County music legend Toby Keith passed away February 5th after a long battle with stomach cancer. The patriotic artist was diagnosed in 2021 and had taken time off from performing while he courageously fought the disease. It appeared for a while that he might win. Keith appeared at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards and performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In” to a raucous crowd. Keith was feeling so much better at the end of 2023 that he performed three sold-out shows in Las Vegas.
The news came as a shock to the entertainment world when it was announced on his social media that Keith had passed away overnight. The 62-year-old superstar had said at the awards show: “I feel pretty good. It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero, but I feel good today.” Unfortunately, Keith was not able to finish his battle, but his music and legacy continue to live on.
In fact, Toby Keith’s legacy is such that even in death, he remains more popular than ever. Since his death and release of his “35 Biggest Hits” collection, that album surpassed Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.
Keith also broke a record this week, besting legends like Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift as he took nine of the top ten songs on the Country Digital Song Sales chart. Keith is the first artist to hold nine of the top 10 spots on the Billboard chart in the same week.
The list of songs dates from the 1993 smash “Shoulda Been a Cowboy” to his most recent and last hit, “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” which holds the number one spot. If not for Luke Combs and his gigantic smash cover of the Tracy Chapman classic “Fast Car,” which still holds the No. 2 spot, Keith likely would’ve owned the top ten all to himself.
Outside of the top ten, Keith astonishingly owns 13 of the top 15 spots on the Billboard Chart ending February 17. Taylor Swift held seven of the top 10 spots in 2010, and after “The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers passed away in April 2020, he achieved the feat as well. Neither artist hit the heights of Toby Keith, especially when looking at the top 15 songs.
In one of his last interviews, Keith reflected on his more than 30-year career. He said: “Just seeing how enormous the career I amassed over 30 years when they show the video. You know where you were when you wrote all those songs, you hear those numbers and you’re just like, you looked up one day and all of a sudden 30 years went by.”
Toby Keith may be gone, but the sales numbers are proof that he was an American institution, not only in country music but in any genre. He wasn’t able to win his battle with stomach cancer, but his music will be remembered and enjoyed for generations to come.
"*" indicates required fields