Toby Keith: Remembering The Legend

Riley Green Pays Tribute To Toby Keith At Nashville Predators Game

Author Lauren Hoffman

February 14th 2:55 PM

Toby Keith passed away on February 6 at the age of 62 while surrounded by his family following a battle with stomach cancer. Since then, many artists have paid tribute to the country icon, including the most recent, Riley Green.

RELATED: Riley Green Speaks On His Admiration For Alabama’s Greatest Hits

Green took the side stage to perform during the Nashville Predators game on Tuesday night (2/13) at Bridgestone Arena. During his set, the country singer performed his new No. 1 hit, “Different ‘Round Here,” as well as Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” (watch below), and “Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue.”

Keith’s track, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” was the lead single to be featured on his debut studio album, Toby Keith, which was released in 1993, and “Courtesy of Red White And Blue,” was among the tracks included on his 2002 album, Unleashed.

One of Green’s collaboration partners, Luke Combs, also honored Keith with a performance during a private show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last week.” You can click here to see additional tributes among other memories of the legendary Toby Keith.

Green recently opened up to Backstage Country about knowing how lucky he is today. His home in Alabama allowed him to be very close to his family and loved ones for the majority of his life and he considers himself fortunate that his tight family connection keeps him grounded, and that’s essential to his music.

“I think fans are always going to be able to tell when something’s real or not. You can’t fake where I grew up at. It’s just how it is down there, and it’s somewhere I draw a lot of inspiration when it comes to songwriting,” Green said.

Green will kick off his headlining 2024 Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour on February 22 in Pikeville, Kentucky with Tracey Lawrence as a supporting act across select dates and Ella Langley across all dates.

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Five Riley Green Songs Everyone Should Know

"There Was This Girl" (2018)
This song was released in June of 2018 as his debut single and the first from Riley’s debut studio album, Different ‘Round Here. The song is a story about various women’s impact on the narrator’s life. The music video for the song was filmed with the help of screaming fans at a club show Green was performing at in his home state of Alabama.
"Copenhagen In A Cadillac" featuring Jelly Roll (2023)
Riley told me of the collaboration with one of country music’s most popular guys, “I wrote the song ‘Copenhagen and a Cadillac.’ It was just a fun title and a fun song, kind of light-hearted. I really wasn’t planning on cutting it for this record, and then I did a show with Jelly Roll somewhere, and I thought of him when I came across that song, so I texted it to him, and he called me immediately and loved the song and wanted to be a part of it.”

He added, “It worked out great, and I think it’s a collaboration that I think probably people aren’t expecting, so I’m excited about people hearing that.”
"Half Of Me" with Thomas Rhett (2022)
This song went all the way to number one on the country charts and was co-written by Rhett and his father, Rhett Akins. Thomas suggested adding Riley Green as a duet partner because the two had become friends after hunting together. The song is about a man who wants to consume alcohol instead of tending to his everyday chores.
"Different 'Round Here" with Luke Combs (2023)
Green told me how the collaboration with Combs came about, “I wish I had a really cool story about it; I just texted him and said, ‘You want to be a part of this song?’ It was always a really big song for me, and the fans have always screamed that song to me at shows when I play it. I told him I thought it might be the next single, and fortunately for me, he wanted to be a part of it.”
"I Wish Grandpas Never Died" (2019)
The song that brought Green to the country music dance. Riley had written the song and performed it on tour before adding it to the tracklist of his debut album. He was persuaded to record the song by Brad Paisley. The song is a tribute to Green’s grandfathers, who are also credited as co-writers on the song.