Toby Keith Music Report By: Zaida Merino Professor Steve Voorhees

1. Toby Keith Music ReportBy: Zaida MerinoProfessor Steve Voorhees

2. Biography • Toby Keith was born July 8, 1961 in Clinton, Oklahoma. Son of Carolyn Joan and Huber Cover Jr. has two sibling. • Keith lived in Arkansas during his young years where he would visit his grandmother at her club. This inspired Keith to be a musician since he got the chance to get up and play with the band. • His family than moved to Oklahoma where he was raised. Toby Keith with his family. (picture by Dan Harr)

3. He attended Highland West Junior High and Moore High School, where he was on the football team. After graduating High School he got a job in the oil fields, working his way up to become an operation manager. At twenty he formed a band with a few friends, “Easy Money Band.” They played in local bars for fun. In 1982 the oil industry began to decline rapidly and Keith was out of a job. He fell back on his football training and played semi-pro with the Oklahoma City Drillers, while still performing on the side with his band. In 1984 he married Tricia Lucus, she had a daughter Shelley Reeve born in 1980 who he later adopted. He had two children with Tricia, Krystal born in 1985 and a son Stelen born in 1997, he now has a granddaughter. In the early 1900s Keith started refocusing on his music, he gave out copies of his demo tape to record companies in Tennessee. By 1993 his debut single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” went to number one on the Billboard country singles chart, his self-titled debut album was certified platinum. In 1997 he recorded “I’m so happy I can’t stop crying” with Sting earning them a Grammy nomination. He’s had a lot of quick rising success since. Keith’s next big album was in 1999 “How do you like me now?” which won two Academy of Country Music Awards the following year. In 2002 he sold 3 million copies of his new album “Unleashed.” The album Unleashed included a hit duet with Willie Nelson, “Beer for my horses.”

4. In 2001 there was a tragic traffic accident and Keith’s father was killed, this combined with the terrorist attacks of September 11 prompted Keith to write the controversial “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” At first he refused to the record this song and would sing it only at live concerts for military personnel, out of respect and loyalty to his father that had served in the military. The reaction to the song and lyrics were unbelievably strong that the Commandant of the Marine Corps James L. Jones told Keith it was his “duty as an American citizen” to record the song. (Leung) Keith has written a few military dedicated songs. His ode to the military troops, “American Soldier” was a huge hit, becoming very popular like much of his previous work. “Keith was taught early on to respect the military and those who serve in it.” (Greenberger) He’s made many trips to the Middle East to entertain and perform for U.S men and women serving our country overseas. As part of his U.S.O tour he went to the Persian Gulf and performed 18 shows for our troops. On one of his performances he had to pause in the middle due to a mortar fire, but returned to the stage after the attack stopped. He’s also spent five days doing a 15 show tour in Afghanistan, he visited bases not just to perform but also shake hands, sign autographs, take pictures etc. The next year he performed another U.S.O tour, this time in South Korea. (Photos by Dave Gatley)

5. Composition History • Should’ve been a cowboy: Single written and recorded by Toby Keith from the album Toby Keith. It was released February 8, 1993, recorded in 1992 with Mercury Records. Produced by Nelson Larkin and Harold Shedd. It was the lead-off single released form Keith’s first album. This single reached number one on the US billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. It was the most played country song of the 1990s decade by getting more than three million spins on the country radio. • I’m so happy I can’t stop crying:Song was written and recorded by rock singer Sting with the label A&M, it was produced by Hugh Padgham, and Sting. Released October 8, 1996 from the album Mercury Falling. This song was also recorded as a duet with Toby Keith on Keith’s 1997 Dream Walkin’ album. Sting started composing the song to be rock but the content of the words pushed it into the country direction therefore turning into a country-rock mix. This song is about a father whose wife left him for another man and taking their two children but has a revelation and ends with being so happy he can’t stop crying. • How do you like me now: This song is the 5th studio album from Toby Keith. Written by Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon. It was produced by James Stroud and Toby Keith with Dream Works records, released November 22, 1999. Song discusses Keith’s attraction to a girl who was very popular in High School but ignored him, he goes on about if she would remember him now that he’s famous.

6. Beer for my horses: This song was recorded by Toby Keith and Willie Nelson, it was released in April of 2003 with Dream Works Records. Toby Keith Co-wrote this song alongside Scotty Emerick. It was part of his 2002 album Unleashed. This song is to this day considered to be a popular song. It was number on the Billboard Country Songs Charts for about a month and a half and is still widely played. • Courtesy of the red, white, and blue (The Angry American): This song was written and recorded by Toby Keith, it was released May of 2002. This song was uniquely special since he was inspired to write this song by not only the terrorist attacks of September 11th but also the death of his father earlier in March. This song is about having faith in our country and the patriotism Americans have especially that which his father had. It’s about justice and how the United States will always stand up and fight for our freedom. • Made in America: Recorded and co-written by Toby Keith, the other writers are Bobby Pinson and Scott Reeves. Released on June 13th 2011 to Show Dog-Universal Music. This song is an upbeat song about a retired U.S marine and his wife being loyal to the U.S by only consuming and buying products made in this country. This song almost got left unproduced due to the already high number of other patriotic songs he had done. Fortunately he decided to record it and it became a huge hit.

7. Listening Guide • *Should’ve Been a Cowboy 3:35 • 0:00 Instrumental Introduction • There’s two guitars playing the introduction, the drums set up the slow paced tempo as the singer plays the acoustic guitar, the keyboard comes in after 15 seconds to help pick up the beat. The tempo is slow but has a happy feel to it. • 0:20 Verse 1 • He starts his vocal introduction, all three guitars keep the steady tempo throughout the first verse, the piano plays the same couple beats from the beginning. The drums have a slow steady pace while he sings than it picks up on his pause, coming to the end of the verse the drums do a fill and set up the suspense for the chorus. • 0:52 Chorus • Starts with an accented rest right after the drums built a suspense. He sings “I should’ve been a cowboy” sings how he’d get the girl if he was a cowboy. The drums start their basic tempo up again. There’s background singers singing “ahh” • 1.22 Verse 2 • Right before he starts singing the second verse there’s a vocal pause, one of the guitar does kind of a string slide. He stops playing his acoustic guitar to emphasize the slide, than goes right into singing the second verse. He doesn’t play his guitar this whole verse, he rhymes the last words in the middle of the verse. “Danger and Ranger” Told and Gold” he also holds out the last note “heart” a lot longer than in the first verse. • 1:55 Chorus • The drums speed up their tempo and are louder as soon as he stops singing, the keyboard and guitar also pick up the pace. • 2:22 Chorus add-on • He finishes singing the chorus but the guitar takes a solo while the rest of the instruments just play the background music until the drums come in again with the upbeat tempo and he starts singing the chorus one more time. • 3:07 Ending • He ends by singing the last line of the chorus 3 more times but changing it slightly every time, on the first one he starts with “Oh” I should’ve been a cowboy, the next one starts with “Yeah” and the last one he emphasizes Should’ve. The background music fades out.

8. *How do you like me now 3:26 • 0:00 Introduction • Starts out with just the guitar playing at an upbeat tempo, a few seconds into the introduction of the song joins the drums, the bass guitar and some very soft background vocals. • 0:18 Verse 1 • The music gets a little softer as soon as he starts singing. He sings about a popular girl that overlooked him in high school. The drums play on the offbeat of his singing. • 0:36 Verse 1 add-on • Right after finishing his first verse he adds a few more lines in before getting to the chorus • 0:52 Chorus • There’s a timed pause right before the chorus starts, the drums get a little faster for a couple of counts than he sings “How do you like me now” holds the “now” for about 4 counts than goes on to sing the rest of the chorus. • 1:13 Vocal Break • There’s a pause where it’s just the instruments, the guitar stands out from the rest of the instruments, it plays at a loud faster tempo, the drums keep up the fast beat also. • 1:22 Verse 2 • He goes on and sings about how she use to make fun of him. This verse is very similar to the first one in almost every way except for the words. • 1:39 Bridge • This part of the song he rhymes the last word of every sentence. It’s different than the actual versus, it’s longer, the tempo isn’t as fast and it arches as he’s singing it. • 1:55 Chorus • Sings the chorus again, background music stays on the same tempo. • 2:19 Instrumental solo • He finishes singing the chorus, sounds like the bass or electric guitar does a solo but with the drums and other guitars as light background music. Lead guitar plays an upbeat very fast and happy notes. • 2:37 Coda • He sings the chorus one last time but added a couple of different lines at the end. • 3:20 Ending • The instrumental music starts to fade out and comes to an end

9. *Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) 3:15 • 0:00 Instrumental Introduction • The acoustic guitar plays all it’s cords once through. • 0:02 Verse 1 • Starts singing right away, got queued in by the acoustic guitar. He’s singing with just the acoustic guitar as background music for the vocal introduction. • 0:26 Instrumental add-on • As he finishes the first verse the electric guitar and drums start to play making the song go from a slow beat to a faster one. The drums are more of a background sound that help set the rhythm, while the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar are the main instruments being used. • 0:28 Verse 2 • In this verse the tempo has picked up a little bit. It’s done in duple meter. He describes the patriotism of his father in this verse. “He served in the army, lost his right eye but he flew a flag in our yard till the day that he died.” • 0:44 Verse 3 • This verse is set up the same way as the two before, he goes right into this new verse with only a brief pause in between. He’s telling the whole problem of the story as the first 3 verses before going on to the chorus. The tempo is maintained as duple meter. • 1:05 Chorus • As he finishes singing the third verse the drums start to play louder and also a faster beat. This continues throughout the chorus keeping it more upbeat, faster and more bouncy. Keeps that melody as the chorus ends. • 1:35 Vocal Break • As the chorus comes to an end there’s a small vocal break where the electric guitar takes the lead and plays like a little solo, has a lot of sliding chords. It becomes very fast pace and the rest of the instruments also pick up the pace but get quieter while helping to keep the beat. • 1:52 Verse 4 • There’s a timed pause right before the verse starts and the background music goes back to playing the same melody as in the first verses, it slows down to only the acoustic guitar playing. • 2:13 Bridge • This verse has extra lines added that use the same melody as the chorus, so for the last couple of lines in verse 4 the tempo starts to pick up again and the drums and electric guitar join in to bring that fast fun tempo. • 2:18 Chorus • He moves right into the chorus with only a short pause after the verse. They use the same melody as the chorus before, it sounds quite intense because the instruments start out fast and loud right after the pause. • 2:48 Chorus add-on • As the last chorus he adds a couple of “ohs” and repeats the last line “Of the red, white and blue” twice and adds some more “ohs” • 3:10 Ending • It has a strong finish, once he’s done singing the electric guitar plays a couple of notes that stand out than the drums finish the song by playing some really fast strong notes than it comes to an end.

10. *Made in America 3:16 • 0:00 Instrumental Introduction • Starts with just the acoustic guitar playing a slow steady beat. After a few counts comes the drums. The tempo stays slow and soft through the instrumental introduction. • 0:17 Verse 1 • The melody stays soft. He starts singing and the drums play on the offbeat of his singing, they play the cymbals of the drums when he pauses. The beat starts to pick up as he finishes up the first verse. • 0:38 Chorus • The tempo has picked up, it started as a duple meter, but the chorus is playing in triple meter. It’s a lot faster and has a happier feel to it. The tempo stays this upbeat through the whole chorus until the last line where he says “Made in America” that’s when all of the instruments take a pause. • 1:05 Verse 2 • This verse is a little different than the first, the melody and tempo has stayed the same as in the chorus, it slowed down some but not as much as in the first verse. It also has different words, he talks about his mom while on the first he sang about his dad. • 1:28 Chorus • The chorus stays the same as played the first time. The tempo, melody and words are all the same. It’s very happy. • 1:50 Chorus add-on • He adds two new lines at the end of the regular chorus. “Born in the Heartland, raised up a family. Of King James and Uncle Sam.” Keeps the same melody. • 2:00 Chorus • He sings the chorus again. The tempo stays fast and loud. He repeats the last sentence of the chorus twice. “Made in America.” Holds out the note in America. • 2:50 Coda • He ends by singing the very first line he started with followed by “He’s made in America.” Holds the note of America for a few counts. • 3:00 Ending • The instruments play while there’s a vocal pause. They finish out the song with all of the instruments playing the chorus melody.

11. Works Cited • "About Toby Keith." Toby Keith Bio. N.p., n.d. 15 Feb. 2013. • "Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean Win Big at American Country Awards." Rollingstone.com. Mathew • Capt. Greenberger, Michael. "United States Department of Defense." Defense.gov News Article: Toby Keith Entertains Troops in Afghanistan. N.p., 28 Apr. 2009. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54109>. • "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. • "Charts." Billboard. N.p., n.d. 20 Feb. 2013 • Leung, Rebecca. "Courtesy Of The Red, White & Blue." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Feb. 2011. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/28/60ii/main580469.shtml>. • Morse, Steve. "He's Not Afraid to Speak out for His Country." The Boston Globe. N.p., 23 July 2004. 20 Feb. 2013. <www.boston.com>.

12. Perpetua, 6 Dec. 2011. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/carrie-underwood-jason-aldean-win-big-at-american-country-awards-20111206>. • Shelburne, Craig. "CMT News." CMT: Country Music Television. N.p., 1 Mar. 2007. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1553672/toby-keith-jams-notches-50-million-airplays.jhtml>. • "Toby To Release Greatest Hits CD - Country Weekly." Country Weekly. N.p., n.d. 20 Feb. 2013. • "Toby Keith - How Do You Like Me Now?!" YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.