Toby Keith Covel, better known by his stage name Toby Keith, is an American country music performer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He was born on July 8, 1961. Before departing Mercury Records in 1998, he put out his first four studio albums for the company: Toby Keith (1993), Boomtown (1994), Blue Moon (1996), Dream Walkin’ (1997), and a Best Hits package. His debut hit, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” which topped the country charts and became the most-played country song of the 1990s, was among the Top Ten singles from these albums, all of which received Gold or higher certification. Since its debut, the song has reportedly been played three million times, according to Broadcast Music Incorporated.
Almost 40 million albums have been sold worldwide as a result of Keith’s 19 studio albums, 2 Christmas albums, and 5 compilation albums. He has 61 singles that have reached the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with 20 of them reaching number one and 22 more reaching the top 10. “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson from 2003, and “As Good as I Once Was,” from 2005, each remained at number one for six weeks. On January 13, 2021, President Donald Trump presented Keith with the National Medal of Arts during a private ceremony that also included Ricky Skaggs.