Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard Duffs Toby Keith Song at Tribute
On Monday, July 29th, a tribute to Toby Keith was held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville sponsored by Live Nation, and recorded to eventually be a 2-hour television special that’ll be broadcast on NBC.
By all accounts, the tribute was (mostly) a rousing success, with some very tearful moments, including when footage of Toby Keith performing his final recorded song was shown on the big screen while the house band played along. It was a version of the thoughtful Joe Diffie song “Ships That Don’t Come In” from 1992. Keith recorded the song as part of HARDY’s Hixtape Vol. 3 with Luke Combs.
It’s certainly cool to see a big tribute to Toby Keith come together, and this is a tradition in country music whenever a major performer passes. It was also for a good cause, with proceeds going to the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral, and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
But if we’re being honest, it was a little disappointing to see how the lineup for the event came together and was so myopically focused on the mainstream of country as opposed to recognizing the massive resurgence of independent artists that are revolutionizing the genre, especially from Toby Keith’s home state of Oklahoma.
The lineup for the tribute was all the usual suspects: Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Jordan Davis, HARDY, even Tyler Hubbard of the now defunct Florida Georgia Line. Even the “up-and-coming” names were all major label-signed performers like Priscilla Block and Ella Langley. Aside from Scotty Emerick and Mac McAnally who both have close ties to Toby Keith’s career, and Jamey Johnson who always seems to be involved in every tribute, all of the performers were from a Music Row major label radio-centric rosters.
During the Toby Keith tribute, Tyler Hubbard was scheduled to sing Toby Keith’s most simple and silly song, “Red Solo Cup.” If you had to hand off a song to a former member of Florida Georgia Line, it would be this one. Even then, Tyler Hubbard screwed up the 2nd verse in a pretty embarrassing moment in front of an arena full of folks. This is what you get when you book subpar talent.
@angecork @Tyler Hubbard had a performance and recovery worth a red solo cheers #nashville #tobykeith #redsolocup #jellyroll #lukebryan ♬ original sound – AngeCork
As we’ve been seeing from many mainstream festival rosters lately and even things like the new Twisters movie soundtrack, artists not from the mainstream Music Row bubble are starting to be incorporated in these kinds of events and releases because they’re just as popular, or in certain instances, even more than their mainstream counterparts. The independent is becoming the mainstream.
Zach Bryan just turned in the highest-grossing tour in the month of June, taking in $68.9 million off of over 340,000 tickets sold. This was even better than Morgan Wallen, or anyone else in music. Zach Bryan also happens to be from Oklahoma. Perhaps Zach was asked to participate in the tribute and turned it down. The reason this tribute was taped on a Monday is to make sure touring musicians could participate. But maybe Cody Jinks could have played, or the Turnpike Troubadours, or anyone that doesn’t happen to be on a mainstream major label.
Despite the massive strides seen by performers that still can’t see traction on country radio or at major country awards, they’re still being treated like second class citizens. If Zach Bryan ends up turning in the highest grossing tour this year, do we expect the CMA to nominate him for Entertainer of the Year? Of course not. But Tyler Hubbard’s future is secure because he’s from the industry and of the industry. They have skin in the game to make sure their Tyler Hubbard investment shows returns. So he’s booked on the Toby Keith tribute.
Toby Keith was pretty open about how he felt about the direction of radio country later in his life. He would have put a boot in Tyler Hubbard’s ass.
July 31, 2024 @ 11:24 am
It’s the American way!
July 31, 2024 @ 11:44 am
Times change, but back in the early aughts, it was common for Red Dirt musicians to talk a lot of trash about TK on stage. The trigger for that was likely his jingoistic, post 9/11 phase. I also never knew TK to invite any up and coming Red Dirt people to play at his bar in OKC.
Doubt ZB knows any of that, and he’d have been a more appropriate contributor than Jellyrolls or the FGL bois.
July 31, 2024 @ 11:58 am
Sure, I wouldn’t put Toby Keith as being a part of Red Dirt any more than I would Garth Brooks. Zach Bryan did pay tribute to Toby on social media when he passed. I just threw Zach out as one of many names that could have worked. It wouldn’t even have to be an Oklahoma performer. But it was just so obvious that this tribute came together as a promotional opportunity for Music Row major labels on a major television network as opposed to finding the best folks to pay tribute to Toby. I thought that when I first saw the lineup, but bit my tongue because I didn’t want to criticize a tribute. But if Tyler Hubbard can’t even get the words right, you’re opening yourself up for criticism.
Music Row doesn’t even want the public to know that Zach Bryan and other independent artists exist. Priscilla Block? Tyler Hubbard? Come on.
As for folks playing Toby Keith’s bars, when I was investigating them around the time many of them started closing, I actually heard from numerous small-time country folks who would play them and made good money. Can’t speak specifically for the one in OKC, but there were a lot of folks that made a lot of money playing those bars.
You can read the story here:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/tough-times-in-toby-keith-land/
August 1, 2024 @ 5:39 am
Zach Bryan was the first artist I saw paying tribute to TK on social media. Also, Cleto Cordero of Flatland Calalry was one of the first, too. It’s not a stretch to assume this next generation of Red Dirt artists weren’t heavily influenced by TK. When they were born (late 90’s), TK was the biggest artist on radio. I would have liked to see a more focused tribute made up of Red Dirt artists.
Did you see Lainey Wilson enter the arena on horseback (inspired by Sierra Ferrell?) during her performance of “Beer for My Horses” with Jamey Johnson?
July 31, 2024 @ 12:27 pm
I wonder if any of that is a product of Toby’s bullets in the gun song being such a plain ripoff of Robert earl keen’s the road goes on forever
July 31, 2024 @ 5:10 pm
I had to look up the song “Bullets in the Gun.’ Never heard that before and wow that totally is a rip-off of ‘The Road Goes on Forever.’
Toby didn’t have any good songs after the 90’s anyway.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:28 am
That wasn’t an issue until a Dixie Chick (shock!) opened her mouth and said it resembled the song.
An outlaw and a wild lady is a common theme in country music. Tritt has a song called “Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde.”
The difference with Toby’s song is how the female character has way more agency than Keen’s Sherry and the couple dies together while Sonny goes full simp and tells Sherry to escape.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:28 pm
Sorry but this is a dumb take. ‘The Road Goes on Forever’ is one of the best written Country songs ever. Toby Keith, or the co-writer (whoever actually wrote it) quite literally stole the chord progression and melody and the overall sound of the song. Keen even took the high road and didn’t sue Toby Keith when he found out.
Saying there was no issue until a Dixie Chick pointed out the comparison is mind-knumbingly stupid. It’s literal theft. And are you seriously stating that the theft was acceptable because Toby had different lyrics pasted on top and because the Dixie Chicks were critical of the Iraq War and Bush – which in hindsight was an accurate position?! WTF dude, do better.
August 2, 2024 @ 2:59 pm
I like this take by Zazie:
“I’ve now listened to the songs quite a few times. While the melody of the Keen song sounds very similar to Toby’s single, I don’t really have to analyze the music component all that far to distinguish the two songs. Because I don’t think the lyrics are similar enough to warrant any idea of plagiarism.
I think of the two songs as in the same sub-genre of folk legends about a crime spree that doesn’t get very far. But when I listened carefully to Keen’s song, I realized that it was a different story, one in which the robbery wasn’t a primary motive; it happened much later in the narrative and was inspired by desperation. It’s the same genre of story but not the same story.
Also, the quality of the writing was very different — the Keen song had better-drawn characters, a coherent story, and a lot crisper feel to it. While I admire Rivers Rutherford and I think TK used to write good songs, Bullets is really a mess when you look at it closely — first-person narrative by a dead narrator isn’t a winning strategy, for one thing. This is a piece of braggadocio and the Keen song isn’t. All that stuff about being called “lightning” vs. Keen’s character who’s unable to qualify for the Navy and is not set up as a hero, even an outlaw hero, from the start.
Also, the ending is so different. She gets the money, he gets the chair in the Keen song. That song’s all irony — look at the tag line “the road goes on forever and the party never ends” — I don’t see any attempt at irony in Bullets at all. The ending of this song is more like the finish of Marty Robbins’ El Paso, the big hail of gunfire.
Now it may be odd for TK’s primary defense to be “look how bad my song is compared to the other one” but I’m convinced. He (and his big-time co-writer) could have been influenced by Keen’s song but it’s just as likely to have been El Paso that influenced them. Or any of a dozen other songs.
Someone else can do the musical analysis. I have spent enough time on this, but I think the claim of plagiarism, to the extent that it rests on the lyrics, is marginal at best.
That doesn’t mean Emily isn’t free to raise the topic, it doesn’t mean George Bush was right about Iraq, it doesn’t mean Travelin’ Soldier shouldn’t have been #1 for 6 weeks. It’s not (for me) about the Feud. At this point I just don’t think this is plagiarism, but I’m willing to be convinced.”
July 31, 2024 @ 2:31 pm
I love Red Dirt music but many of its performers are only suited for singing.
Toby Keith’s patriotism was the real deal and not jingoistic.
July 31, 2024 @ 4:53 pm
The jingoism claims here are in regards to his songs that expressed direct support for US war efforts in other countries. The United States was wrong to invade Iraq and besides the Gulf War, ever war effort by the US since WW2 has been wrong.
Toby Keith’s work with veterans is admirable, but he had many pro-war songs when in hindsight those wars were wrong. Too many people don’t understand the difference between support for troops, and jingoism. The US political system is funded by the war machine. Anyone who has has high speed internet for the past 20 years should know that.
July 31, 2024 @ 7:29 pm
This is all untrue but has nothing to do with the article.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:31 am
I understand the difference and don’t support our endless wars.
“The Angry American” might veer into jingoism but it is more a general rallying cry song than Clint Black’s “Iraq and Roll” was.
“American Soldier” is a pure ode to the average doughboy.
Toby wasn’t writing rot like “Have You Forgotten?”
August 1, 2024 @ 9:21 am
I remember seeing Darryl Worley playing at the World Trade Center 23y ago almost to the day. It was either August 1st or 2nd and it was over 100 degrees. The stage was at the foot of the South Tower.
He put on a great show and met with fans afterwards. Seemed like a great guy. I wonder how that experience influenced how he processed the attack.
For me, none of those songs bother me. What bothered me was 9/11 itself and losing childhood friends. Hearing the panic in their voices on the phone after the plane hit and realizing they were trapped in the floors above and wouldn’t make it out. I will never forget the things I saw and heard (!!) that day after fleeing my office in the World Financial Center across West St from the Trade Center. The smell spread out many miles for a week afterwards. Even months after, lower Manhattan smelled like burned building.
Lyrics in a song? Not in my top 1 million concerns when thinking about 9/11.
August 1, 2024 @ 6:09 pm
“Angry American,” lyrically, was Charlie Daniels’ “In America” repurposed for a later confrontation. “You just go and lay your hands on a Pittsburgh Steelers fan” and what do you get? A boot up your ass.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:31 pm
Darryl Worley eventually recognized that public sentiment shifted against the Iraq War and US involvment in the Middle East and I believe he changed some of the lyrics in that one hit song to reflect that. But I take issue with that song as well but not to the degree that I hate Courtesy of the Red White and Blue. American Soldier by Keith is a much better take on patriotism.
August 1, 2024 @ 8:19 am
Don’t blame all Americans for Iraq. It was our crooked politicians who decided to invade for oil. We’d rather kept our troops home.
July 31, 2024 @ 6:28 pm
I don’t know what was in his heart—but I assume the best. That said, the boot in your ass song was a horrible message. It made him easy to dislike during that era.
August 1, 2024 @ 5:16 am
You don’t have to like the song, but how is it a horrible message? In the context of what the U.S. had gone through with 9/11, it seems pretty appropriate to me.
August 1, 2024 @ 9:52 am
The theme was vengeance. Vengence took us into occupying places that we should not have been–costing thousands of lives, trillions of dollars, and partially delegitimizing American foreign policy.
Yes, it was a horrible message.
August 1, 2024 @ 9:55 am
This has nothing to do with the topics broached in the article. And further comments off topic will be deleted. If people continue to leave off-topic comments, the comments section will be shut down.
August 1, 2024 @ 9:27 am
Have you forgotten was a rallying call for all those who died and their families who wanted justice and to stop the terrorists from coming to the USA. It was a necessary evil that we needed, though we didn’t want to be at war. It was high time we stop the overseas wars and band together to fight all terrorists that has been coming into this country by the borders that are not being protected by this administration so they can let new votersin to keep the Democrats power! We had secured borders, great economy,and energy independent! We need to reverse the spending and all the regulations the Biden Administration put on making America have high inflation and pay higher prices and kick back some of our old happy time!!!
August 1, 2024 @ 9:53 am
Folks, this article has nothing to do with Toby Keith’s song “The Angry American.” This is also not a political website. It is a country music website. This is why veering off topic invariably causes problems.
Any further comments of a political nature not involving Tyler Hubbard and his appearance at the Toby Keith benefit will be deleted.
August 1, 2024 @ 9:48 am
I dont see how it was a horrible message. Maybe if you are a pacifist but if you are an american, its a great message.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:11 pm
Have you seen what the other half of Florida Georgia Line’s been doing?
https://youtu.be/-E6GZ9O21rI?si=gOsm0r0kzZ0-dHyw
July 31, 2024 @ 12:18 pm
Yeah, politics aside, Brian Kelley may even be more cringey than Tyler Hubbard.
August 1, 2024 @ 12:07 pm
Politics “aside” sure you know that’s all you can judge by with those 2.
Just be honest you are sad biden dropped out but will still be voting Harris so you can feel like you are on the right side of history
August 1, 2024 @ 12:12 pm
I will not be propping up the specter of choice presented by the two-party corporate duopoly by voting for either of the two major candidates in the Presidential election. But thanks for assuming my political alignment based off of an internet interaction.
August 1, 2024 @ 8:19 pm
The Internet is a never-ending series of strawman fallacies.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:23 pm
Well it could be possible that the people that performed at the show were the people that wanted to be there the most. It was a show to honor toby keith. Sure hubbard flubbed the verse but he did correct it. Maybe it was a picked lot but could be no up and coming independents jumped up to say they would love to honor toby keith. I dont know. But i do find it funny how you mention they excluded these artists and only chose radio darlings over these independents but of course the first independent artist you point out is zach bryan who needs no extra publicity but hes your fall back guy for all of non radio music so seems you are doing the same thing. Maybe he doesnt even like toby keiths music or his leanings for that matter. Dont know. I just think a tribute show for an artist should have performers who really want to pay tribute to that artists not a show for some other messaging. Far as hubbard goes, i can clearly see where he could have been influenced by some of keiths music so i have zero issues with it. Far as the show, i look forward to seeing it. I have seen a snippet of where they showed keith recording the joe diffie song. I also read an amusing story by eric church of how he met toby keith. Great stuff.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:30 pm
I will say thank you to this article for reminding me of how good a song ships that don’t come in is.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:52 pm
They don’t write em or sing em like this anymore, that’s for sure.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:34 pm
I’ve always considered FGL to be a parody or comedy band, in the vein of Run C&W or Hot Country Knights, except much worse. Their trainwreck of a career has an almost Spinal Tap-esque feeling to it. Netflix should make a FGL biopic mini series.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:37 pm
They remind me of Big N’ Rich or that pop band 3Oh!3 – an awful product of the late 00’s with one member trying to be serious and ending up on a news panel.
July 31, 2024 @ 12:47 pm
“Red Solo Cup” “most simple”??
Silly, yes, but simple?–Not by a longshot.
“Now, red Solo cup is the best receptacle /For barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals
And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicles /If you prefer drinkin’ from glass”
That’s just the first stanza and there are about a dozen more of similar intricacy.
The songrwiters–credited as two Brett’s a Brad and a Jim; two Warrens and two Beavers–must have channeled their inner Roger Millers to come up with that.
I’d be highly impressed if anyone could peform it live withouth substantial preparation and practice. It’s not the kind of thing you could come out and wing.
July 31, 2024 @ 11:58 pm
“I’d be highly impressed if anyone could peform it live withouth substantial preparation and practice.”
Well, I don’t know. Maybe if you committed to singing it for an arena full of people for a presentation to be broadcast on network television, perhaps you should practice it up so you don’t flub it, especially if you’re a professional musicians who has made millions upon millions of dollars, and that’s your job.
August 1, 2024 @ 6:34 pm
@Trig–
I can’t tell for sure if your expressed animus for the guy is real or is just a bit of SCM brand schtick, but nobody cares–OK, few people care– if Tyler Hubbard flubbed the words to part of a verse of “Red Solo Cup.” The crowd seemed to be enjoying it and he made a pretty good recovery.
Funny, way back in 1960, Ella Fitzgerald, forgot the words in the middle of a performance of “Mack the Knife” in Berlin, Germany. She made up her own words, sang about Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin and anything else–and that “Ella in Berlin” performance was issued on LP and then CD and has probably never been out of print, since, and her “botched” version of “Mack” is considered the highlight.
No, I don’t think Tyler Hubbard’s version of “Red Solo Cup” will be remembered and played in 64 years, but it’s a fun song and was a fun performance. I’ve nnever been a FGL orTyler Hubbard fan, but I think that watching this clip gave me some appreciation or understanding for why he’s a success.
July 31, 2024 @ 1:03 pm
A bad week for FGL. The other one has just had to cancel his UK tour due to low ticket sales at a time when country music is the biggest it’s ever been over here.
July 31, 2024 @ 11:36 pm
Very true, put a stetson on a pig and it would get radio play.
July 31, 2024 @ 2:12 pm
Was Sheryl Crow there?
July 31, 2024 @ 2:36 pm
Or given Tyler the Bossman Slam,as Toby,in addition to being an ex-football player,was a HUGE WWF/WWE fan.
Glad there was a Toby Keith tribute,as he was taken far too soon,when he should have been making more great songs.Anyway,too bad the industry is still promoting their golden boys-and a few though not nearly enough golden girls,as witness the lineup of those playing tribute to the unique Mr. Keith.Perhap,with FGL defunct,Tyler Hubbard’s gaffe will be his swansong.
July 31, 2024 @ 6:30 pm
Yeah, Toby was a big and physically imposing guy before he got sick. His biography says he was an oil rig roughneck and a semi-pro football player. And, he may be the only country music star to have executed a full suplex on a professional wrestler–(Jeff Jarret).
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JEGAXrHX2bc
(Though Pearl Butler (of Carl Butler and Pearl) reportedly once suplexed or body-slammed the Fabulous Moolah.)
July 31, 2024 @ 3:19 pm
It’s funny that all you younger people rag on the bro country acts just like like my generation of real country fans ragged on TK, Garf, Alan Jackson, Trivis Twerp, Reebar etc.
Truth is, the good stuff hasn’t been on mainstream country radio since the mid 80s.
July 31, 2024 @ 4:54 pm
Name-calling; the highest form of intellectual discussion.
July 31, 2024 @ 7:31 pm
Not true at all but quote me your real country artist.
July 31, 2024 @ 8:08 pm
Merle Haggard
Charley Pride
Loretta Lynn
Waylon Jennings
Willie Nelson
Tammy Wynette
Tanya Tucker
Conway Twiity
If you were going to honky tonks in the early 90s you know this music had all but disappeared. The “HAT” acts had taken over.
August 1, 2024 @ 3:24 am
Well thats a good list and o grew up listening to those and a few more like jones, cash, and williams but they arent anymore country than jackson, chesnutt. Strait, or tritt. In fact ypu could def argue that conway wasnt country at the time and even willie was a little out there with some stuff like angel too close to the ground. Anytime something chooses to be a little v different there is always some pushback. Heck the bakersfield sound highlighted by buck owens was criticized for being too popish at the time. I think where some acts cross tbe line when they start dueting with known pop acts like when fgl worked with backstreet boys or when they did remixes with hip hop acts. I personslly.think fgl did some country stuff that was good but it was more popish in nature and lyrically meant to be more catchy than serious . They were never going to appeal to hardcore country lot but like i said, plenty of acts over the years have did the same. The problem became when it became more popular and pushed regular country off the radio. I would say that the younger crowd pushed it that way for a while which is how pop radio works so country radio just followed that trend.
August 1, 2024 @ 8:24 pm
Conway Twitty was the Hardy of the 1970s.
August 1, 2024 @ 7:33 am
Alan Jackson was more pure country than Waylon and Willie. Conway went super slick in the 1980s. I love Pride but he always worked in the Nashville Sound context.
July 31, 2024 @ 4:59 pm
I went to the Merle Haggard tribute at Bridgestone and it was good. Ironically one of the best performances was from Jake Owen and Chris Janson doing ‘Footlights’ even though they had many great performs in the lineup.
I don’t know if I would go to a free show put on by any of those artists in that lineup.
August 1, 2024 @ 8:08 am
This is like the movie Idiocracy, but it’s less funny because it’s real. Dumb song, dumb performance.
August 1, 2024 @ 11:02 am
Love the last line of your article the most. thanks for that!
August 1, 2024 @ 11:53 am
I liked the “hat” acts,generally preferring them to the “bare headed boys” because the former seemed cowboyish.
August 1, 2024 @ 12:40 pm
Zach Bryan just turned in the highest-grossing tour in the month of June, taking in $68.9 million off of over 340,000 tickets sold. This was even better than Morgan Wallen, or anyone else in music.
And he just broke an attendance record here in San Antonio (for his Wednesday night Frost Bank Center show) that was set by George Strait more than 20 years ago.
(I’d love to see GS play that venue again. I was living 300 miles away when I saw that show Strait set that record with — at what was then the SBC Center — in November 2002, but now I live within walking distance of that venue,,.)
I’m not at all surprised that Tyler Hubbard’s a fuckup when you get him out of his bubble. If his talent was a liquid it wouldn’t fill a teaspoon.
August 2, 2024 @ 9:50 am
Does anyone have enough knowledge on the subject to take a wild guess as to the percentage that will go into ZB’s pocket?
August 5, 2024 @ 6:27 pm
Trigger, would you know this question or if anyone else may know. Toby’s band that played with him for years was not included in this tribute. I recall Merle’s TV tribute and the Strangers were there. (This special has Nashville musicians but not Toby’s Easy Money band)
I still will watch the tribute. Aug 28th. Trace Adkins is the performance most looking forward to. Also Carrie Underwood & Ashley McBride and Eric Church performances should be good. My opinion is most of the people there wanted to be there and some probably industry or label inclusions.
August 5, 2024 @ 6:39 pm
Not sure the reason they did not used Toby Keith’s band, though that dovetails with my concern that this thing was heavily coordinated by Music Row, and it became more about who they wanted to push in a television special as opposed to who would be best to tribute Toby Keith.
I will still watch the special as well.