Toby Keith an outlaw and that’s the way he likes it
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Keith has never strayed too far from his Sooner State roots, working long days in oil fields, playing semiprofessional football and raising race horses.
From the spotlight of country music to business and politics of Oklahoma, Keith is balanced.
“Most artists moved to Nashville,” Keith said, lounging on a leather couch in his tour bus. “I never did have an address there. I was there for one day and never felt the need for more.”
His unorthodox journey to success has apparently worked. Keith has been nominated in five categories for awards from the Country Music Association.
Keith didn’t head for the recording studios of Nashville, like many upstarts in country music. Instead he honed his craft in the whiskey halls and bars of the Southwest for nearly a decade.
Keith, who began playing guitar at age 8 after receiving one for Christmas as a child in Moore, had been touring with his band Easy Money, in between playing semipro football for the Oklahoma Drillers and then a short-stint with the Oklahoma Outlaws.
When the Outlaws failed and his football career was finally over, Keith put his energy into his music.
He toured 51 weeks a year, hitting honky tonks and music halls from Oklahoma to Texas to Colorado.
“It was the only way we could make enough money,” he said. “Nothing ain’t worth having if its not worth fighting for. I was only going to do it for 10 years and it was getting pretty close.”
But before he could quit and head back to the oil fields of Oklahoma, he got a deal with Mercury Records.
“They came to me,” he says, with a smirk.
Keith put out three albums with Mercury before switching to DreamWorks, which allowed him the freedom to record the witty, sometimes redneck philosophy infused singles that have become anthems in bars for country fans and non-fans alike.
In 2003, the Academy of Country Music named him country music’s Entertainer of the Year, but he wasn’t there to pick it up. Thinking his chances were slim, he left the ceremony to work on a song with Willie Nelson.
“The awards are kind of like the All-Star game,” Keith said. “You take your turn at bat, smile and give everybody the finger and leave.”
That’s Keith for you. Honest and blunt. That grit translates into his drinking anthems, his ballads and his collection of post 9-11 patriotic songs.
Keith has written nearly all the songs he’s recorded and says he writes when he gets the inspiration. Straightforward lyrics and edgy guitar-riffs have given him staying power. His second greatest hits album comes Tuesday.
“It was important everybody speak their mind,” Keith said. “But if you’re going to speak up, at least have something to say.”
Keith is keeping his wealth in Oklahoma. He and his family live near Norman, home to Keith’s beloved University of Oklahoma Sooners.
Keith’s latest project is a $4.7 million restaurant and music hall in Oklahoma City’s fledgling entertainment district, Bricktown.
The venture, “Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill,” will seat up to 600 people and is expected to be a stopping spot for touring acts. Keith recently opened a similar bar in Las Vegas and plans for bars in North Kansas City, Mo., and Shreveport, La., are in the works.