Following the death of country music star Toby Keith in February, his fellow artists took to sharing memories of Keith as a contemporary in the industry and discussing the nature of his character. “Austin” singer Blake Shelton has given insight into what it was like getting close to Keith, who he called both “ruthless” and “funny.”
48-year-old Shelton has 40 charted singles to his name, 28 of which have reached number one. He’s also a familiar sight on the small screen as a coach on NBC’s The Voice. Keith’s own debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” rocketed to the top of the charts in ’93, the start of what would become no less than 61 chart-topping singles. But who was the man behind the music, according to Shelton’s experience breaking through his walls?
Blake Shelton recounts the challenge of getting to know Toby Keith
While speaking on The Bobby Bones Show back in February, Shelton spoke about the history of his friendship with Keith, a difficult feat to secure. Shelton spent two years touring with Keith, which gave him plenty of much-needed time to figure the artist out.
“He’s kind of a tough nut to crack, to get to know,” explained Shelton, before adding, “But once you were in that inner circle with him, you could do no wrong almost. He was just that kind of guy.”
“Over time, we started to develop a little bit of a relationship,” he went on, recounting their tour. “We’re both from Oklahoma. That was kind of our connection that we had early on.” They also ended up bonding over sports, at Keith’s insistence. “He loved to play basketball. He wanted to play every single day,” Shelton explained. “We became buddies over time.” They also became part of a basketball team that Keith insisted on putting together for his crew.
A band of brothers
Eventually, they got to that phase in any relationship where they could start throwing barbs and needling each other, and at the end of the day feel secure in their friendship. During this point in their respective careers, Shelton was still making his way to the top and so saw himself as the younger brother and Keith as the older sibling. Friendly antagonism held together by affection defined their relationship then.
“Toby was the king of tough love,” mused Shelton. “He could be ruthless in a funny way.” Sharing one specific example, he recounted, “I said, ‘Hey man,’ because at the time, I was a baby artist. I said, ‘You know, someday, if I ever do get nominated for any awards, man, I hope it’s against you.’”
Shelton went on, “He literally, without a beat, said to me, ‘You know why I brought you out here on tour with me?’ And I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Because I wanted to prove to the industry that I really don’t need an opening act.’”
In the face of a comeback like that, Shelton could only say, “I loved him,” adding, “I looked up to him. He would’ve done anything for a friend.”
Keith was 62 years old when she died from stomach cancer.