Toby Keith

Hard-driving honky-tonker Toby Keith came out of the Oklahoma oil fields with a stunning self-titled debut disc in 1993, with the chart-topping single "Should've Been A Cowboy." Still, the mega-stardom Keith craved remained out of reach, although he continued to release solid, chart-climbing discs, including Boomtown and Blue Moon, both of which netted him numerous singles. It wasn't until he moved over to Dreamworks in 1999 and released How Do You Like Me Now?! that the breakout he'd been looking for arrived with the title track becoming his first crossover success.


Keith emerged as a giant when 9/11 inspired him to write "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)," an anthem which catapulted him to superstardom, making him known not only in country circles, but across the musical sphere. Keith has recorded with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard (one of his childhood idols), following up his successes with equally popular discs, and never shying away from controversy. In 2005 he released Honkytonk University, which has netted him a much-desired Grammy nomination for his performance on the tongue-in-cheek single, "As Good As I Once Was."

Current Grammy Nominations:

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "As Good As I Once Was"

(Bio courtesy of Kathy Coleman)