Beer For My Horses singer Toby Keith is a very popular country music artist who was most prominent throughout the 90s and has been quite vocal in his support for the troops which might make you wonder if he served in the military.
Toby Keith was not in the military, instead, he pursued a career in country music after working in the oil industry until he was 20.
You can read more below about Toby Keith and the many successes he has achieved in his lengthy career as a sensational country star.
Oklahoma Roots
On July 8, 1961, Toby Keith was born to Carolyn Joan and Hubert Covel Jr in Clinton, Oklahoma. Keith was raised in Moore, Oklahoma for a large chunk of his life and was surrounded by his two siblings, a sister and a brother.
Upon graduating from Moore High School, Keith chose not to go to college and instead chose to stay back and help his dad with his oil business. Eventually, Keith became the operation manager.
This was great up until the mid-80s when oil production hit a standstill and resulted in the 1986 oil industry collapse. Upon falling on hard times, Keith struggled significantly with his finances as he relied on his oil business to supply his money and the oil collapse left him in debt.
Musical Beginnings
It was around this time that Keith went on tour with his band called The Easy Money Band and this is what got him out of debt and provided the inspiration he needed to really pursue a career in music as opposed to managing an oil company.
By 1993, Keith had signed with Mercury Records and had released his self-titled debut album, Toby Keith containing the chart-topping hit single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”
By 2020, some 27 years after the song’s release, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” was named one of the best country hits of the 90s. The hit went down a treat with fans, and it ranked seventh on Ranker Music’s 100+ best country songs of the 90s after receiving at least 209 votes from fans.
After establishing himself as a singer-songwriter with his debut album, Keith took time away from Mercury Records and returned in 1997 to release his final record with them entitled Dream Walkin’ which peaked at number 107 on Billboard 200.
Country Music Success
Since leaving Mercury Records and signing with DreamWorks Records and releasing his fifth album How Do You Like Me Now?!, Keith has received much success in his career as a country music artist. How Do You Like Me Now?! reached the top 100 on Billboard 200, peaking at number 56 while the hit single named after the album’s title soared to number one on Billboard’s Country Songs chart for the 2000s.
The album itself sold over a million copies in the United States and received multiple awards including two ACM awards and an Album of the Year award as both artist and producer.
By 2013, about two decades into his career, Keith had become the fifth solo male artist to make history with his album sales after selling in excess of 30 million records in America alone.
After DreamWorks shut down in 2005, Keith started his own record label named Show Dog Nashville which later became Show Dog Nashville-Universal after he partnered with Universal South Records in 2009.
Under his own record label, Keith has released at least eight top 5 albums and over 20 top 40 singles. On top of this, he has a plethora of different awards under his belt including ones for the Top Male Vocalist, Entertainer of the Year, and Favorite Country Album.