Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about purpose, awe and good vibrations. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe (birth, death, love, the big picture); and our personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. Here, you’ll encounter interviews, essays and some episodes created simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
Superstar Toby Keith Didn't Need to be a Cowboy to Score His First #1 Hit
Toby Keith was a superstar in country music and outside of that genre. A singer-songwriter whose music often reflected personal experiences, he had 65 singles on the country charts, including 20 #1 hits.
"Should've Been a Cowboy" was his first #1 hit. He wrote it in a matter of minutes during a hunting trip. "Red Solo Cup" was his most popular mainstream song.
To watch the official music video of "Should've Been a Cowboy," go to YouTube. To listen to "Red Solo Cup," go here. It's from "Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years" (2019). You may want to check out the comments too. One person wrote: "RIP Toby. We raise our red solo cups to you!"
The 2004 photo in this episode's thumbnail shows Keith singing at a USO-sponsored concert in Gricignano, Italy. It's credited to Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Lenny Francioni of the U.S. Navy.
In the chapters, you'll find two U.S. Army photos: The first, which shows Keith as he made his way on stage at Camp Victory, Iraq, in 2007, was taken by SPC Laura M. Bigenho.
The other was taken in Afghanistan in 2009 by Sgt. Joshua LaPere. It shows Keith performing for soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Battalion.
All three photos are in the public domain and available on Wikipedia.
This tribute to Keith is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written about the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
Excerpt:
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"After high school, he worked in the oil
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fields.
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He would play music on weekends in bars
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around Oklahoma.
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He was discovered
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after a flight attendant fan
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passed along a demo tape to music producer
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Harold Shedd in Nashville."
Kate:
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That's just a snippet of Sheldon Zolton's tribute to Toby Keith,
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who died in February
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2024.
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For more, here's the rest of the story.
Sheldon:
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Toby Keith wasn't like Michael Jackson or Donnie
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Osmond. He didn't find fame and fortune at
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an early age.
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He didn't have a hit record until he
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was 31,
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but when he did,
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he became one of the biggest superstars,
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not just in country music,
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but in all of music.
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Keith died February 5th in Oklahoma.
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He announced in 2022
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that he had stomach cancer and had operations,
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chemo, and radiation treatments.
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He was 62.
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The Song of the Day is paying tribute
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to the musicians,
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singers, and songwriters
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who died in 2024.
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Keith fell in love with music while spending
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summers at his grandmother's supper club in Arkansas.
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After high school, he worked in the oil
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fields.
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He would play music on weekends in bars
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around Oklahoma.
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He was discovered after a flight attendant fan
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passed along a demo tape to music producer
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Harold Shed in Nashville.
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His first single was a number one hit
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on the country charts. He had 19 more.
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Sixty-five
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of his 69
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singles dented the country charts, according to Billboard.
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Nine of his 21
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studio albums reached number 9.
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"Red Solo Cup," not "Courtesy of the Red,
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White, and Blue," which he wrote after the
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World Trade Center attack, was his most popular
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mainstream
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song,
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reaching 15th
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on the Hot 100.
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"Should've Been a Cowboy" was his first
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number one hit.
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He told The Oklahoman
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newspaper
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that he was on a hunting trip with
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friends when he wrote it.
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One of his friends, dressed in his hunting
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clothes,
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was given the cold shoulder when he asked
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a much younger girl to dance at a
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bar.
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She told him she didn't dance.
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A few minutes later,
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a young man dressed like a cowboy whisked
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her to the dance floor.
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"You should have been a cowboy," one of
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his friends laughed.
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The phrase stuck,
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and Keith wrote the song that night in
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20 minutes.
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He said he played it in every concert
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of his career.
Kate:
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This is Kate Jones. You'll find a lot
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of other tributes on Everyday Creation.
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Please check them out, and thank you for
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listening.
