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In a new interview, Toby Keith slams radio and shares his thoughts on the current country music industry. Find out what he said.
Toby Keith: Hitmaker of the ’90s
Toby Keith was one of the biggest names in country music throughout the 1990s. His first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” hit #1 on the country charts. In fact, Taste of Country reports it was the most-played song on the radio of the decade.
Other notable Toby Keith hits include “Beer for My Horses” and “I Love This Bar.”
His 2011 hit “Red Solo Cup” brought the popular plastic cups to the forefront of frat party pop culture.
Even as his country music star faded, Toby Keith continued to release new music. His last song to hit the charts was the 2021 song “Happy Birthday America.”
2022 Health Scare
In June of 2022, the usually private musician shared some shocking news with fans. He revealed that he was battling stomach cancer. In a social media post, the Oklahoma native wrote that he had undergone “chemo, radiation and surgery” for the six months prior to his public announcement.
Music Mayhem reports that Keith returned to the stage earlier this year with two performances in his home state of Oklahoma. The outlet notes that the singer hoped to return to touring this fall, but nothing official has been released in that regard yet.
In addition to the July performances, he also joined Mark Miller and Sawyer Brown at this year’s Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, per the official Toby Keith Twitter page.
Toby hit the stage with Mark Miller and Sawyer Brown at this year's Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic! pic.twitter.com/sfQ72tUwqd
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) July 21, 2023
Toby Keith Slams Radio Stations, Shares Thoughts on Current Country Music Trends
During the golf classic, Toby Keith spoke to The Oklahoman about the current state of the music industry. He said that radio stations are becoming a relic of the past as people prefer to stream music. In fact, he said the lack of air play on the radio is why he isn’t writing as much new music. “I have nowhere to go with it,” he explained.
That must be a hard pill to swallow for someone who had been a staple on country radio for over 20 years. However, he isn’t taking it personally.
Of the new generation of country singers, such as Jelly Roll and Oliver Anthony, he said that they don’t get much radio play either.
“Even the new people don’t seem to last as long: They come and go pretty quick because it’s flavor-of-the-month stuff” – Toby Keith, The Oklahoman.
However, you won’t hear Toby Keith bow to music trends. He told the outlet, “I’m not going to change and write that kind of stuff.” Toby Keith noted that he doesn’t need to anyway – he could play “four hours” straight of all his hit songs.
Do you still listen to country music on the radio, or do you prefer streaming it? Let us know your thoughts on Toby Keith’s statement in the comments below.
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