Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961) is a country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer from the United States. Before departing Mercury Records in 1998, Keith recorded his first four studio albums for various divisions of Mercury Records: 1993’s Toby Keith, 1994’s Boomtown, 1996’s Blue Moon, and 1997’s Dream Walkin’, as well as a Greatest Hits package. All of his albums were certified Gold or higher, and he had multiple Top Ten hits, including his breakthrough “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” which topped the country charts and was the most-played country song of the 1990s. According to Broadcast Music Incorporated, the song has earned three million spins since its debut.
Keith was signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1998, and his breakout hit “How Do You Like Me Now?!” was released in late 1999. This song, the title track of his 1999 album of the same name, was the number one country hit of 2000, and one of numerous chart-topping singles during his time with DreamWorks Nashville. Pull My Chain, Unleashed, and Shock’n Y’all, his following three albums, each generated three more number ones, and all were certified 4x Platinum. In 2004, he published Honkytonk University, which was followed by a second Greatest Hits collection.
When DreamWorks collapsed in 2005, Keith formed the label Show Dog Nashville, which combined with Universal South Records in December 2009 to become Show Dog-Universal Music. He has eight studio albums out on Show Dog/Show Dog-Universal, including 2006’s White Trash with Money. Big Dog Daddy, released in 2007, That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy, released in 2008, American Ride, released in 2009, Bullets in the Gun, released in 2010, Clancy’s Tavern, released in 2011, Hope on the Rocks, released in 2012, Drinks After Work (2013), 35 MPH Town (2015), The Bus Songs (2017), and Peso In My Pocket 2021, as well as the 2008 compilation 35 Biggest Hits Keith made his acting debut in 2006 with the film Broken Bridges, and he co-starred alongside comedian Rodney Carrington in the 2008 film Beer for My Horses, which was based on his song of the same name.
Keith has recorded 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, selling over 40 million albums worldwide. He has 61 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart songs, including 20 number one successes and 21 more top ten hits. At six weeks apiece, his longest-lasting number one songs are “Beer for My Horses” (a 2003 duet with Willie Nelson) and “As Good as I Once Was” (2005). President Donald Trump presented Keith with the National Medal of Arts on January 13, 2021, in a secret event alongside Ricky Skaggs.
Toby Keith Net Worth
Toby Keith is a country singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer from the United States. Toby Keith net worth is $365 million.
Toby Keith Early Life
Toby Keith Covel was born in Clinton, Oklahoma on July 8, 1961. Carolyn and Hubert Covel have three children: one girl and two boys. As a child, he even went to see his grandma during the summers. In Fort Smith, Arkansas, she ran a Supper Club. Toby was enthralled by the musicians that performed at the dinner club. He bought his first guitar when he was eight years old, worked various jobs around his grandmother’s club, and ultimately walked up on stage to perform with the house band.
Toby grew up in Moore, Oklahoma, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, with his brothers. He played defensive end for Moore High School’s football squad. He worked as a derrick in the oil fields after graduating from high school. He eventually rose to the position of operations manager.
Toby created the Easy Mony Band with a group of pals when he was 20. Toby continued to work in the oil fields while the band performed at local clubs. He was laid off in 1982 when the oil sector was going through a hard patch. Toby then played defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a semi-pro football team. After a few years, Easy Money achieved some regional popularity and began performing at honky-tonks in Texas and Oklahoma.
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Toby Keith Career
Toby moved to Nashville in the early 1990s and began busking on the city’s notorious Music Row. He distributed demo tapes to the city’s several record labels. Because there was little interest in his demo, he returned to Oklahoma. He had promised himself that if he didn’t obtain a recording deal by the age of 30, he would change his professional path. Then, by chance, an Easy Money Band fan who was a flight attendant sent his demo tape to a Mercury Records executive on a flight she was working. Toby’s tone appealed to the executive, who signed him to a recording deal.
Toby’s debut single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” reached number one on the country music charts in 1993. The song also made it into the top 100 of the pop music charts. By the end of the 1990s, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” had received over three million radio spins. It was the most-played country song of the 1990s, surpassing Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Keith’s first four studio albums — 1993’s “Toby Keith,” 1994’s “Boomtown,” 1996’s “Blue Moon,” and 1997’s “Dream Walkin'” — were released by Mercury Records’ different divisions until he left the label in 1998. These albums all yielded a number of top 10 hits. Keith signed with DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1998, and his breakout hit “How Do You Like Me Now?!” was released in late 1999. This song, the title track of his 1999 album of the same name, was the number one country hit of 2000, and one of numerous chart-topping singles during his time with DreamWorks Nashville. His following three albums, “Pull My Chain,” “Unleashed,” and “Shock’n Y’all,” all generated three more number ones and were certified four times Platinum.
From 1993 until 2000, Toby published a new album every year. Each title sold at least 500,000 copies, with the majority selling for more. When a handful of tracks from his 1999 album “How Do You Like Me Now” were rejected by his label, Toby acquired the right to buy the record back from the company for $93,000. He then sold the rights to DreamWorks for $200,000 in cash. “How Do You Like Me Now?” sold 3.1 million copies.
Keith has recorded 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, with over 40 million records sold worldwide. “Unleashed,” his 2002 album, sold 3 million copies and featured a smash duet with Willie Nelson called “Beer for My Horses.”
Toby paid $400,000 for a 10% interest in Big Machine in 2004. That investment was a risk at the time, but it paid off handsomely. Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift were all signed by Big Machine Records. To this day, Toby Keith receives payment whenever any of Big Machine’s musicians receive payment.
Toby was contacted with a suggestion by Don Marrandino, the proprietor of a Las Vegas casino, shortly after establishing his record companies. Marrandino intended to open a “I Love This Bar and Grill” themed restaurant within his casino. It was one of the top 50 grossing restaurants in the United States at the end of 2004.
This would enough for the vast majority of individuals. Toby Keith, on the other hand. Toby chose to get into the liquor industry after hearing that his friend Sammy Hagar sold his Cabo Wabo tequila brand for $80 million in 2007. He pondered launching a Bourbon or vodka company. Bourbon proved impossible to produce on a large scale, while the vodka market appeared to be oversaturated. As a result, he settled on Mezcal. Toby found a distributor and began trying mezcal from several family-run producers. The “Wild Shot” mezcal was introduced in March 2011. Wild Shot was the number one premium mezcal in the United States by the conclusion of the year. Toby’s empire’s booze arm was the final piece of a rising empire. An enterprise that nets him between $60 and $100 million every year.
Toby Keith Personal Life
Keith’s personal life began on March 24, 1984, when he married Tricia Lucus. Shelley (born in 1980 and adopted by Keith in 1984), Krystal (born in 1985), and son Stelen are the couple’s three children (born in 1997). Through his daughter Shelley, he also has two grandchildren and one grandson.
Keith’s father was killed in an automobile accident on March 24, 2001. The incident, combined with the events of September 11, 2001, prompted Keith to write the controversial “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American),” which was hugely popular, particularly among military personnel but caused a schism between Keith and The Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines.
Keith recorded a PSA for Little Kids Rock, a nationwide foundation that strives to revive and rejuvenate music instruction in poor public schools across the United States. Keith is a supporter of Ally’s House, an Oklahoma non-profit organization that assists children with cancer.
Keith was given $20,000 for his first record contract, and his self-titled first album was published in 1993. Between March and December of 1993, he gave 150 gigs. He earned $5,000 to $10,000 per night. When the album’s second hit began receiving radio exposure throughout the tour, venues increased his price to $20,000 per show.