Toby Keith was born Toby Keith Covel in Clinton, Oklahoma, on July 8, 1961. He grew up in Moore, Oklahoma, where he was a football standout at the local high scholl.After graduating, Keith worked in the Oklahoma oil industry in the early 1980s. During this time he formed his first band, which played the honky tonk circuit during their time off from the derricks. After losing his job, he made a part-time living playing minor-league pro football for the Oklahoma Drillers. After several years of shopping for a record deal in Nashville, Keith nearly gave up hope and moved back to Oklahoma. His breakthrough came after signing with Mercury Records in 1993 and scoring a platinum hit with his debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” later that year.