The American
Your new album, American Ride, is continuing the trend for hits. You didn’t write the title track (also the first single)? No, it’s one of only five singles that I’ve released in 50-something, but it’s so humorous and so much fun to sing I had to record it. There’s a lot of humor in your songs. Yeah… we try to have a good time. Cryin’ for me is more serious and it’s very moving. It sounds very much from the heart – is it about a real person? I lost a really good friend, Wayman Tisdale. We were from Oklahoma. He was three-time All American player in college the first ever first team All American in college as a freshman. He left school a year early to go to the NBA, second player taken behind Patrick Ewing, the Hall of Famer. Wayman was
a jazz bass player. When his basketball career was over after 12 great years he started playing bass again. He had a different sound, because he took a right handed bass, strung right handed, flipped it over and played it left handed. Really strange. He broke his leg one day, 43 years old, didn’t know why, went to the doctor who said he had cancer. A few months later they removed his leg at the knee. Couple of months after that he was diagnosed with leukemia. He called me one Wednesday night in May, wanted to lease a few buses off me to take a little trip and play some jazz music. I called him back Thursday and couldn’t get him. Friday morning he passed away. Cryin’ is a goodbye song to him. With the rest of the album are there any developments in your style? Every year I do a tour of 60 major cities. I get 90% of my writing out here on the road. Whatever I’m writing right now
“ I’ve been through Europe but I’ve never played there ... Finally we had a platinum album in Norway and some record sales in other parts of Europe so we’re coming over.” is what I’ll record next year. It’s what I’ve always done. I don’t have a road map. I’m just a songwriter. I write ‘em, I cut ‘em in the Spring and release them in the Fall. You have some dates in Europe in November, four in the UK, are you looking forward to playing over here? I’ve been through Europe but I’ve never played there. We’ve tried for 15 years but every time we hit an obstacle where we’re told we had to put a song out, but take the fiddle and steel off it, make it more pop and get it on the radio. I always said, if people in Europe want to find me they will. I’m not going to be represented by something I wouldn’t play. Finally we had a platinum album in Norway and some record sales in other parts of Europe so we’re coming over. It’s like starting over for us. For 15 years it’s like I’ve had the cruise control on my vehicle here. I show up, there’s 25,00 people there and I play. This is like going back to the bar rooms. I’m very excited. If it goes real well hopefully we can do it every year. H Toby Keith is playing on November 9th at O2 Glasgow Academy, 10th London Hammersmith Apollo, 12th Dublin Olympia Theatre and 13th Belfast Odyssey Arena Belfast.
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