Toby Keith Sang This Emotional Song During His Final Recording Session
By Movieguide® Contributor
At the tribute special “Toby Keith: American Icon,” fans were surprised to see Keith’s final recording session on the concert’s big screen.
“The emotional kicker came near the end of the all-star concert, as Keith was seen in a recording studio singing a cover of ‘Ships That Don’t Come In,’ recorded in 1992 by Joe Diffie, who died of complications from COVID in 2020,” Variety reported July 30.
Variety continued, “The musical accompaniment was provided live by the tribute special’s house band as Keith, in studio headphones, sang the bittersweet chorus: ‘So here’s to all the soldiers / Who have ever died in vain / The insane locked up in themselves / And the homeless down on Main / To those who stand on empty shores / And spit against the wind /And those who wait forever / For ships that don’t come in.’
After Keith’s recording played, his youngest daughter, Krystal Keith, performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” one of Keith’s recent original songs.
“‘Don’t Let the Old Man In’ is the last song that Keith performed on television when he took the stage at the People’s Choice Country Awards on NBC last September,” Taste of Country reported. “He penned the lyrics for Clint Eastwood’s THE MULE film, but before he died, he admitted the fight-off-death message took on new meaning as he battled cancer.”
“When I wrote it, I didn’t know that in the next few years that I was going to have to be looking those words square in the face,” Keith said in his final interview with Taste of Country.
Some of the lyrics read:
When he rides up on his horse / And you feel that cold bitter wind / Look out your window and smile / Don’t let the old man in / Look out your window and smile / Don’t let the old man in.
The ambiance of the evening wasn’t completely emotional. Lainey Wilson had everyone entertained when she rode in on a horse to sing Keith’s and Willie Nelson’s “Beer for My Horses.”
Trace Adkins performed Keith’s “American Soldier,” and Parker McCollum wrapped up the taping with Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
Other people who performed were Jelly Roll, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Jordan Davis, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker and Hardy.
The taped special will air on NBC on Aug. 28. Proceeds from the show will be donated to Toby Keith’s OK Kids Korral Foundation, which supports Oklahoma children who battle cancer.
Keith passed away last February after a battle with stomach cancer. Movieguide® reported:
“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time,” a statement on his website reads. Keith first announced his cancer diagnosis in 2022.
Throughout his cancer battle, the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” singer-songwriter relied on God.
“I lean on my faith and I just pray and lean into it,” he stated. “You gotta’ do what you gotta’ do, and I don’t know how people do it without faith…that’s what I did, it was my rock.
“The superstar, who was born in Clinton, [Oklahoma], and grew up in Moore, [Oklahoma], was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame just before his death in February and will be posthumously inducted in October,” the Oklahoman reported July 31.
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