Toby Keith Released “Made In America,” His Final Number One Single, 14 Years Ago Today

A final patriotic hit for the Big Dog Daddy.

When you’re a country artist, there’s nothing like getting that first #1 single. Other than hearing yourself on the radio for the first time, it’s most likely your first major career milestone and a significant moment when they feel radio listeners are receptive to their music and message.

Toby Keith is certainly no stranger to a number one hit, with his debut single, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” climbing to the number one position on the country charts. From 1993 to 2021, Toby Keith released 70 singles, 65 of which charted on the Billboard country chart. Of those 70 singles, 54 reached the Top 40, 40 broke into the Top 10, and 20 went to number one.

Twenty number-one hits—that’s an unattainable goal for many artists, and the few who make it a reality… they are legends.

While you always remember your number one hit and celebrate the ones that come after, as an artist, you never know what your last number one hit will be. The goal is to keep creating those singles that top the charts, but you never know what your future holds and what will be your last time to say, “We just scored another number one hit.”

For Toby Keith, his last number one hit came over a decade before he passed, earning his final chart-topping hit with “Made In America.” And while it’s sad to think about the late, great Toby Keith’s last hit, it feels fitting to revisit this and to learn about a topic that Keith loved so dearly… the United States of America.

Keith had many great hits about his love for America, spreading the message of patriotism, like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” and “American Soldier,” but “Made In America” is a nod to the blue-collar workers and businesses that keep our nation afloat. When Keith talked about why he liked this song, he made it relatable to all and relished in the simpler times of life.

“Another song me and Bobby Pinson wrote. He had part of the chorus. And it was, I hadn’t done one of those in a while. One of those American kind of things. And I get hit with them all the time, and I’ve already done that a couple of times, so. But this one was really good and I like the message, getting to put crescent wrench and WD-30, and all the American stuff in there, you know. 

And you get to talk about your old man. You know, everyone’s got an old man that was that way. So, it made sense to do it, and it’s been a crowd favorite too. So, we open with it quite a bit.”

But Keith was initially unsure about including the song on Clancy’s Tavern‘s tracklist. He wasn’t sold on adding it to the record until he saw everyone’s reaction.

“I was in the booth singing the scratch vocal, and everyone was going, ‘God, what a smash! That is awesome, pal!’ Everyone was high-fiving and carrying on. I wasn’t about to pop everyone’s bubble and say, ‘I ain’t putting it on the album.’ So, I said, ‘Alright, y’all win. Put it on there.'”

Keith also said this song did not make as much of a political statement as his other patriotic anthem… it was more about living the American dream.

“It’s not really a political statement. It’s just about a couple that raised this boy who’s in the song, and it just talks about all of the ways they support their country and how patriotic they are with the way they live every day.”

“Made In America” is a classic from Toby Keith’s catalog, and fourteen years after its release, it still spreads a message of working hard and loving where you live.

Fire it up in honor of the Big Dog Daddy.

He performed the song at President Donald Trump’s first inauguration back in 2017:

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