Toby Keith Biography

Toby Keith lived a true blue-collar life until he finally found his way to the top of the music world in the 1990s.

Toby Keith: Growing Up
Toby Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, in 1961. As a boy, Toby Keith was given instant Country-music credibility as he was raised on a farm. This pedigree would only grow as Toby Keith went from boy to young man, getting a job as a rodeo hand. Through all this time, Toby Keith soaked up the music for both the Texas Outlaw music scene and the Bakersfield Sound. After graduating high school, Toby Keith formed his first band and began the standard bar and club touring. Toby Keith took a job in an oil field to pay the bills since Toby Keith tickets did not provide an income.

Toby Keith: Should’ve Been…
Toby Keith did not have a magical ride to the top like some other Country-music stars; it would take years of touring, writing, and hard work to get his break. Oklahoma was far from Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee, and it took a long time for Toby Keith’s demo to reach the right ears. Producer Harold Shedd eventually got a hold of some Toby Keith material and saw great potential for the big man in the growing genre of Pop Country.

Under the direction of Harold Shedd, album Toby Keith dropped in 1993 and would be the instant success that had eluded Toby Keith for so long. “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” became an anthem for the burgeoning Pop Country movement and broke quickly to No. 1 on the charts. Fans with Toby Keith tickets also made songs like “He Ain’t Worth Missing” and “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” hits as well. The singles and the resulting tours helped Toby Keith reach platinum success, making it an amazing debut.

Toby Keith: Boomtown
Toby Keith not only showed off his musical skill but his talents as a writer by penning many songs for second album Boomtown, including No. 1 single “Who’s That Man”. Dipped and saturated in the heavy production and big sound of the 1990s, Boomtown covered the same ground as Toby Keith and had similar platinum success. Fans with Toby Keith tickets were treated to another platinum album Blue Moon in 1996 and big hits in “Me Too” and “A Woman’s Touch”. Even though he had commercial recognition, Toby Keith hungered for a style truly his own.

Toby Keith: The Real Toby
Toby Keith signed with a new label and has given more freedom to play with his sound. The result was an album totally from the mind of Toby Keith, How Do You Like Me Now. Writing all but three of the album’s tracks, fans with Toby Keith tickets experienced the heart of Toby Keith like never before. “How Do You Like Me Now” kicked off the new sound and became a crossover hit that ruled the Country charts at No. 1 for several weeks. “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” followed up and gave Toby Keith another hit. Awards soon fell on Toby Keith and reassured this new direction.

This sound was explored and expanded with Pull My Chain, which featured unexpected Country/Rap song “I Wanna Talk About Me”. As the theme song to every man with a chatty girlfriend, “I Wanna Talk About Me” took over the charts in both Country and Pop. “My List” and “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight” had a more Country feel, but the crossover was complete and fans who had never taken in a Country concert were buying Toby Keith tickets and albums, making Pull My Chain triple-platinum.

Toby Keith: Angry American

The attacks on 9/11 had a big influence on the 2002 Toby Keith album Unleashed. The title was appropriate as Toby Keith would launch his musical power unlike any other time in his career and made Toby Keith plenty of enemies but even more fans. “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue” would become the signature hit of Toby Keith’s career. “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue” drew praise and crisis in equal batches. Fans with Toby Keith tickets supported their favorite artist, and the legend of Toby Keith only grew with quadruple-platinum success.

Toby Keith: Shockin’ Ya’ll
With hits “Beer for my Horses” and “Whose Your Daddy” bringing the funny hits back to Toby Keith on Unleashed, it was natural for him to followed up with bombastic album Shockin’ Y’all. “American Soldier” was another patriotic hit, but fans with Toby Keith tickets really pounced on party songs “This Bar” and “Whiskey Girl”. A sold-out tour and four million albums later, Toby Keith was raised to the top of the Country-music mountain with Brad paisley and Kenny Chesney.

Toby Keith: Honkytonk With Money
Toby Keith continued to bring the party in the studio and on the tour trail with albums Honkytonk University and White Trash with Money. “Ain’t As Good as I Once Was” became the staple for jukeboxes across the nation and returned Toby Keith to his festive and native roots. Toby Keith also took to producing his own albums so that he could truly produce the sound he wanted. With his career squarely in his hands, Toby Keith ticketholders have a lot to look forward to.

Toby Keith: Touring
Alongside Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith ruled the tour trail in 2008. While 2009 may not be packed with Toby Keith tour dates, each event will put Toby Keith with the maximum number of fans. The biggest gig so far in 2009 will be at RodeoHouston, where Toby Keith drew 60,000 fans in 2008. As one of America’s biggest stars, Toby Keith tickets are always in high demand, and a limited number of tour dates means there are only a few chances to see Toby Keith in 2009.