Toby Keith joins The Ty Bentli Show for an interview on Apple Music Country to discuss the wild experiences influencing his new album – including the night Jerry Lee Lewis and Merle Haggard surprised him on-stage, his emotional connection to John Prine, and an early encounter with Tim McGraw when they were both Nashville newcomers.
Toby Keith on the wild night Jerry Lee Lewis and Merle Haggard surprised him
“(At) Staples Center one year, where the Lakers play, years ago, I’m up there jamming, and it came in my ear monitors they said ‘Jerry Lee’s here. And he wants to come on stage.’ ….. I had my stage look like a big bar. And there was some swinging doors that we walked in through to get on stage. And I kept waiting for him. And all of a sudden I heard this voice go ‘I’m over here, killer.’ Over around the piano he took off with “You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain,” and the crowd when completely batshit crazy…And then Haggard was there that night. I mean the front row was fricking Stallone, maybe Khan and Burt. There was a lot of celebrities there. Carrot Top was there. It was really Hollywood. And I remember him going ‘Haggs is here,’ and he wore round John Lennon-blue sunglasses, and a beat up old hat. And he walked out there with a Telecaster and we sang two or three songs. And then he walked back through the swinging doors, and I just looked at the crowd and I said ‘Only in Hollywood!’ It doesn’t get bigger than that.”
Toby Keith on meeting Tim McGraw as Nashville newcomers
Tim McGraw… he’s probably the first artist I ever met when I came to Nashville. Neither one of us had a record deal. We were at Skull’s Rainbow Room down on Printer’s Alley. Skull was a famous character that always wore like overalls with pins all over him and a goofy hat… First time I came to Nashville, I brought my 6-song demo, and I had a meeting in the morning at 10 o’clock with Capitol. He said, I got another artist or two is going to get up. And some other guy got up there. I remember him saying like he’s from Louisiana and he’s in town looking for record deal, getting close to getting signed. And then the guy got up there and sang. And then I got up and sang, and we said, ‘Hey, what’s up? Good luck’ and went on. Well then Tim came out with “Indian Outlaw,” he came out smoking. Then we ran into each other somewhere. And he said, ‘you remember the night we were at Skull’s Rainbow Room. And he called me and you up, and we both got record deals?” And it dawned on me right then that I do remember the night, but I just didn’t realize that’s who it was. It was Tim. So we probably go back to the farthest. We see each other. We’re still good friends.”
Toby Keith on his admiration of John Prine
“His pictures he painted were so vivid, and in color, the way he ties them together. And the melodies make them make sense. It’s like having a puzzle in front of you, and none of the pieces actually fit together. But when you step back from them and look at it, it’s a work of art.”
“(At) Staples Center one year, where the Lakers play, years ago, I’m up there jamming, and it came in my ear monitors they said ‘Jerry Lee’s here. And he wants to come on stage.’ ….. I had my stage look like a big bar. And there was some swinging doors that we walked in through to get on stage. And I kept waiting for him. And all of a sudden I heard this voice go ‘I’m over here, killer.’ Over around the piano he took off with “You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain,” and the crowd when completely batshit crazy…And then Haggard was there that night. I mean the front row was fricking Stallone, maybe Khan and Burt. There was a lot of celebrities there. Carrot Top was there. It was really Hollywood. And I remember him going ‘Haggs is here,’ and he wore round John Lennon-blue sunglasses, and a beat up old hat. And he walked out there with a Telecaster and we sang two or three songs. And then he walked back through the swinging doors, and I just looked at the crowd and I said ‘Only in Hollywood!’ It doesn’t get bigger than that.”
Toby Keith on meeting Tim McGraw as Nashville newcomers
Tim McGraw… he’s probably the first artist I ever met when I came to Nashville. Neither one of us had a record deal. We were at Skull’s Rainbow Room down on Printer’s Alley. Skull was a famous character that always wore like overalls with pins all over him and a goofy hat… First time I came to Nashville, I brought my 6-song demo, and I had a meeting in the morning at 10 o’clock with Capitol. He said, I got another artist or two is going to get up. And some other guy got up there. I remember him saying like he’s from Louisiana and he’s in town looking for record deal, getting close to getting signed. And then the guy got up there and sang. And then I got up and sang, and we said, ‘Hey, what’s up? Good luck’ and went on. Well then Tim came out with “Indian Outlaw,” he came out smoking. Then we ran into each other somewhere. And he said, ‘you remember the night we were at Skull’s Rainbow Room. And he called me and you up, and we both got record deals?” And it dawned on me right then that I do remember the night, but I just didn’t realize that’s who it was. It was Tim. So we probably go back to the farthest. We see each other. We’re still good friends.”
Toby Keith on his admiration of John Prine
“His pictures he painted were so vivid, and in color, the way he ties them together. And the melodies make them make sense. It’s like having a puzzle in front of you, and none of the pieces actually fit together. But when you step back from them and look at it, it’s a work of art.”
