Eric Church’s Impactful First Toby Keith Meeting

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

February 12th 11:58 AM

Eric Church toured with Toby Keith in 2011 on the “Locked & Loaded Tour.” When Toby passed away last Monday (2/6), Eric began thinking about all the stories he had about the country superstar.

Church told us about his first meeting with Toby at a local Nashville bar. Eric said, “I have a thousand Toby Keith stories – some I can share and some not – but the first time I met Toby, we both frequented a bar in Printer’s Alley in Nashville called The Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar.”

He continued, “I remember walking in my first time, and apparently, some of the patrons had been harassing a bartender behind the bar, and as I walked in, Toby had taken the guy harassing the patrons and had drug him by his shirt collar all the way down the bar. And as I walked in the door, the guy dropped in front of me, and I look up, and there’s Toby Keith, and I kinda stuck out my hand and said, ‘Hi,’ and we met.”

RELATED: Toby Keith’s Son Posts Emotional Tribute

Eric concluded, “Toby was always a guy that did things his own way, and I think of that fondly now when I think of him. We got to be friends later and toured with him, but that’s how I met him. He laid a guy out at my feet at the Fiddle and Steel.”

Toby’s family will be holding a memorial service in the coming days. They posted to his Instagram, “The Covel Family is hosting a private funeral service for family, band and crew only in mid-February. A memorial service to honor Toby will be announced only on Toby’s socials shortly. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to @tkfoundation1 to support the OK Kids Korral.”

Many fans reacted to the post, including one who wrote, “May God continue to comfort and bless family and friends. Toby meant so much to so many. May his legacy live on.” Another fan commented, “I’m so sad that this talented, sweet, patriotic icon has passed away! He will be missed!”

Five of Toby Keith's Songs That Will Live Forever

• "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993)

  This is his debut single and the song people will always associate with Toby. Many artists mentioned the song and its lyrics in their tribute to him after his death (2/6). Keith wrote the song himself, and it has always been his anthem. The song has received more than three million spins on country radio, making it the most-played country song of the 1990s. Over the years, the song has been a staple following sporting events at Oklahoma State University (home of the Cowboys), often played over the venue’s PA system several times in succession as fans emptied the stadium or arena.

• "How Do You Like Me Now?!" (1999)

  This song brought Keith to superstardom. Toby told me the inspiration for the song in 2000. “Initially, I said, ‘Here’s my title: ‘You Never Loved Me Before, So How Do You Like Me Now?’ It’s one of my catchphrases. A lot of people become successful after they’ve been told they won’t ever be so that people can relate to this. It can be about an old flame or a boss or a teacher -whatever it means to each individual. It was a fun song to write.”

• "I Wanna Talk About Me" (2001)

  This is another fun song and a big hit for Keith. The song was originally pitched to Blake Shelton, whose label turned it down. After recording the song, Keith said he knew he would get banged around for the song a bit. He noted, “They’re going to call it a rap, [although] there ain’t nobody doing rap who would call it a rap.”

  The music video for the song shows Toby in many different situations, including a man shopping with his girlfriend or wife, a police officer, a motorcycle rider, and a surgeon.

• "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002)

  The song he wrote after the 9/11 attacks on America and was also inspired by Keith’s father’s death in March 2001. In a November 2003 interview with CBS, Keith said of writing the song: “I was so angry when we were attacked here on American soil that it leaked out of me.”

  The music video for the song features Toby performing the song, playing a red, white, and blue guitar, and showing images of his own father fighting in a war.

• "Red Solo Cup" (2011)

  Keith sure is good at fun party songs, and he proved it once again with this song, which was the only song on the album Clancy’s Tavern that he did not write. The song was written by the Warren Brothers in Nashville.

  The music video includes cameos from Jeff Dunham (and his character Bubba J), Carrot Top, Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, Roger Clemens, Eric Church, Joe Nichols, Lance Burton, and Larry Bird, among others.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Category:

• Country News
• Music
• WKML

Tags:

Eric Church,Toby Keith