Toby Keith Named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the Decade

Billboard has named Toby Keith as the top country artist and songwriter of the decade. He came in third on the list of artists on the decade’s all-genre Billboard 200 chart, with Eminem at No. 1 and Britney Spears at No. 2. Keith is followed in the country artist category by Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and George Strait. Alan Jackson, Craig Wiseman, Brad Paisley and Jeffrey Steele also followed Keith in the country songwriting category, respectively.

In 1993, Keith’s eponymous debut album was released and exploded with the chart-topping song “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Three other songs from the album, “Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action,” and “He Ain’t Worth Missing” also ranked high in the charts, reaching the Top Five.

Boomtown, Keith’s second album was released in early 1995. Its first single “Who’s That Man” reached the top of the charts once again, making it his second number one song. The gold-selling album is filled with other Top Ten hits such as “Upstairs Downtown” and “You Ain’t Much Fun.” A year later, the country star released a Christmas record, and  in 1996 released the critically acclaimed Blue Moon, whose first two singles, “A Woman’s Touch” and “Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You,” reached the Top Ten, while a third, “Me Too,” became Keith’s third chart-topper.

In 1997, Dream Walkin’ was released, which produced the Top Five songs “We Were in Love” and “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying,” a beautiful duet with Sting. However, Keith longed for an even bigger breakthrough, and he was growing dissatisfied with Mercury’s promotional efforts. In 1999, he left the label and followed Stroud over to the Nashville division of DreamWorks.

“How Do You Like Me Now?!,” Keith’s debut under his new label came out in late 1999 and brought him greater fame and recognition. The album produced two #1 songs, the title track and “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This.” Apart from garnering a wider audience, Keith also earned critical recognition from prestigious award-giving bodies. In 2001, he was cited as the Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, while “How Do You Like Me Now?!” won Album of the Year. In late 2001, his newest album, Pull My Chain, reached the top of the country charts and also became his first Top Ten pop album, helped no doubt by three number one singles, including “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” and “My List.”

In the summer of 2002, Keith recorded “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” a song which sparked huge controversy and became a regular feature in almost every single country music blog and magazine out there. Nonetheless, the song topped the country charts. Following this, he came out with Unleashed in late 2002. During the following years, this prolific country crooner released Shock’n Y’All (2003), Honkytonk University (May 2005), and Chronicles (2005), a compilation of his biggest albums. After founding his company, Show Dog Nashville, in 2006, Keith came out Big Dog Daddy, as well as another holiday release, “A Classic Christmas.” In 2008, “That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy” was subsequently released.