TOBY KEITH

May 1, 2016

Airport Hilton

Los Angeles, CA

Photo credit: Toby Keith

Everybody's got a story and I love it when songwriters work theirs into the lyrics of country music.

I was at the Hilton near Los Angeles International Airport to pick up a friend. As we walked toward the hotel's main entrance, we saw a group of people standing outside by a passenger van. They looked out of place and I guessed someone in the group must be somebody. My friend narrowed it down: "It's that country singer," he said. Oh, right! They'd just returned from the American Country Countdown Awards show.

With no time to remember the name, I got my camera and approached his imposing bodyguard. After I explained my concept, he agreed I could talk to this hitmaker, I just had to, "wait until he's finished talking to these people." It turned out this was Toby Keith and these people were Merle Haggard's family. I chatted with the friendly armed guard for a while as Toby told animated stories about life on the road with Hag. He reminisced about their time on stage and sprinkled in some little ditties for color. His short a cappella solos sounded fantastic.

I never imagined that I'd be listening to this Songwriting Hall-of-Fame'r tell his life stories, but he had everybody's ear and took us along as he relived one adventure after another. You'd think we were sitting around the campfire right here in one of the busiest parts of the city. And though I didn’t hear him mention his dog, his truck, or Uncle Sam I got a good sense of his down-home roots. 

Once they were all talked out, my new friend stopped Toby from getting in the van and told him I’d been waiting to talk to him. He was polite, said, "Hello," and held out his hand to shake mine (like a good ol' country boy). I explained My Celebrity Photo Album to him and his friends. They were interested in my unusual request and, without much delay, this Oklahoma native decided he wanted me to make the horns down hand gesture. This could have been spurred by a memory of Matthew McConaughey's shout-out to the University of Texas during the award show, maybe the color of my orange purse struck a chord as it happened to be UT's color, or maybe his loyalty to the University of Oklahoma is so strong that this taunt to the rival football team is always top-of-mind. Either way, this gesture put me on the side of OU. Toby Keith is a massive supporter of theirs and now, by association, I'm a fan too. Boomer Sooner! (I learned their fight song later.)

So, I waited 30 minutes for this interaction which took about 30 seconds, but I got the photo and thanked Toby as he made his way into the van. Next time I'm equipped, I'll raise my red Solo cup in a toast to Mr. Toby Keith and his security guard. Big thanks to these two for letting me hang out and listen to stories. It's no surprise that he wrote a chart-topping hit song every year for 20 years straight. This man is a vibrant storyteller.