Toby Keith Day #2 – The Second Batch

If you’re just tuning in, on June 17, I invited Toby Keith fans to explain why they love Toby Keith. After having our fun with Toby Keith, I decided it was time for his fans have theirs.

Since Independence Day is the most patriotic holiday of the year, and it’s a three-day weekend, I’ve given them the whole weekend.

Below, is the second batch of letters. Click here for the first batch.

Letter #8

There are many reasons why I love and respect Toby Keith. I have been a Toby fan for many years. The first time I heard Should Have Been A Cowboy, I knew Toby was special. I loved his music, his voice and his song writing. Toby has a way of putting into words what we are thinking and feeling, like no one else I know. But there is so much more to Toby. Toby supports our troops. He does not talk about supporting the troops he actually supports them. Toby does a USO tour every year for 18 days. And he pays is own way, he takes no money from the USO or the tax payers, he goes to places no one has ever gone to. He visits the VA hospitals, he brings our troops to his shows, and he goes to our military bases and performs for them and there families. As Toby says he stands straight not left or right, he stands on what is right or wrong.

Toby has a huge heart. He shows this all the time. He started Ally’s House in memory of his band members daughter that passed of cancer just a few weeks before her 3rd birthday. Ally’s House helps children with cancer and there families. They offer financial help to the families. They are there to support the children and families in any way they can.. But Toby did not stop at starting Ally’s House, he does a yearly fund raiser that raises money for Ally’s House. He is constantly there to help and support Ally’s House. Toby does so much giving of himself that no one knows about. He asks for nothing in return.

There are many reasons why I love and respect Toby Keith. I have been a Toby fan for many years. The first time I heard Should Have Been A Cowboy, I knew Toby was special. I loved his music, his voice and his song writing. Toby has a way of putting into words what we are thinking and feeling, like no one else I know. But there is so much more to Toby. Toby supports our troops. He does not talk about supporting the troops he actually supports them. Toby does a USO tour every year for 18 days. And he pays is own way, he takes no money from the USO or the tax payers, he goes to places no one has ever gone to. He visits the VA hospitals, he brings our troops to his shows, and he goes to our military bases and performs for them and there families. As Toby says he stands straight not left or right, he stands on what is right or wrong.

Toby has a huge heart. He shows this all the time. He started Ally’s House in memory of his band members daughter that passed of cancer just a few weeks before her 3rd birthday. Ally’s House helps children with cancer and there families. They offer financial help to the families. They are there to support the children and families in any way they can.. But Toby did not stop at starting Ally’s House, he does a yearly fund raiser that raises money for Ally’s House. He is constantly there to help and support Ally’s House. Toby does so much giving of himself that no one knows about. He asks for nothing in return.

I have seen when at a concert Toby has taken a child that lost a parent in the military, brought them on stage as he sang American Soldier. Seeing how Toby comforted the child was just amazing. That kind of love can only come from the heart. In moments like that you see Toby the man, the father. A person who truly cares.

Yes, Toby can be loud and outspoken. Toby likes to have fun, But at the end of the day Toby is a good person. Toby has been blessed with many talents that he shares with all of us, and for that I am thankful.

I am proud to be called a Toby Keith Warrior !!

Laura Bryan
Lycoming, NY

Letter #9

Toby is a genuine, real person. He doesn’t play any games, or try to be, or present himself as, anything other than exactly what he is. His songs are what got my attention first. He has written some of the most creative and heart-touching songs I have ever heard. His voice is amazing – the best in country music, in my opinion. He is a gorgeous man,with an outstanding body, and gets better-looking every year. This was enough to get me interested, and to join his fan club and start going to concerts. But, then I started learning so much more about him as a man. He is a loving husband, father and son, and a true supporter of the military, regardless of his opinions about the war. He supports his town, his state, and his favorite football team, the OU Sooners. He takes time out from his touring to go home to coach his son’s football team. He started, and supports, Ally’s House, a charity for Oklahoma children with cancer. He does USO tours every year on his dollar, and financially supports the USO. He has earned every penny he’s ever gotten, and worked his way up from the bottom to the top. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and puts on one heck of a concert for his fans!!!! I know there is probably more I could say after more thought, but suffice it to say that I think he is wonderful and I just love the man!!!!!!

Lynda Tinkham

Letter #10

Thank you for the opportunity to write about Toby Keith on a day that is so appropriate…..July 4th.

Why Toby Keith? Five years ago at Christmas, my son gave me 2 CD’s by mistake. My husband wanted them not me. I really didn’t know Toby Keith except for a special I saw with Willy Nelson. He made me laugh with “Weed with Willie” that night and I thought what a great voice. To show my son I loved his present I popped a CD in my CD player and have been a fan ever since. He gave that present to the right person after all and 5 years later, I still believe it!

You see, his voice drew me in and the way he makes each song his own with his own sincerity or humor. He doesn’t just sing the words like others in the music industry. He OWNS the words. That baritone voice is unbelievable. “American Soldier” at the end of his concerts is not only patriotic but he believes those words and draws you in every time.

Plus most people know him as the “Boot in you’re a$$ singer”. I’m really tired of it. If they just took a moment to look underneath, they would see a man that believes in his country and all it has given him. He loves the men and women that fight for us. Every year he goes to the outer regions that are very dangerous to see them in the trenches. He could stay in the safe zones, but he doesn’t because he wants all of them to know he cares for them and what they do of us. In concerts, he hovers to where ever they are and sings to THEM! The band is the same way, they acknowledge them EVERY concert.

Toby is a businessman and has done everything his way. What’s wrong with that? Most business people do. They write their own rules if it works for them. Toby has done the same thing and I don’t think the music industry has given him his proper acknowledgement because he did it his way not always their way. Change is hard for every one to accept, but come on, he’s looked over every year and it just isn’t right. Nashville should just suck it up and let him know that he helped keep country music alive and has brought a huge number of fans to that genre of music.

Lastly, he is a great human being that gives back. He loves children. You can tell that in his concerts at times bringing them to the stage and letting them sing or accepting flowers with a smile and smelling them to make the child smile and feel special.

Ally’s House is a great example of how he gives back to the community. Children should never have to deal with the pain of cancer, but they do probably better than adults and Ally’s House is there to help with bills and trying to hold the family unit together as it goes through the trying times of chemo and the helplessness of parents watching their sick children.

After the bombing in Oklahoma City, he was out in his truck giving water and doing what he could do to help. He’s helped rebuild a school that was destroyed by a tornado in OK. He doesn’t ask for anything in return. It is his way.

So why do I like Toby Keith? Because when you look through the bravado on stage, you see Toby Keith Covel the person, and he’s worth it.

Sincerely,
tydance

Letter #11

I would like to hear about all the things you and Stephen have done to help other people. I’ll make this easy. How about Children with terminal diseases. What have you done for them…………Well Toby Keith Covel has spent personal time and money supporting a charitable fund for sick children and their families. He has been an inspiration to many other people to follow suit. 
ie: His fan club members.

When a childhood friend found out His little girl was dying from cancer, Toby was there to help because this family didn’t have the resources that they needed to get the specialized medical help Ally needed, and to make this sweet little girl comfortable in those last days. After Ally passed away Toby, Trisha (TK’s wife of over 20 yrs) and the Webb family had a plan to help other families with sick children. They formed Ally’s House (www.allyshouse.com). Toby has used His fame to bring in other people with $ to support this charity. Golf tournaments…..auctions….events held at TK’s home ….and we as FC members are very involved we collect gift cards (to help with daily expenses) before every concert. Linda Webb (Ally’s Mother) is the administrator of these proceeds and it is Her job to make sure these gift cards get to the families of these sick children in Oklahoma. Now keep in mind we (the FC members) are all over the world, but we are amiable to support a children’s charity in Oklahoma…….Because Toby does so much for other people that He doesn’t talk about, makes Him a man I want to look up to (no pun intended, Toby is 6′4″).
 I have had a family member in Iraq and Toby and guys from Easy Money’s (TK’s band) willingness to go into the battle zone, under fire at times, gives me a new respect for the man. If He is constantly drinking as you have eluded to, He must be a very high functioning drinker considering all He has accomplished.

OK He might have been arrogant in the beginning but we all evolve as we get older. Toby has certainly changed as a human being and as for His appearance, we all know how that turned out. I have found in my life that those people that don’t follow their dreams, find it satisfying to tear down other peoples successes. Maybe Stephen didn’t have enough hair to have a mullet in the early 90’s. Just a thought……

FITZTK

Letter #12

I have been a Toby fan since I laid eyes on him during a 60 Minute piece he did around 2003. He made such an impression on me that I had to find out everything about him. I had never been a Country Music fan, since I live outside of NYC & was never exposed to that music. As soon as I heard his incredible voice, I was hooked. Soon after, I joined his fan club & started buying all of his albums. Since 2004, I have been to about 16 concerts from Dallas Texas to New Hampshire. I have met him once & he is as nice & friendly as I imagined. Besides being the sexiest entertainer, he is incredibly talented, with his song writing, his business savvy & comedic skills. I am counting the days until I see him again in Virginia, on August 9th. I have met such nice women from the fan club from all over the U.S. Toby has enriched my life tremendously & my husband & sons are extremely happy for me.

Marlene B.

Letter #13

Okay, here goes. You know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You know what they say, they’re like a–holes everyone has one. I happen to be a diehard Toby fan. Say what you want about im but he is an admirable man. He has talent, looks, compassion and is fiercely patriotic. Not to mention that he’s a family man with alot of faith. He does so much good for people that goes unpublished. He doesn’t need the accolades, nor does he want them. He does what he wants the way he wants to. I for one wish that I were half as good as he is. He does anything to please his fans. And believe me he does. I pray that one day you non-Toby fans see what we warriors do in him.

Tobysgirl511

Letter #14

Toby Keith –Why I Dig What He Stands For as well as The Man Himself
(…sounds like the beginning of a 7th grade essay…10 points off for ending the sentence in a preposition!)

Altruistic – His charity work is done in quiet…from Ally’s House to the USO…is done not for personal glory, but for the organizations and those that the organizations serve.. (Did you know he pays his own way on the USO Tours and doesn’t take payment from the USO for his services?! I figured the USO paid to get the performers to the troops, but didn’t realize they actually paid for the performances too…but Toby doesn’t accept the fee.) Giving..

Sense of Humor – The man is willing to be the butt of a joke. He laughs at himself. His quips and jokes rival the best comedians out there. He has a great delivery and wonderful comic timing. Much of his humor is witty – but, yeah, a lot is just “guy humor”. Regardless of the style, his delivery nails it each and every time! Funny.

Business Acumen – He has taken control of every avenue of his career guaranteeing things will be done to his high expectations and keeping royalties coming in for his family for decades. He also realizes “A star can’t burn forever, And the brightest ones will someday lose their shine” (his lyric from “Honky Tony U”) so the man has expanded into housing, banking, horse racing / breeding, record label ownership, and that’s what has been made public. Smart.

Vocal Ability – His voice has no equal. Even people who don’t like country music or Toby Keith agree that he has a great set of pipes! And the man can rock it out…singing with Ted Nugent or Joe Perry or Sammy Haggar…he holds his own! Not to mention the soulful side of TK…his performance of Wayman Tinsdale’s “Rebound” is astounding! Breath-taking.

Songwriting Ability – Now hold on a minute before you roll your eyes…check out some album cuts that weren’t written for Radio play. He writes for the general public and he writes on a deeper level too. The turn of a phrase and internal rhyme the man uses is quite extraordinary! Unrivaled

Stage Presence – The man OWNS the stage when he steps out on it. You are pulled right into his party and he holds you there for the entire time (nearly two hours which is quite a bit longer than a lot of his contemporaries are on stage)! Even “rockers” I’ve taken to his concerts are won over after one show. Matchless.

Driven – He’s been beat up by people who don’t get him. He’s been dismissed by Nashville. He’s been shipped from label to label. And yet he’s still managed to rise to the top of his field. He is willing to work as hard as he needs to in order to get where he wants to be. Tenacious.

Oh and…

GORGEOUS – The man is GORGEOUS!!! Just GORGEOUS!

Thanks for the opportunity to present the “other view”!

Annie

Letter #15

I have just recently become a Toby Keith fan and he has changed my life. I have never liked country music, but he changed all that for me. In the past year I have had a really rough time with my father passing and away and taking on the role of head of household. Sometimes it’s hard to find something to look forward to when you have so much sadness. Toby and his music changed that for me. I love what he stands for, what he believes in and the beautiful music he writes and sings. The fact that he is he sexiest man alive doesn’t hurt either. When Toby sings, he sings to his fans. I just experienced a Toby Keith live concert last weekend and Tampa and he left me wanting more>

The man is smart, clever, a great marketer. I wish the best for him and his new label Show Dog Nashville.

Love you Toby.
Tink43
Your newest loyal fan

… more to come tomorrow.

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