Thomas Rhett Shares Fond Memories Of Touring With Toby Keith

Author Lauren Hoffman

March 13th 3:20 PM

Thomas Rhett is one of the lucky ones. Not only did the country singer have the opportunity to grow up listening to Toby Keith, but he also had a personal relationship with him, too, thanks to his father, Rhett Akins.

RELATED: This Week’s Guest Host: Thomas Rhett

This week, while co-hosting Backstage Country with Kelly Ford, Rhett opened up about some special childhood memories with the country legend. Keith, who passed away on February 6 at the age of 62 following a battle with stomach cancer, was the first person to ever take him on tour.

Shortly after signing a record deal, Rhett was out on the road touring with Keith. He revealed that he performed for 25 minutes each night opening for him on about 50 shows and would go out to watch his show every single night to “soak up” as much as he could.

Rhett recalls a particular night when his dad came out for a show to hang with them. Following their performances, they all went to the bus, and ever since he says he was absolutely in awe of Keith.

While Rhett watched Keith and Akins tell stories, drink tequila, play some Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and more back and forth on guitar, he was also preparing for a bus call at around 2:30 am.

“Country music has always been an amazing place to tell a great story, but I feel like not many people did it better than Toby. In a song and in a conversation,” Rhett said.

When it came time for Rhett’s manager to tell him they needed “to roll” out of the venue, he stood up, and Keith proceeded to look at him and say, “Sit down, I’m telling a story.” That’s when Rhett realized that he was sitting with country music “royalty.”

“I learned so much about how to write songs, how to perform, and how to entertain from Toby Keith. I am so honored to say that I got to share the stage with him. Toby – I hope your soul rests easy brother,” Rhett posted on Instagram.

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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.