Toby Keith dies of stomach cancer
Sad news in the entertainment world yesterday. Country music superstar Toby Keith has died at the age of 62 after suffering the past couple years with stomach cancer. The older I get, the more tragically young a 62 year-old’s death seems. Funny how that works.
Normally we only highlight the deaths of celebrities when they’re veterans. While Keith never enlisted, I know he inspired many to. He was a big supporter of the US military and did several USO tours (11 of them across 15 countries, three ships, and more than a decade).
I was one of those young people to enlist right after 9/11. When I was going through basic training in 2002, one of Keith’s greatest songs Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) had become quite popular. I succeeded in making the cross-over to the popular music category, where it peaked at 25 on the Hot 100, a rare achievement for a country song.
I’ll never forget the deafening roar that filled the base chapel when they played the video for that song to inspire a few thousand young airmen. Years later, I’d still listen to that song, and his followup American Soldier on my early morning drive to the base for a drill weekend.
Godspeed, Toby. We’ll miss you, but your legacy will carry on. It’s hard to imagine going out to any bar or wedding without hearing at least one of his greatest hits like Beer for my Horses, I Love This Bar, or I Wanna Talk About Me.
Category: Breaking News, We Remember
Rest In Peace, Mr. Keith.
Your songs were an inspiration to us all during our deployments in the Sandbox.
This song is now so fitting for you.
Salute.
Thank You, Mason and others for acknowledging Toby’s music and his deep Love and Respect for our Veterans.
Saw one article that said he performed before 250,000 military folks. That’s a bunch of dedication.
Saw him twice – not a real dynamic performer but a damn good singer. One of his concerts when the Dixie Chicks were on his case, his bulldog came out on stage and lifted his leg on their picture. THAT got a standing ovation!
In the mid 90s on my third assignment in Oklahoma I lived in Moore OK and every day on the way to work I passed Toby Kieth Ave. I had no idea who he was at the time nor why they had renamed that portion of the street after him. Before I PCS’d a couple years later I’d found out that it was a case of local boy done good. Over the intervening decades I came to appreciate the man and his music.
His daddy really did serve in the army where he lost his right eye, and according to Keith, never griped about it either.
And f*** those no talent Dixie Chicks too.
Amen to both comments Corn!!!
Ashamed to say I never looked into that part of the story.
https://www.military.com/off-duty/music/2024/02/06/americans-were-never-supposed-hear-toby-keiths-ass-kicking-post-9-11-battle-song-radio.html
Hooah! 🙂
“Redneck patriot”. Not a bad description, at all. Rest in Peace, Toby.
Stationed in Charlotte circa 2007 (On I&I duty) and he had a concert at the Verizon amphitheater when Toby Keith was playing. The events manager had a son in the Marines who was deployed, so the guy dropped off like 8 tickets: great seats + back stage passes, but if we went we had to wear uniforms (Dress Deltas). Went to the backstage meet/greet first and he specifically put all of the Marines at the end of the line because he wanted to spend the most time talking to us. I relayed to him how I had seen him play at a county fair back in 1993 (Shouldve been a Cowboy JUST came out). He laughed and said he didn’t know if I was showing MY age or HIS. He also showed us a 550 cord bracelet a soldier had given him during a USO tour (he had just gotten back from Iraq about a week prior).
Put on a great show, pointed us out in the crowd numerous times and told everyone if they see us/thank us, and then the last number he did was “American Soldier”. Entire stage was dark because he had all the spotlights on us.
Always enjoyed his music, but that day I became a fan of the MAN: the guy genuinely loved his country and supported the hell out of the military.
RIP, Toby
That’s an awesome story. Write that down somewhere and share it with your family, kids, grandkids so that they too can share it. That way Mr. Toby never has to suffer that “second death”!
Something tells me Mr. Keith wouldn’t want an emotional boo hooing funeral. I didn’t catch the Marine Corps Recon cap in his video until I watched it this time.
RIP Sir.
Toby Keith – Red Solo Cup (Unedited Version) (youtube.com)
Not a country music guy, but I respect the love for this country that he wore on his sleeve. Fair winds and following seas. Rest in Peace Toby Keith.
Rest in peace Toby. God be with your family now.
Wasn’t familiar with Toby Keith before 2010, he wasn’t as well-known in Australia.
First ever song of his I heard was when a friend played me The Taliban Song while we were deployed. Laughed my ass off. What a great guy.he was.
RIP Toby Keith.
The Democrats are celebrating.
How can we share a country with these animals?
(20) Make it a strength https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/svg/1f3f3-fe0f-200d-1f308.svg on X: “Happy Dixie Chicks Day!!!! #TobyKeith https://t.co/HcNDpCTaP0” / X (twitter.com)
You know the answer.
Blaster-6 was the biggest Dixie Chicks fan there was in the early 2000’s. Then they started their Liberal BS and she hasn’t listened to them since. I had zero input into it , other than pride!
Celebrating his death? Those sick POS are almost as bad as those Westboro Baptist ‘Church’ fucksticks.
Libtard moonbats always gloat when someone on the right side of the fence dies, it goes to show what a bunch of no-class little shits they truly are.
That’s why I gloat when one of theirs dies. I’m done being the “better man.” Besides, it’s more fun being the asshole. It throws them for a loop, especially since I’m smarter than 100% of them and am very creative with insults.
Worthless no-class shitbags.. they’re just pissed that they tanked their careers by attacking him and that song.. like all leftists, they’re just small, angry people
Modern war is defined as much by its music as it is by anything else. Certain songs just speak to generations and Toby Keith songs are part of the soundtrack for many OEF/OIF Vets. “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” and “American Soldier” were regularly played in the early years of the wars, and for me, “I Ain’t as Good as I Once Was” was a favorite as I got into my brief bar hopping days while nearing 30 years of age.
Toby Keith represented the last era of Country music I really got into. He could make us sentimental and extremely proud of our country with one song, and have us luaughing with tears in our eyes singing the next one. He left us far too soon, but he left a legacy that won’t be forgotten.
Assigned to Camp Phoenix in Kabul in 2003- 2004. Toby Keith had a cousin in one of the NG units there. He and Ted Neugent flew into Bagram AFB and wanted to come to Phoenix to do a concert. The Commander at Bagram tried to stop them saying it was too dangerous and that they should do their show at Bagram instead. Toby made some phone calls because he and Ted were not allowed to come down to Phoenix. Evidently said Commander at Bagram got quite the talking to, from some very high ups, as both Toby and Ted showed up that afternoon to play for the troops. And they both pulled no punches telling the soldiers how they got there. Their stage was a flatbed trailer, and they played with two acoustic guitars, one electric guitar they borrowed from a soldier, and no back-up band or singers. Best concert I ever attended.
Don’t jack with a country boy. He’ll find a way to whup you in front of your Mama and your girlfriend.
Bagram felt “Wear your PT belt– swear to me!” etc. was cool:
Bagram under the 25 ID in 2004 had to be the most screwed up place in the Army. I have never encountered a more anal organization in my career. MP’s harassing young soldiers for wearing Boonie Hats instead of patrol caps even though their Chain had them leave their patrol caps back in garrison, stateside; shutting the gates down three times a week for two hours for organized PT while Haji is watching from the mountains surrounding it, and the stupid as shit PT Belts, wearing something reflective in a combat zone. They were getting rocketed on an almost daily basis at that time. They were extremely lucky Haji never hit one of their mass formations while they were running. Oh, and don’t you dare show up for chow in anything but a freshly pressed uniform, or the hermit CSM’s would have your ass, the CSM’s who could not be bothered to go outside the gates but would tear a solder a new one for being dirty coming off an Op. I turned down a slot to the CSM Academy because of those assholes and retired instead.
I witnessed the same BS! CSM/SGM that wouldn’t leave the wire, giving hell to those that did because they were dirty/sweaty- because they did! SAD! I was just an LT at the time ( 23 years enlisted before commissioning, cut me a little slack!). and “ran my mouth a bit”.
Shitbirds are shitbirds, regardless of rank! They have no place amongst warriors, but they seem to be there for political reasons. Call them out as you can!
‘and some times they tag team. The anal retentive CMSgt was giving me the 3rd degree about my troops’ boonies. I told the chief it was allowed; he said he’d see about that. The chief stormed off while the venereal wart of a SMSgt proved he was the recently separated conjoined twin of the chief by carrying on the tirade. The chief returned and whispered to the SMSgt that I was right. I never heard anything more about it.
I was on the SGM list at the time and had a slot at the academy. The behavior of those cretins convinced me I did not want to be associated with CSM/SGM corps in any way.
Good ol’ Bagram Batman! I had a 2 day layover there going from one FOB to another. (I was a USMC SSgt at the time). Some shape sarn’t tried to rail on me for wearing a boonie and not having a glowbelt.
“You need to hit the BX and grab a glow belt there, Sgt!”
“Well bro: 1) Im a SSgt, not a Sgt and B) I dont fucking work for you….so, k bye.”
Bagram was great in 2002. Back when its population was about 250.
When the 101st Abn was in charge, Bagram wasn’t that bad, but when the 25th showed up they ran it like they were back in garrison in Hawaii.
Amen.
The thing I loved the most about him was his constant raising of his middle finger to every critic that said his music sucked.
They’d throw shade on “I Love This Bar”…he’d come back with “Red Solo Cup”. They’d call him a recycled country singer… he’d come back with “How Do You Like Me Now?” (that included the tune I call nyah…nyah…na…nayah naaaa).
That is MY personality in a nut [case] shell.
May he raise some hell in Heaven.
Not really a country fan as far as my first choice of music, but I did like Toby Keith.
Would like to have seen him in concert.
Lesson here – don’t gut your dip, use a bottle.
Hope the family copes as well as possible.
Was honored to meet Toby, very briefly, at a show I worked backed in the 90s. Very personable, unpretentious, down to earth gentleman of the Old School. Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Good Sir. Thank you for your Real Music and your Real Patriotism.
We have to wonder, as we lose more and more of the real musicians that are being replaced by lip syncing, electronic generated music wanna bees, just what The Possum used to wonder when he penned this tune…
Well Reb, it’s just this Yankee’s opinion that since 1975 we couldn’t peak any higher after Steve Goodman penned and David Allen Coe preformed the perfect Country and Western song:
That ‘air is a good un, -Dog, but I think the latest Modern “Bestest Country Song” will be when a self driving pickup truck leaves a good ol’ boy and runs off with a Tesla…that drinks Butt Lite.
Hahaha! You are correct!!! Just look up the Mylie Cyrus BS from her “winning” Grammy’s this past weekend! Sad!!!
She sucks as does her music, but she’s rich and liberal, so she thinks she’s important.
Not necessarily my cup of tea but I have respect a’plenty for this man: He dared when few wouldn’t.
I wish his family, friends, and fans great comfort in knowing Mister Keith lived an honorable life. He brought joy to an unknowable amount of people.
We were lucky to have him.
Lifting a glass to a great one!
See if this works…
http://anodtothegods.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GFqIGnEXcAAVE24.jpg
No acknowledgement at all from Taylor Swift for her former mentor. Toby discovered Taylor in 2005 & signed her to his record label.
Taylor Swift describes Toby Keith after signing with his record label – YouTube
You were expecting something different?
She’s a scrunt
R.I.P. Toby, you will be sorely missed here. I still love his “The Taliban Song”, LMAO every time I hear it and ditto with “Weed with Willie”!