Get to know superstar Toby Keith in the latest episode of #MomentsWithDiamond!
Diamond Resorts CEO Mike Flaskey sat down with Toby Keith and Colt Ford to discuss music, supporting the U.S. military, golf and more. Check out the videos to learn more about one of country music’s most influential singer-songwriters.
Keith was raised to respect the U.S. military by his Army veteran father, who also encouraged him to play USO shows to help raise the spirits of soldiers who are deployed overseas. Since 2002, Keith has performed 11 years on the USO tour for two weeks at a time, sometimes doing 2-3 shows per day.
As Diamond’s first-ever celebrity music ambassador, Colt Ford played a large role in paving the way for the #DiamondLIVE platform that exists today. Ford reminisces about how much money he spent going to Toby Keith’s concerts before finally meeting the country superstar and building the close friendship they have today. Ford says he’s basically part of the family now!
Keith’s wife, Tricia, is a long-time advocate for women’s golf, but she realized years ago that female golf attire was limited to just smaller sizes of men’s clothing. To combat this issue, Tricia launched her own golf apparel line – SwingDish – which has grown into a well-loved line for amateurs and professionals alike. SwingDish even sponsors a few professional women golfers, including two current LPGA Tour members.
Toby Keith had a special friendship with NBA player and jazz musician Wayman Tisdale, who bonded with Keith over their shared love of music. Keith wrote the song “Cryin’ for Me” to illustrate the important life lessons he learned from the way Tisdale lived his life. Tisdale inspired Keith in both life and death to live life to the fullest, follow his passions and when the time comes, go gracefully.
Stay tuned for more #MomentsWithDiamond episodes coming soon, and keep an eye on our #DiamondLIVE calendar to see who’s hitting the stage next.