Justin Moore and Randy Houser put on a rousing performance, paying tribute to Toby Keith after the singer’s passing. Keith passed away earlier this year following a battle with stomach cancer.
Videos by American Songwriter
Appearing in downtown Nashville at the Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Houser and Moore made for a dynamic duo while on stage together. The two country singers channeled their inner cowboys for a rip-roaring performance of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”
While no one will ever replace Keith, Moore and Houser certainly fill in a cowboy hat. Both more than have the pipes and baritone to do the song and Keith justice. Houser acted as lead on the song while Moore accompanied. The crowd loved the performance.
In response to the video, one fan paid tribute to Keith, “If there’s Music in Heaven, you know they must have one heck of a Band. Rest In Peace Toby (Legend) Keith. Job Well Done, Sir ♡ Toby through your music & video’s you will NEVER be forgotten.”
Toby Keith Recorded a classic
Keith first recorded the hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” back in 1993. The singer said inspiration struck him while on a camping trip with his buddies. Speaking with The Oklahoman, Keith said a conversation between friends inspired the lyrics.
“A guy said to another guy, ‘In all honesty, you should’ve been a cowboy,’ when a girl didn’t dance with him in his hunting clothes. And I thought, ‘Man, that sounds like a song idea,’ and it was all over me,” Keith recalled.
He continued, “I went back and we were all two hunters to a room, and my roommate was Freddie Cortez. He’s passed away now, but he used to own Chastain’s and a bunch of country bars in town. Freddie went to sleep, and I didn’t want to wake him ‘cause he was hateful when you’d wake him up. I went in the bathroom, shut the door, wrote it down and put it in my bag and went hunting the next day. Came home, revisited it, and said ‘I’m gonna record this song.’
According to Keith, the song became the bedrock for his future career. Keith would play the song at every show he performed. “I’ve never not played that song — no matter what,” he said. “It’s like my pick of the litter as far as how important it was to changing my life – and a lot of people around me.”
[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Image]
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