With the release of his chart-topping debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” in 1993, Toby Keith kicked off one of the most impactful country music careers in recent history. Throughout his three-decade career, he sent 20 singles to No. 1 and picked up 14 trophies from the Academy of Country Music, including multiple wins for Top Male Vocalist, Album of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. On Feb. 5, 2024, Keith tragically died at age 62 following a two-year battle with stomach cancer. But the accolades haven’t stopped pouring in, including a recent showing among the top 25 touring acts of the millennium. And now as 2025 draws to a close, the “Big Dog Daddy’s” legacy continues.
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This Toby Keith Smash Hit is Now Platinum Five Times Over
Following the horrific terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Toby Keith penned what would become his signature song. The lead single from his No. 1 album Unleashed, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” became a patriotic battle cry for many: This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage / And you’ll be sorry that you messed with / The U.S. of A. / ‘Cause we’ll put a boot in your a– / It’s the American way.
“The Angry American” also sparked its fair share of criticism, but that didn’t stop it from reaching the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. And as of Dec. 11, 2025, the song is officially certified five-times Platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America. This means “The Angry American” has sold at least 5 million units, and comes at the same time his 1994 single “A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action” attained Gold certification.
“It Wasn’t Written For Everybody”
Shockingly, Toby Keith fans were never meant to hear the song now arguably most closely associated with him. The Oklahoma native initially intended to reserve “The Angry American” for live USO shows and military performances. However, Gen. James L. Jones, then-Commandant of the Marine, talked Keith into releasing what he called “the most amazing battle song I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Keith acknowledged the song’s polarizing nature in a November 2003 interview with CBS. “It wasn’t written for everybody.” But clearly, those who connected with it are still celebrating “The Angry American” today.
Featured image by Kevin Winter/ACMA2014/Getty Images for ACM
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