On The Cover: Toby Keith (Dec 2012/Jan 2013)

There are few safe bets in life, even fewer when it comes to entertainment. A new Toby Keith album, however, is as close to a sure thing as can be found. As he releases Hope On The Rocks, Keith is coming off yet another No. 1 country album, Clancy’s Tavern, which included the biggest viral event in the genre’s history, “Red Solo Cup.” That effort was just the latest in a long run of chart-topping albums and singles that form an unmatched model of consistency. Starting with his first single, 1993’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Keith has had No. 1 hits every year.

Keith’s tours, and his long running association with title sponsor Ford Trucks, are annually among the nation’s top draws. His “I Love This Bar And Grill” restaurants are perhaps the fastest growing of any celebrity chain and now include 15 locations. His signature Wild Shot Mezcal has almost single handedly stoked growth in an entire segment of the spirits industry. Those successes led Forbes to once again feature Keith in the Forbes Celebrity 100 this year, the annual ranking of the most powerful stars in movies, television, sports and publishing. He is the top earning country male musician on the list.

Remarkable as they are, however, those achievements pale in comparison to the singular vision behind an astonishingly focused creative process. He remains the principal songwriter of his many hits, to the tune of more than 75 million airplay performances, according to BMI. That number puts him among the top songwriter/artists of all time in any genre.

Artist Name Toby Keith
Label Show Dog-Universal Music
Current Album/Single Hope On The Rocks
Current Producer Toby Keith
Management TK Kimbrell / TKO Artist Management
Booking Curt Motley / Paradigm Agency
Recent Hits “Red Solo Cup,” “Beers Ago,” “I Like Girls That Drink Beer”
Special Film Appearances Principal Actor in Beer For My Horses and Broken Bridges
Hometown Norman, Okla.
Birthdate 7/8/61
Musical Influences Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson
Favorite Songs “Same Thing Happened To Me” John Prine, “Wichita Jail” Charlie Daniels, “Yesterday’s Wine” Willie Nelson, “It Happened Just That Way” Roger Miller
Awards CMA and ACM Video of The Year for “Red Solo Cup,” three time BMI Songwriter of the Year, two time NSAI Songwriter of the Year, Billboard and ACA Artist of the Decade awards, NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Decade

RIAA Certifications
18 Gold or Platinum albums
37 million albums sold

Interesting Facts:
• He played semi-pro football and is interested in golf, horse racing and coaching football.
• Wild Shot is the No. 1 premium Mezcal in the United States and it has a worm in it. “Blame it on the worm.”
• Keith has once again played to packed houses across America on his “Live In Overdrive Tour, presented by Ford F-Series.”
• He completed his 10th annual USO tour in 2012 and has performed for over 220,000 service men and women since 2002. He has played over 192 shows mostly in the Persian Gulf area.
• Following his hugely successful European tour in late 2011, Keith was recently awarded the International Act of the Year & International Album of the Year for Clancy’s Tavern at the British Country Music Awards (the biggest country award show in the UK).