Toby Keith was recently honored at the CMT Music Awards at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Keith died on Feb. 5 after a battle with stomach cancer at 62. Former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens introduced the tribute to his “true friend and patriot,” followed by a set with Brooks & Dunn playing a classic Keith hit, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” Sammy Hagar sang a rendition of the 2003 hit “I Love This Bar” for his longtime drinking buddy. Before breaking out into song, Hagar remembered the good ol’ days with Keith.
He said, “Toby and I, we spent a lot of time in Cabo together over the years. I mean, we closed the Cabo Wabo down a lot more times than we even remember. It’s hard to get thrown out of your own bar, and we managed to do that.” Lainey Wilson brought it home with a rendition of “How Do You Like Me Now?!” from Keith’s 1999 album. Earlier on the red carpet, Wilson said, “I don’t know anybody in this business that doesn’t love Toby.”
She added, “He was truly the soundtrack to my childhood. Seeing all of his stuff and all the visions that he had come to life made me feel like there’s nothing wrong with being fearless; there’s nothing wrong with going against the grain, standing up for what you believe in and being unapologetically yourself.” There were others, like Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas, who gave speeches showing their love for the music icon. Clemens had tears in his eyes as he raised a red solo cup to toast to Toby on stage, “Whiskey for my men and beer for my horses.” A sea of red solo cups sprang up in the air for one final crowd send-off to Keith.
Former MLB star pitcher Roger Clemens gave an emotional speech onstage, thanking Toby’s family for sharing the crooner with the world. Clemens specifically mentioned Toby’s wife, Tricia, who did not attend the awards show. However, Toby’s three kids — Shelley, Krystal and Stelen — were in the crowd and very touched by Clemens’ words. Shelley and Krystal were even moved to tears. The Oklahoma-based country music star was best known for his 1993 hit song, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”
His breakout hit was played three million times on radio stations and became the most-played country song of the ’90s. Among his 20 No. 1 Billboard hits were “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “As Good As I Once Was,” “My List,” and “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson.