Why Toby Keith Had Bad Blood With The Chicks
Toby Keith and The Chicks had some major beef in the early 2000s for a surprising reason.
On February 6, country music fans were left devastated when it was announced that the "Red Solo Cup" singer died at age 62. "Toby Keith passed away peacefully last night on February 5, surrounded by his family," a statement on his website revealed. Prior to his death, Keith was living with stomach cancer for three years, publically revealing his diagnosis in June 2022. Since his death, an array of fans, news outlets, and his industry peers have taken time to remember Keith's longstanding career and life. "Saddle up the horses, Jesus, 'cause a true blue COWBOY just made his ride up to heaven," Carrie Underwood wrote on Instagram. Zach Bryan echoed similar sentiments on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, "Too many rides in my old man's car listening to Toby Keith. Really hard thing to hear."
While Keith certainly built a longstanding legacy in the country's music sphere during his lifetime, he was also no stranger to generating controversy for his public spats, including his high-profile feud with The Chicks. From differing political stances to award show faceoffs, their clash has been an unforgettable moment in pop culture history. Here's a rundown of the song that started the feud between Keith and The Chick (and if it ever ended).
Toby Keith's beef with The Chicks started over one of his songs
Throughout his career, Toby Keith earned a reputation for being very patriotic and pro-military. In 2001, the "Should've Been A Cowboy" singer released his controversial track "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" in response to the tragic events of 9/11. In an interview with USA Today, Keith claimed to have captured what the American public's feelings after the attacks, stating, "It was the way everybody felt when they saw those two buildings fall." While the country star stood confidently behind his track, its brash lyrics received major backlash from music critics and some of his peers, including Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist of The Chicks. "I hate it. It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant," she told The Los Angeles Daily News at the time, according to Daily Press.
"It targets an entire culture — and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tack." It didn't take long for Keith to fire back at Maines in an interview with CMT, where he claimed her opinion didn't matter because she wasn't a songwriter. "I'm a songwriter. She's not. She can say my song is ignorant, but then it's ignorant for her to say that because she's not a songwriter." Keith and Maines' respective interviews were just the beginning of their feud.
Toby Keith squashed his beef with The Chicks in 2003
Toby Keith's feud with Natalie Maines didn't end after their colorful interview statements. In 2003, the lead singer of The Chicks faced controversy after she slammed former Presiden George Bush for invading Iraq. "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," she told the crowd during a London show. Following her statement, an array of Maines' country music peers openly condemned her remarks, including Keith, who posted a fake photo of the singer alongside Saddam Hussein at his concerts. Maines didn't take Keith's concert antics lying down. While attending the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards, the "Cowboy Take Me Away" singer seemingly took a jab at the "American Solider" singer by wearing a t-shirt with the acronym "FUTK" on it, which she claimed stood for "Friends United in Truth and Kindness" at the time.
However, during The Chick's 2006 documentary "Shut Up & Sing," Maines admitted that it stood for "F**k You Toby Keith." While the two singer-songwriters butted heads on numerous occasions, Keith put an end to the beef in August 2003. "A best friend of mine, the guy that started the first band I was ever in, he lost a 2-year-old daughter to cancr," he explained to Contact Music. "A few days after... I saw a picture on the cover of Country Weekly with a picture of me and Natalie, and it said 'Fight to the Death' or something. It seemed so insignificant. I said, ' Enough is enough."