Toby Keith was a mentor to many of this generation’s biggest country music stars.
One of the behind-scenes stories about the late country legend is now being told.
And the advice Toby Keith gave Jason Aldean about dealing with the woke outrage mob prior to his death will leave you floored.
Aldean says Keith taught him to be unafraid of bucking the norm
Country music legend Toby Keith passed away at the age of 62 in February after a years-long fight against stomach cancer.
The 2024 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards caused another round of tributes to pour in for the late singer during one of the biggest nights in country music.
Country music star Jason Aldean told Fox News that he respected Keith because he “always spoke his mind” if he knew it would cause a backlash.
“I think Toby was a guy for a lot of us in the business – well, I’ll speak for myself,” Aldean said before the ACM Awards. “I think he was a guy that a lot of us looked up to.”
Keith famously feuded with the Dixie Chicks after lead singer Natalie Maines called his song Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue “ignorant.”
He used a doctored picture of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussien as a backdrop at his concerts afterward.
Aldean said that Keith didn’t worry about having a popular opinion.
“For me personally, he was a guy that I feel like … just always spoke his mind,” Aldean explained. “He said what he thought, whether it was the popular opinion or not. And it wasn’t, you know, it didn’t always go well for him, and he didn’t care. I mean, it was something that if he felt strongly about it and felt like it was something he believed in, he was going to speak his mind.”
Keith said that late ABC News host Peter Jennings kicked him off a Fourth of July special network after hearing Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue.
“Isn’t he Canadian?” Keith reportedly said.
Aldean reveals the best piece of advice he got from Keith
Aldean found himself in the crosshairs of the woke outrage mob last year over his hit song Try That in a Small Town.
“To me, from personal level, that was something to me that was always inspiring, as far as like, ‘Hey, you can still be an artist and be true to who you are and go out and not be afraid to speak out.’ And I think that was something that always kind of stood with me,” Aldean stated.
The Dirt Road Anthem singer said the best advice he got from Keith was “never apologize for being patriotic.”
“Just being not afraid to speak your mind, stand up for what you believe in,” Aldean remarked. “Whether other people agree with it or not, be who you are and be unapologetic about it. And I think that’s pretty good advice.”
He didn’t back down against the woke outrage mob, and Try That in Small Town became the most successful song of his career.
Aldean performed a tribute to Keith at the ACM Awards by playing his 1993 hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” with an acoustic guitar and a string quartet backing him.
Toby Keith did what he thought was right even if it went against the popular opinion of the entertainment industry.
