The legendary country singer Toby Keith’s parents cultivated a nurturing environment where Toby would thrive.

Key Takeaways

• Toby Keith was born to Hubert K Covel Jr. and Carolyn Joan Ross in Clinton, Oklahoma, but moved to Moore, Oklahoma.
• His father worked in the oilfield business in Oklahoma for 35 years and also served in the army beforehand.
• Toby’s father’s music records, his grandmother’s supper bar, and his mother’s support really made him into the musician he was.

On July 8, 1961, the country singer Toby Keith Covel was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, to his father, Hubert K Covel Jr., and his mother, Carolyn Joan Ross.

Hubert and Carolyn shared three children: Toby Keith Covel, Tracy Kaye Covel, and Tonni Covel; one of them would go on to achieve extraordinary fame, becoming one of the biggest stars in country music.

The family, along with Toby’s two siblings, lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, for a few years before relocating to Moore, Oklahoma, when Toby was in grade school.

Toby’s mother, Carolyn Joan Covel, née Ross, was born and raised in Arkansas.

Carolyn, along with her husband Hubert, created a nurturing environment for their children that instilled a deep passion for music in Toby from a young age.

Carolyn’s support was instrumental in Toby’s journey to becoming a star in the country music genre.

Carolyn was even onstage at one of her son’s final concerts, around two months ahead of his passing, where Toby introduced his mother as the one who taught him to sing.

Talking about Toby’s father, Hubert Kaye Covel Junior, was born on July 9, 1933.

Hubert has lived a varied life filled with life-changing experiences.

During the 1950s, when Hubert was serving as a Private First Class in the Army, he lost his right eye in a jeep windshield accident during a training combat mission.

He spent 35 years in Oklahoma working in the oilfield industry.

However, his journey would tragically come to an end.

On March 24, 2001, near Goldsby, Oklahoma, he would pass away in a traffic accident when his vehicle was bumped by a charter bus on Interstate 35.

On December 25, 2007, the Covel family received a $2.8 million award in a wrongful d*ath settlement for his passing.

The influences of Toby’s parents and the place he grew up in cannot go unnoticed in making his career.

His parents, combined with the environment he was raised in, shaped the path of his career.

Before becoming a full-time musician, Toby followed in his father’s footsteps— joining the oilfield industry, starting as a derrick and working his way up to supervisor.

However, in 1982, the oil industry in Oklahoma began to rapidly decline and Toby fell back to music, which would have not been possible if not for his parents.

In his early days, Toby was inspired to make music by listening to his father’s music record collection, especially Bob Willis and Haggard.

These records played a significant role in shaping his musical aspirations and gave him early exposure to country music influencing his taste and motivating him to pursue a music career.

Moreover, inspired by the country musicians who performed at the supper club run by his grandmother, Toby picked up the guitar.

The lively atmosphere and the nurturing environment created by his parents in his formative years deeply impacted him, igniting a passion for music.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• Toby Keith and his wife Tricia Lucus tied the knot in 1984.
• Toby Keith had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of 2021.
• Toby Keith and his wife were blessed with three kids: Krystal Keith (daughter), Stelen Keith Covel (son), and Shelley Covel Rowland (daughter).