Toby Keith Breaks Record Previously Held By Taylor Swift

(Left) Emma McIntyre/TAS23 / Contributor / Getty Images / (Right) Michael Hickey / Contributor / Getty Images

Toby Keith’s Music Claims Top Spots On Billboard Charts

Following his death on February 5, Toby Keith broke a Billboard record previously held by Taylor Swift for 14 years.

After he passed away, Keith’s songs, albums, and music video soared up the iTunes charts. His 35 Biggest Hits album ended up reaching #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart.Fair Use
A new report from Billboard details how Keith’s songs dominated another chart. He claimed nine of the top ten biggest hits on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.

Keith’s songs that charted within the top ten were as follows.

#1 – “Don’t Let the Old Man In”
#3 – “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”
#4 – “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)”
#5 – “How Do You Like Me Now?!”
#6 – “As Good as I Once Was”
#7 – “Beer for My Horses”
#8 – “I Love This Bar”
#9 – “American Soldier”
#10 – “Red Solo Cup”

As you likely notice, the only spot Keith didn’t claim on the Country Digital Song Sales chart was the #2 position. Luke Combs’ rendition of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” holds that slot following their joint performance at the Grammy Awards on February 4.

Toby Keith Surpasses Billboard Chart Record Previously Held By Taylor Swift

Keith made history and broke a Billboard record by having nine songs in the top ten spots on the Country Digital Song Sales chart. Billboard states he is the first artist to ever occupy 90% of the chart’s top ten spots.

The previous record was 70%, which was set by Taylor Swift in 2010 after the release of her album Speak Now. She had seven songs land within the top ten spots of the Country Digital Song Sales chart.

Kenny Rogers tied Swift’s record following his death in 2020. After he passed away, he also had seven of his songs fill the top ten slots on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.

Keith Played A Role In The Early Years Of Swift’s Career

Few people know that Keith actually played a part in helping Swift’s career take off.

Keith helped finance the record label Big Machine Records in its early days. The label eventually signed 15-year-old Swift to her first record deal.

After Keith passed away, an old video of Swift speaking about him resurfaced online. She said:
“You’re in a room with him and you can feel it. There’s a power there,” Swift said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I won’t see him and be like ‘OMG! That’s Toby Keith.’”
Watch Swift speak about Keith in the video below.