Back in the before times of 2005, Taylor Swift was just an ordinary teenager. However, Country star Toby Keith helped launch her music career.
Big Machine Records, launched by ex-DreamWorks executive Scott Borchetta, collaborated closely with Keith’s label, Show Dog Nashville, which was established in the same year. “I would encourage people to think of this as one label with two A&R sources,” Borchetta told CMT Insider in 2005. “Toby’s the lead act, and we’ve got an incredible opportunity with all the resources that he brings and the music that he loves and his vision for what he wants to do.”
At the time, Swift, a native of Pennsylvania, had moved to Nashville to jumpstart her music career. She was among the talented hopefuls vying for a coveted contract with the new label.
‘Oh My God, That’s Toby Keith!”, Taylor Swift Gushes in a Resurfaced Interview From 2005
During a 2005 interview with WSMV 4 in Nashville, a 15-year-old Swift shared how Keith played a crucial role in getting her signed when she was relatively unknown. She also emphasized the significance of their partnership during the early stages of her career.
The future billionaire and reigning Queen of Pop was in awe of the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” crooner. “You’re in the room with him and you can feel it,” Taylor Swift said of Toby Keith.
“There’s a power there and you’re just like ‘Oh my God!’ I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I don’t see him and go, ‘Oh my God, that’s Toby Keith!’ Most people find out what they are going to do when they are in college and that’s great, you know, but for me it just came a little earlier,” Swift added.
Keith kept stakes in Big Machine Records even after the labels became separate, reportedly earning handsomely from Swift.
Swift released five more albums with Big Machine Records: Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017). She completed her six-album deal with the company in 2018. In 2019, Scooter Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, bought Big Machine, sparking a public feud between Braun and Swift. This prompted Swift to release re-recordings of songs from her first six albums, known as “Taylor’s version.”
Keith’s death was announced on Instagram, stating that he “passed peacefully” on Monday evening, surrounded by his family. To date, Taylor Swift has not made a statement about Toby Keith’s passing.