Toby Keith is one of the biggest country stars of his generation, selling over 40 million albums worldwide and scoring 32 No. 1 songs and dozens of additional radio hits. According to Country Aircheck, he also has eight songs on the list of the Top 100 songs played on country radio over the past 50 years, achieving his highest ranking with 2003’s “I Love This Bar,” which comes in at No. 2 on the chart. The hit track is behind only Tim McGraw’s crossover smash “Live Like You Were Dying.”
Keith Claimed 8 Of The Top 100 Most-Played Songs In The Past 50 Years
Other songs by Keith on the chart are “As Good As I Once Was” at No. 23, “How Do You Like Me Now?!” at No. 29, “I Wanna Talk About Me,” coming in at No. 36, “American Soldier” at No. 55, “My List,” taking the No. 59 spot, “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson, at No. 63 and “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” at No. 96.
Upon hearing the news of his achievement, Toby Keith took to social media to share a heartfelt message with fans. “What an honor it is to have accomplished this along with legends like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Tom T. Hall,” he wrote on Facebook.
Artists in the Top 10 with Keith and McGraw include Lonestar, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen, George Strait and Mark Wills.
Toby Keith Released A New Album, 100% Songwriter
Throughout his career, Keith has been acclaimed as a songwriter as well as a performer, and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, received the National Medal of Arts and was named a BMI Icon.
In November, Keith released 100% Songwriter, a 13-song compilation of songs Keith wrote entirely solo that includes his debut single and first No. 1, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” In September, his Instagram account announced the album and wrote, “Toby prides himself on being a songwriter first and foremost…so what better way to celebrate his songwriting accomplishments than to release an album of songs he wrote alone?”
Keith’s Brutally Honest Thoughts On The Current State of Country Music
While he launched and sustained his career on the strength of his songs, Keith told The Oklahoman in August that he isn’t writing as much as he used to “because I have nowhere to go with it.”
“You can get it … streamed, and you’ve got your fans who’ll play it. But as far as getting airplay, what we do and what I made my hall of fame living doing, they don’t want that,” he explained. “So, you’re kind of wasting your time.”
Keith pointed out that artists of his generation no longer get radio play like they used to, and he doesn’t see many newer acts having the same longevity artists previously enjoyed.
“All those years of owning it, and being that guy where you just put it out, and they’ll automatically play it, well, none of us are that guy anymore,” he said. “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.”
“I’ve just never been that guy — and I’m not going to change and write that kind of stuff. … But with all the songs we got, I could play four hours straight hits.”
Recently Hinted At Return To Touring Following Cancer Battle
Additionally, Toby Keith recently did something similar to that when he sold out a three-night run in Las Vegas in December 2023, performing sets that lasted over two hours during his trio of shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The concerts marked Keith’s first official set of live shows following his stomach cancer diagnosis, which prompted him to take an extended break from music.
The 62-year-old Oklahoma native has indicated in recent interviews that he is doing well following his treatment and might even launch a tour soon. “It’s on the board,” Keith said of a full-scale tour during an interview with Taste of Country Nights. “They have got a great plan together, and we’ve built a new set, and we’re getting the trucks and buses fired up. Our plan is to go forward, don’t let this stuff define our future — let’s go.”
