That's Country Bro

Album: Toby Keith Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • Toby Keith pays tribute to a litany of classic country stars, name-checking each one. The list of names on the guitar-driven track is reminiscent of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire."

    Jimmie Rodgers, Patsy Cline
    We lost Hank at 29
    Roy Acuff, Johnny Horton and dancin' Bill Monroe
    Woodie Guthrie, Bob Wills
    Spade Cooley, Kitty Wells
    Jimmy Dean and Big John and ole' Hank Snow


    Keith rattles off the names of various legendary singers and other influential characters in a celebration of country music's pioneers and its cultural reach. According to a press release, Keith sings the names of 57 different key influences in the two-and-a-half-minute song.
  • The song title is likely a dig at the bro-country genre, which is influenced by modern hip-hop and rock music. Lyrically bro-country songs are often about attractive, short-skirted young women, hard partying and pickup trucks. Its popularity has opened up a divide between the older generation of classic country performers and the younger bro-country singers.
  • Keith wrote this celebration of country's cultural icons with his longtime collaborator Bobby Pinson.

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