It’s been a week since the death of Toby Keith. After the late singer’s family announced his passing (reportedly due to stomach cancer), figures all across country music rallied together to pay tribute to the fallen entertainer. Even The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, still filled with emotion, issued a statement reflecting on his “unlikely” friendship with Keith.
While Keith’s loved ones asked for privacy as they mourned, his fans came together in a very public way to honor him. According to Billboard, due to the spike in streams and album sales of Keith’s 2008 album, 35 Biggest Hits landed the No. 1 spot on its 200 chart. 35 Biggest Hits, upon its debut release in 2008, peaked at No. 2.
The milestone marked Keith’s fifth No. 1 album overall and first chart-topper since 2010’s Bullets in the Gun. Billboard’s metrics for the week of February 8 comprised a total of 66,000 units. The breakdown includes 46,000 SEA units (equaling 64.04 million on-demand official streams), 11,000 album sales, and 9,000 TEA units (or song sales from an album).
During Zach Bryan’s recent show, he paid his respect to Keith by performing a cover of his 2002 song “Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue.” “America lost a really, really important Oklahoma boy this week,” he proclaimed to the sold-out crowd.
@countrycentral @Zach Bryan singing “Courtesy If The Red, White, And Blue” in honor of Toby Keith. #zachbryan #tobykeith
The streams are predicted to increase as the country music festival starts in April, starting with 2024 Stagecoach.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.