Imagine bringing your dad to school day and
Toby Keith walking into your classroom. While many kids would love to say that their father was a famous singer, that is only the case for a select few. Often, these select few don't want their parents' fame to impact their day-to-day lives. And that was precisely the case for Krystal Keith. In a recent interview with
Fox News , Krystal recalled what she would tell her friends when they inquired about her father's 9 to 5 job.
"I think I thought everybody's dad had a job like my dad … he might as well have been a plumber. In fact, that's what I told people he did. Later on in life, when people would find out who he was, and then they would come ask me a question I knew they knew the answer, they'd be like, ‘What does your dad do for a living?’ I'd be like, 'He's a plumber.' And they'd be like, 'What's his name?' And it was always Mark." If her friends did not believe her, she was on deck with a backup response. And given her father's status, her second career choice is quite comical.
"My second favorite thing was to say Garth Brooks, because they already knew he was a singer. They were expecting Toby Keith, and I'd be like, 'My dad's Garth Brooks! I never wanted to give them what they expected." Keith achieved instant stardom in 1993 when he released "Should've Been A Cowboy," drastically changing the Oklahoma native's life. Although Krystal's father's life changed significantly, she recalled that her parents kept things status quo at home.
"We had an incredibly normal childhood, so it wasn't like our lives changed drastically. It was just, the things we were able to afford became a little bit different. My mom wasn't stressing about, you know, where the light bill was getting paid. I mean, that was something we never knew anything about from the time we lived in a trailer. We could have been rich then. I didn't know the difference. We never wanted for anything … we always had everything we needed." Along with this, Krystal told the news outlet that she appreciated he never changed when fame and fortune came his way. Many often believe that many start spending significant money or let the stardom get to their heads, but Keith kept things lowkey. This is a major reason his fans loved him; whether you spotted Toby Keith in a local Oklahoma bar or out on the town, he'd always be polite and would maybe even share a drink with you. Krystal recalled the moment she realized her dad "was not like others," but that didn't change how she admired her father.
"He stayed the same throughout. It was really just the people around us changed and the way they treated us and the way they talked to us about him changed. And that's what kind of, as a child, showed me that, oh, this isn't normal; he's not like everyone else's dad." He might not have been a regular dad, but he was a cool dad. When his daughter chose to enter the music scene as well, he was not only supportive but also realistic with her.
"He never said, 'Don't do this or don't do that.' He was like, 'You can do whatever you want to do, but here's my advice on it, and you can take it or leave it. And he really let me carve my own path and … he rarely was like, 'Hey, I've got this idea for you.' He just always let me come to my own ideas and lead things the way I wanted to lead them. When I got stuck, or I had, kind of needed some advice or needed a push, I would go in and be like, ‘Hey, what do you think about this song?' and he would give me his advice then." Toby Keith is unlike anyone else. While you're here, check out one of the many times he and his daughter shared the stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCTLNbr8hsU
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