Country music lost a legend on Feb. 5 when singer-songwriter Toby Keith died at the age of 62 after battling stomach cancer. However, even after his death, the iconic country star is still breaking music records.
The musician just made Billboard history, becoming the first artist to snag nine of the Top 10 spots on the Country Digital Song Sales chart in the same week.
Mr. Keith managed to dominate Billboard’s country ranking after many of his fans turned to some of his greatest hits to help mourn his passing.
His 1993 song “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” sits at No. 3, followed by 2002’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” both of which had 11,000 downloads.
Country Digital Song Sales
Mr. Keith bested the rankings once held by the late Kenny Rogers and pop star Taylor Swift. The two singers previously held the record after they filled seven of the Country Digital Song Sales’ Top 10 spots at one time.
Ms. Swift was the first to nab the record, logging her seven spots on Nov. 13, 2010, after the release of her third studio album, “Speak Now.” Mr. Rogers—who died on March 20, 2020, at the age of 81—claimed the ranking on April 4, 2020, just a few weeks after his death.
Country music singer Luke Combs is the only other artist currently situated in the chart’s Top 10 with Mr. Keith. Mr. Combs’ 2023 cover of singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman’s hit song “Fast Car” holds the No. 2 spot, up from No. 15 last week.
“Fast Car” was Ms. Chapman’s lead single from her self-titled debut album, “Tracy Chapman,” released in 1988. The duo performed the song at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, which aired on Feb. 4.
Mr. Keith’s illustrious music career spanned more than three decades. His debut studio album, “Toby Keith,” was released in April 1993 and featured some of his biggest hits, including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and “He Ain’t Worth Missing.”
The country star released 21 albums in total—including 1996’s “Blue Moon,” 2002’s “Unleashed,” 2003’s “Shock’n Y’all,” and 2005’s “Honkytonk University”—and sold over 40 million albums.
Losing a Country Music Icon
Mr. Keith was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021, per People. Two years later, the country singer was bestowed the inaugural Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards.“I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight,” he said during his acceptance speech.
“He’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while now,” he continued. “I want to thank my beautiful family that’s here. A lot of people go into making a career like this of 30 years.”
After receiving the award, he took the stage to give what would become his last television performance. He sang his hit song, “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
Mr. Keith’s family said they would be hosting a private funeral service in mid-February, according to a recent post on the country star’s Instagram account, which states that a memorial service to honor his legacy will be announced on social media shortly.
His family added that in lieu of flowers, supporters can make donations to The Toby Keith Foundation, which the singer founded in 2006 to help children who have been diagnosed with cancer.
