIA operative (and former Marine Corps captain) who was the first U.S. casualty in the war in Afghanistan. Keith responded by saying: “Spending time with our soldiers around the world is something I’ve always regarded as a privilege and honor. I’m certainly happy to accept this award, but I won’t forget for a second who’s really doing the heavy lifting to keep this country safe. And that’s why I’ll keep going back and spending time with those good folks every chance I get.”
He’s also a proud family man who has had his daughter sing on his albums in the past, and named his newest album after his grandmother’s bar in Arkansas.
There are dozens of reasons to love Toby Keith, and though he’s not at the peak of his career anymore, he’s certainly as good as he once was. That’s why he is Mojo Radio’s artist of the month for December 2011.
I was gonna add this to the article, but didn’t want to mess up Rustyn’s formatting…Don’t miss our two Artist of the Month specials hosted by Chris Bickert. 9:00 PM-1:00 AM East, both this Saturday and next. Chris is a huge fan, great DJ, and knows his stuff.