America's Ruffian

摘要

Toby keith's gift as a performer is that he can hold a grudge for 11 years, or at least pretend to. Despite the fact that he is country music's biggest male star and his current album, Shock'n Tall, is hanging around the Top 10 months after its release, Keith is still wounded over not having been nominated by the Country Music Association for top new vocalist―in 1993. "We've got two awards shows in country," says Keith, "and new artist is hands down the easiest thing to win. But did I even get nominated? All I can say is, 'Those people nominated that year can't smell the record business anymore, and I probably sold more records in the last six weeks than they sold in their careers'" At the apex of his creepiness, he laughs, "You think I got a chip on my shoulder?"