You don't have to wait long to see Toby Keith giving what he feels to others. It doesn't matter if it's a fan, a soldier fighting for our country or the cause to fight poverty (he's one of Nashville's best and brightest doing Live 8), Toby is a man who does what he believes is true. But even with his success it still isn't tough to picture Toby Keith working the oil fields or working as a rodeo hand. With his 6'4" frame, it wouldn't be hard to imagine him playing defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a semi-pro football team. Toby involved himself in all of these working man jobs starting out. Now he uses this experience to produce some high quality country tunes which reach the hearts of most listeners. From his first big hit tune 'Should've Been A Cowboy', to the heartfelt ballad 'Who's That Man', to the patriotic 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue', his range of hits show the diversity of his musical talent. His current release, 'Honky Tonk University' gives his fans a taste of his long study in the arts of country music.
Asked how he's managed to maintain his superstar status for so long, Toby Keith, 2001 CMA Male Vocalist Of The Year, says simply: "I've just been doing the same things I've always done; it's my surroundings that have changed. I've got a record company that gives me the freedom to do what I want, and the industry has accepted what I do. Because of that, in a very real sense, I've been liberated."

To be sure, rarely has a collaboration worked as well as that of Toby Keith and James Stroud, Toby's longtime producer and the head of his label, DreamWorks Records. It was true with the smash 'How Do You Like Me Now', which punched Toby's career into overdrive, and it has been true with the hits that followed: 'You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This', 'Country Comes To Town', 'I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight', 'I Wanna Talk About Me' and 'My List'.

One key to the success of those songs and the discs that spawned them ñ 1999's 'How Do You Like Me Now' (ACM Album Of The Year) and 2001's 'Pull My Chain' ñ is the artist/producer pair's ability to translate Toby's onstage charisma onto CD. But it's Toby's unique point of view and uncanny knack for putting it into song that's at the heart of everything he does.

Far from a series of flukes, these triumphs are a reflection of the vision, work ethic and persistence that have always marked Toby Keith's outlook on life.
He grew up in Moore, Okla., with twin passions for music and sports. He began playing football at five; at eight, in imitation of the musicians who appeared at his grandmother's supper club, he started playing guitar.
He worked as a rodeo hand in high school, then took a job in the oil fields after graduation. He also formed the Easy Money band and played local honky-tonks on weekends.

After three years in the oil fields, the industry hit a major slump, and Toby cast his eye back toward sports. He played two years as a defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a semi-pro team, all the while continuing to perform with his band. While playing with the Drillers, he tried out for the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL.
When that league folded, Toby reassessed his life, deciding that despite the odds, he needed to pour himself into music. So he and Easy Money hit the road. Toby concentrated on his writing, putting together a demo tape that made a fan of former Alabama producer Harold Shedd. This led to Toby signing with Mercury Records and releasing a self-titled album that resulted in three #1 hits, 'Should've Been A Cowboy', 'Wish I Didn't Know Now' and 'A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action', and the #5 hit 'He Ain't Worth Missing'. Toby Keith resided on the charts for a year, earning double-platinum certification.

Many felt the performance of his debut should have made him a shoe-in for an industry newcomer award, but Toby wasn't even nominated. "I felt dissed", he admits. But where some artists might be tempted to change what they're doing in order to court industry favor, Toby simply put his broad shoulders to the wheel and toured incessantly, winning legions of fans while continuing to crank out hits. Chart-climbers like 'Who's That Man', You Ain't Much Fun', 'Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine On You' and 'Me Too' turned Boomtown and Blue Moon gold and platinum, respectively.
Toby would soon strike up his professional relationship with James Stroud. They first collaborated on Dream Walkin' (1997), a Top 10 album that went gold and delivered the #1 hits 'Dream Walkin'' and 'We Were In Love', as well as 'I'm So Happy That I Can't Stop Crying', a Grammy nominated duet with Sting that hit #2.
Still, despite 13 Top 10 singles and five gold or platinum albums in a mere six years, Toby had not achieved the superstar status fans felt he deserved. So he left his longtime label home, with no assurances, just faith that he was destined for bigger things. "I was confident in what I was doing and I have a strong spiritual belief that spurred me on", he states. "Believe it or not, that was a peaceful time for me."
In 1999 Toby signed with the Stroud-led DreamWorks label. The results have spoken for themselves. "When you've got everything pulling your way, you're allowed to really open up and just show your true colors", he says. "That's what allows you to set yourself apart."

Toby views his success as proof that his stubborn willingness to stick to his vision was the right course. "I wouldn't have been happy with compromise, and I never gave up", he relates. "I did my last album the way I did my first ñ my way. It never entered my mind to change or try to conform just to stay afloat. My motto was always: ëLet's go down with the ship or come back up.'"

Toby lives with his wife, Tricia, daughters Shelley and Krystal, and son Stelen outside Norman, Okla., where he is completing Dream Walkin' Farms, a thoroughbred breeding and training facility.

Editor's note: It was July, 1994. My part-time video career was in a slump. That was until my agent asked if I was interested in doing am audition for a country video called ëWho's That Man' to be sung by Toby Keith. After all the details involved in casting for a country video, I was cast as the man married to Toby's ex (ie: that man). Definitely not easy shoes to fill by a long shot! The day we shot the video was incredibly hot. Not to mention Toby broke his leg and was having to drive around the block continuously in the video. Even with the challenges Toby faced doing this video, he was very gracious and easy to get along with.

Find out more about Toby Keith's tour schedule and his newest releases at:
http://www.tobykeith.com