Taylor Swift's old video thanking Toby Keith for launching her career resurfaces after legend's death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There is always a time of mourning when the world loses an artist. Particularly one as significant as Toby Keith. The music industry was altered by this legendary country music performer in more ways than most people know.
Following Toby Keith's death from cancer at the age of 62, stories from the life of the country artist have begun to surface, including his unexpected contribution to Taylor Swift's success.
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Keith had been battling stomach cancer for the past few years, receiving care from his wife Tricia Lucas, who will continue his legacy along with their three children—daughters Shelley Covel Rowland, fellow singer Krystal Keith, and son, Stelen.
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Toby Keith opened doors for Taylor Swift to get her break
With his influence on the entertainment industry extending beyond the realm of country music, Toby Keith appears to have had a significant impact on the career of Taylor Swift who is the biggest star in the world at the moment.
Swift, 34, is now one of the most prominent pop artists in the world, but in 2005, she was just a young high school girl with 'wildest dreams' of being famous. At the time, the 'Should've Been a Cowboy' singer Keith was a widely recognized star.
Though Swift is now the face and voice of modern pop music, real fans are aware that she started out in country music and was signed by Keith's label, Big Machine Records, in 2005, per the New York Post.
Former DreamWorks executive Scott Borchetta founded the record label Big Machine Records. In the year that Big Machine Records opened for business, Keith started Show Dog Nashville, a record company that collaborated closely with it.
The Tennessean claimed that although Borchetta signed Swift, Keith assisted him in starting the label that did so.
She was then a gifted teenage artist who was utterly unrecognized, inexperienced, and somewhat new to the scene. It was a wise move on all sides for Keith to take a chance and land her first contract.
Swift subsequently veered off course and began making pop music, but even now, her work still heavily draws from the country genre, largely because of Keith.
Taylor Swift paid tribute to the late Toby Keith in 2005 resurfaced clip
In a 2005 video that surfaced again, Swift thanked Keith for giving her the big break she needed, just days after it was announced that the legendary country music icon died at the age of 62 from stomach cancer.
The 'Bad Blood' singer, then 15 years old, talked about how Keith helped her get signed when she was practically unknown in a 2005 interview with WSMV 4, Nashville. She also mentioned how crucial their early-career collaboration was.
"You're in the room and you can feel it. There's a power there," young Swift was heard saying in the video.
"There’s a power there and you’re just like ‘Oh my God!’ I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I don’t see him and go, ‘Oh my God, that’s Toby Keith!’" Swift exclaimed at the time.
2005 Taylor Swift talking about Toby Keith after being signed by his record label 🥹💔 #RIPTobyKeith #TobyKeith pic.twitter.com/FCxh5ezRpp
— Samantha D. (@Prolife_Sam) February 6, 2024
Keith left Big Machine in 2006, not long after signing Swift, but he retained stock in the business. In 2018, Swift's association with the record company came to a sudden end, and the two parted ways.
When Big Machine was acquired by Scooter Braun's firm, Ithaca Holdings in 2019, it sparked a public spat between Braun and Swift and prompted Swift to release 'Taylor's Version' re-recordings of songs from her first six albums.
Swift is now in the midst of rerecording all of her albums after CEO Borchetta infamously sold her collection to Scooter Braun for an astounding $300 million, per Daily Mail.
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