Current:Home > ScamsToby Keith never knew it, but he helped my brother make a big life change -Balance Wealth Academy
Toby Keith never knew it, but he helped my brother make a big life change
View
Date:2025-04-26 09:39:44
Toby Keith never knew it, but he helped me convince my older brother to move in with me.
My brother Tim McBride is a Special Olympian who until recently had lived his whole life with our parents. My mom and I were collaborating on a campaign to get Tim excited about relocating to my home in Florida, when Toby announced a concert near my home in 2017.
My brother loved Toby Keith from the moment his breakout song "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" came out in 1993. Toby's swagger and bombast was a perfect match for Tim's approach to life. He tends to burst into every room he enters, fully believing that everyone present is excited to see him.
So I bought tickets and through a friend of a friend, we got into the VIP meet-and-greet before the concert. Toby was known for being pretty generous with his fans. He frequently hosted veterans and other working-class heroes as special guests.
Tim put on his "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" T-shirt and brought his tambourine along. My brother is just shy of 5 feet tall. Toby was well over 6 feet. Tim walked up to him as if they were old college football buddies. He shook his hand, posed for the photo, raised his tambourine and shouted, "Toby Keith rules!"
Toby was unfazed by this, and I give him a lot of credit. Not everyone can figure out in the first seconds of meeting him that Tim has a serious cognitive impairment. Some people just think he's odd. Toby said to someone, "Hey, let's get this guy on stage."
We were instructed to come backstage when we heard the tribute to Merle Haggard. Toby first brought Tim out for "Red Solo Cup," but Tim doesn't really like that song. Tim went backstage and a few songs later, Toby played the first few iconic chords of "Shoulda Been a Cowboy," and motioned for Tim to join him.
Tim ran out onto center stage with his tambourine as if it was the most natural thing in the world. You can hear Toby giggle a bit in the opening line as Tim tries to hype the crowd. Less than a minute in, Tim actually jumps into Toby's spotlight.
Toby just left him on stage for the rest of the concert. Later on, Tim upstages Toby, walking to the edge to flirt with a bunch of cute fans in the front of the crowd. This is after he flirts with Toby's daughter and backup singer, Krystal. Toby rewards this with giving Tim a tambourine solo and then encouraging the crowd to "Thank his tambourine man."
Tim was mobbed that night as we walked back to the car. Fans in cowboy hats and boots clapped him on the shoulder and took selfies with him. He felt loved and seen and valued, which is something we all need to feel.
The next year, Tim moved to Florida to live with me. Now his apartment is just off my living room. When I told him this morning that Toby had died, we read the obituary out loud. We watched the video of Tim's guest appearance. And he pulled out the tambourine and sang along to Toby's duet with Willie Nelson to "Beer for My Horses."
This weekend, we'll be going to see Willie in concert.
Kelly McBride is NPR's Public Editor. Her independent analysis of NPR's work can be found here.
veryGood! (116)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Sydney Sweeney Slams Producer for Saying She Can't Act and Is Not Pretty
- Sydney Sweeney Slams Producer for Saying She Can't Act and Is Not Pretty
- Man sentenced to 47 years to life for kidnapping 9-year-old girl from upstate New York park
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Justice Department ramps up efforts to reduce violent crime with gun intel center, carjacking forces
- Vermont farms are still recovering from flooding as they enter the growing season
- Senate rejects Mayorkas impeachment charges at trial, ending GOP bid to oust him
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- New Black congressional district in Louisiana bows to politics, not race, backers say
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- 25 years after Columbine, trauma shadows survivors of the school shooting
- Florida’s Bob Graham dead at 87: A leader who looked beyond politics, served ordinary folks
- Astros announce day for injured Justin Verlander's 2024 debut
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- The Daily Money: Is Starbucks too noisy?
- Ford recalls more than 456,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles over battery risk
- How many rounds are in the NFL draft? Basic info to know for 2024 event
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
NCAA allows transfers to be immediately eligible, no matter how many times they’ve switched schools
Hatchings of California condor chicks mark milestone for endangered species: Watch video
Boston Rex Sox pitcher Tanner Houck throws 94-pitch shutout against Cleveland Guardians
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
The Walking Dead’s Tom Payne Welcomes Twins With Wife Jennifer Åkerman
Simone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games
Tip leads to arrest in cold case killing of off-duty DC police officer in Baltimore