(NORMAN, Okla.) As accolades continue to roll in for the late Toby Keith, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has declared July 8, 2026, “Toby Keith Day” in the state. He presented the written proclamation to Keith’s daughter Krystal Keith as part of Oklahoma Film and Music Day 2026 event in April at the state Capitol.

The day of celebration lands on what would have been the late superstar’s 65th birthday. Paired with Independence Day, this hottest part of the year for Keith’s music delivers another No 1. In the past week, Keith’s original composition and smash hit, “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),” held the No. 1 position on the Apple Music and Spotify all-genre Top 100 charts.

In addition to Keith’s music, his legacy of being a humanitarian continues to live on through The Toby Keith Foundation, that held the 22nd Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic. The two-day event was held last month, and raised more than $1.35 million, bringing the annual event’s total funds raised to more than $21 million. The Toby Keith Foundation operates OK Kids Korral – a cost-free home for families with children receiving medical care. In his final interview, Toby Keith told a local reporter that OK Kids Korral “is my best gift I’ve ever given to the world.”

Premiering during Memorial Day weekend, UMe released Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits on vinyl for the first time. Originally issued as a two-CD set in 2008, the unprecedented three-LP version is available ow, here: tobykeith.lnk.to/35BiggestHits3LP

The RIAA platinum certified collection has spent a total of 250 weeks Billboard’s all-genre Top 200 chart including five weeks in the Top 10, which is a chart landmark for the late superstar, singer songwriter.

Featured tracks on 35 Biggest Hits include the recently certified 5x-platinum “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),” which peaked at No. 25 on the all-genre Hot 100, and “Who’s Your Daddy?” which peaked at No. 22. Both were multi-week No. 1s on the major country airplay charts. The collection opens with his debut smash “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” (1993) and runs through the 2006 chart-topper “A Little Too Late.” Also among the 34 signature hits are “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “I Love This Bar” and “As Good As I Once Was,” punctuated by the addition of then-new release “She’s A Hottie.”

In case you missed it, read on Oklahoman.com, HERE.

Oklahoma governor proclaims ‘Toby Keith Day’

in late icon’s home state
 

By Brandy McDonnell

April 9, 20206

Norman singer-songwriter Krystal Keith on April 7 opens Oklahoma Film and Music Day at the state Capitol by performing the national anthem in the second-floor rotunda in Oklahoma City.
PROVIDED BY OKLAHOMA FILM + MUSIC OFFICE

A late Oklahoma music icon will get his day this summer in the Sooner State.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt read a proclamation declaring July 8, 2026, “Toby Keith Day” in the state as part of Oklahoma Film and Music Day 2026 on April 7 at the state Capitol.

Keith was born July 8, 1961, in Clinton, so “Toby Keith Day” will mark what would have been the country music superstar’s 65th birthday. The National Medal of Arts recipient died Feb. 5, 2024, at age 62 after a multiyear battle with stomach cancer.

The proclamation honors Keith, who grew up in Moore and was based in Norman, for “rising from humble beginnings to become one of the most successful, influential, and recognizable country music artists in American history.”

A singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur, Keith sold 40 million albums, scored 42 Top 10 hits and earned more than 10 billion streams over the course of his three-decade music career. The Songwriters Hall of Famer penned anthems, including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” and “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”

On Tuesday morning, Stitt presented a copy of the proclamation to Krystal Keith, the icon’s daughter and a fellow Norman-based singer-songwriter, after she opened Oklahoma Film and Music Day with a rendition of the national anthem that soared over the crowded second-floor rotunda of the Capitol. “That was just a magical moment,” said Jeanette Stanton, director of the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.

Courtesy of Keith’s family, a red, white and blue guitar and white cowboy hat that belonged to the late singer-songwriter were displayed in the Capitol during the annual event showcasing Oklahoma’s entertainment industry.

Keith also will be posthumously honored in his home state this week at the 65th annual Western Heritage Awards.

The proclamation honors Keith for “rising from humble beginnings to become one of the most successful, influential, and recognizable country music artists in American history.”

With the Western Heritage Awards, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum annually ushers inductees into its Hall of Great Western Performers and Hall of Great Westerners as well as bestows special honors.

Keith will receive the Special Directors’ Award at this year’s Western Heritage Awards, which are Saturday, April 11, at the National Cowboy Museum in OKC. Presented on occasion by the museum’s board of directors, the Special Directors’ Award recognizes a performer whose body of work has made significant, lasting contributions to the perpetuation of Western entertainment and consistently embodied traditional Western ideals.

“This honor reflects the life my dad lived and the values he stood for. We’re grateful to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for recognizing his place in history and how his career served and celebrated the heritage of the country and Western way of life,” said Krystal Keith in an email to The Oklahoman.

A red, white and blue guitar and white cowboy hat belonging to the late Toby Keith are displayed on April 7 in the state Capitol during Oklahoma Film and Music Day in Oklahoma City.
BRANDY MCDONNELL/THE OKLAHOMAN

More than two years after his death, Keith continues to be remembered in his home state and beyond. On May 22, UMe will release the late entertainer’s “35 Biggest Hits” on vinyl for the first time. Originally issued as a two-CD set in 2008, the unprecedented three-LP version is available for pre-order.

Arriving in time for Memorial Day, the vinyl release for “35 Biggest Hits” will herald what’s become the hottest part of the year for Keith’s music. Last July alone, the Oklahoma native reached an audience of more than 2 billion with his catalog, prompting Billboard to call him the Independence Day holiday’s “biggest winner.”

The collection opens with Keith’s 1993 debut smash “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and runs through the 2006 chart-topper “A Little Too Late.” Also among the 34 signature hits are “How Do You Like Me Now?!,”“I Love This Bar” and “As Good As I Once Was,” punctuated by the addition of then-new release “She’s A Hottie.”

“This honor reflects the life my dad lived and the values he stood for. We’re grateful to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for recognizing his place in history and how his career served and celebrated the heritage of the country and Western way of life,” said Krystal Keith.