I was sad to wake up today to see that Toby Keith lost his battle with cancer. He was only 62. He was one of those country artists who had continued success while others who came up around the same time faded from the radio. He always seemed to be able to come out with the right song (even the ones I didn’t care for).
Because of my years in country radio, I met him a couple times. The first time was at a Country Radio Seminar. This was a big conference with discussion panels, new artist shows, artist showcases and such. It was a such a cool experience.
One night I was standing in a huge room with a bunch of record and radio people. There may or may not have been some artist show going on in the background, I don’t recall. I had gone to the bar (one of the many throughout the hotel) and grabbed a drink. I remember turning around and Toby was standing right there in front of me. I introduced myself and he shook my hand. His hand engulfed mine! We talked about his music, our station and fishing. He was pleasant and humble and I remember him saying “let me know if I can ever do anything for you guys.”
I had the chance to do phone interviews with him a couple more times, but there was one time I will always remember. This probably happened at another Country Radio Seminar. I was in the bathroom and standing at the urinal. The door slammed open and in walks Hank Williams Jr, Toby Keith and Kid Rock. Hank walks up to my left, slaps me on the should and says hello as he uses the urinal next to me. Toby stands at the urinal to my right and Kid Rock is at the urinal next to Toby. I remember thinking, “What do I do in this situation?! I certainly can’t shake their hands!”
The talk of an upcoming tour made it sound like Toby was getting better, but as I have learned of the years – with cancer, you never know. He spoke of his faith as his source of strength through the battle. In one interview I watched he said something about how people tend to lean on their faith in the bad times, and the health issues made him realize just how important faith was at ALL times. I agree.
In a recent appearance he sang a song called Don’t Let the Old Man In. I have a feeling it will get a lot of airplay in the days ahead.
Like many who have gone before him – he lives on through his music.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 
Thank you for sharing your memories. That urinal story..wow! Those are words I never thought I’d write. Ha! I have enjoyed his music over the years and I was certainly sad to read about his passing today. I had heard he was performing recently so I didn’t expect him to pass so soon.
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Love the stories Keith. I was shocked…I did think he was getting better and that is way to young to go. I don’t know many of his songs but the one I really love was one of those road-fun songs…I’ll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again. He always seemed like a good guy and I was happy reading how nice he was to you.
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So what did you do? Don’t leave us hanging.😅
My father passed away at 44 from cancer. My stepfather passed away at 60. It’s a shame. You’re right, they live on through what they contributed during their lives, and in the memories of those who love them.
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Touching song for sure.
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a very sad loss
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We were deep into country music about 10/12 years ago; funny how that is with music, how our likes and dislikes seem to shift. Anyway, Toby Keith was always someone we enjoyed. He was a terrific entertainer, a great American. He stood for all the things we believe in and I’m sorry he’s gone. He’ll be missed, for sure; it’s his music and stories like yours that will keep him alive in our hearts.
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I love that line: ‘Ask yourself how old you would be, if t you didn’t know the day you were born.’
Be yourself. Don’t act in the way expected of you simply because of your age. Live your life..
Never heard of Toby before, but that’s a pretty melancholic song considering my past nine months. 😉 🙂
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I know his name and was surprised to see he’d passed away, but I can’t think of a song by him I know. the articles I read this week didn’t paint him in the most utterly good colors so I am glad you can add some personal experiences that show him to be a good guy. May he rest in peace.
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