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Reba On Toby Keith: ‘We’ll Sure Miss Him’

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Reba McEntire shared her thoughts on the death of Toby Keith, who passed away last night (2/5) at the age of 62 from stomach cancer.

Reba told us, “Toby and I are both from Oklahoma and very proud of our Oklahoma heritage. Toby worked very hard to make a mark in the country music business and did a great job doing that. I am very proud of him, and I hope he rests in peace.

She added, “I was very honored to get to work with Toby and be a part of the era of country music he was in. We’ll sure miss him.”

Blake Shelton presented his fellow Oklahoman Toby Keith with the “Country Icon Award” at the September inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards (2023). When he accepted the honor, Toby joked from the stage, “I bet y’all never thought you’d see me in skinny jeans. I want to thank the Almighty for being with me tonight. He’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while.”

RELATED: Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll and More React To Toby Keith’s Death

Keith performed a new song inspired by his cancer battle called “Don’t Let The Old Man In.”

The award honored Keith for “his decades-long career as a groundbreaking musician, humanitarian, and entrepreneur.” The honor also recognized his career as a musician, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Toby has scored 32 No.1 singles and has sold 40 million albums.

Other country stars have posted their tribute to Keith, including Dan + Shay, who performed a song of Toby’s and posted a video clip singing “She Never Cried In Front Of Me” to their Instagram. They wrote, “Used to cover to this song back in the early days. RIP to one of the greatest country music songwriters of all time. You’ll be missed, @tobykeith.”

Lady A posted to Insta Stores, “Lost a legend. He was always an inspiration to us and the nicest guy around when we had crossed paths. One of the best songwriters in our genre, too. Rest easy, Toby.”

Five of Toby Keith's Songs That Will Live Forever

  • "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993)

    This is his debut single and the song people will always associate with Toby. Many artists mentioned the song and its lyrics in their tribute to him after his death (2/6). Keith wrote the song himself, and it has always been his anthem. The song has received more than three million spins on country radio, making it the most-played country song of the 1990s. Over the years, the song has been a staple following sporting events at Oklahoma State University (home of the Cowboys), often played over the venue’s PA system several times in succession as fans emptied the stadium or arena.

  • "How Do You Like Me Now?!" (1999)

    This song brought Keith to superstardom. Toby told me the inspiration for the song in 2000. “Initially, I said, ‘Here’s my title: ‘You Never Loved Me Before, So How Do You Like Me Now?’ It’s one of my catchphrases. A lot of people become successful after they’ve been told they won’t ever be so that people can relate to this. It can be about an old flame or a boss or a teacher -whatever it means to each individual. It was a fun song to write.”

  • "I Wanna Talk About Me" (2001)

    This is another fun song and a big hit for Keith. The song was originally pitched to Blake Shelton, whose label turned it down. After recording the song, Keith said he knew he would get banged around for the song a bit. He noted, “They’re going to call it a rap, [although] there ain’t nobody doing rap who would call it a rap.”

    The music video for the song shows Toby in many different situations, including a man shopping with his girlfriend or wife, a police officer, a motorcycle rider, and a surgeon.

  • "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002)

    The song he wrote after the 9/11 attacks on America and was also inspired by Keith’s father’s death in March 2001. In a November 2003 interview with CBS, Keith said of writing the song: “I was so angry when we were attacked here on American soil that it leaked out of me.”

    The music video for the song features Toby performing the song, playing a red, white, and blue guitar, and showing images of his own father fighting in a war.

  • "Red Solo Cup" (2011)

    Keith sure is good at fun party songs, and he proved it once again with this song, which was the only song on the album Clancy’s Tavern that he did not write. The song was written by the Warren Brothers in Nashville.

    The music video includes cameos from Jeff Dunham (and his character Bubba J), Carrot Top, Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, Roger Clemens, Eric Church, Joe Nichols, Lance Burton, and Larry Bird, among others.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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