Carrie Underwood paid tribute to late legend Toby Keith during her latest performance on the historic Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, Tennessee. Underwood covered her fellow Oklahoma-born artist’s early 90s anthem, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” in his honor over the weekend.
Keith released “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” on his self-titled debut album in 1993. The 10-track project launched Keith’s decades-long career as a singer-songwriter. He became known for hits like “I Love This Bar,” “God Love Her,” “As Good As I Once Was,” “Beer For My Horses,” “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),” “My List,” and many others, solidifying him as a mainstay in the genre. Underwood is one of several to cover “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” in Keith’s memory since his death earlier this year. A clip of her Opry performance was filmed by Kent Nicholas and shared by fan account CMU Fan ♡ on X, formerly Twitter (along with Underwood’s renditions of “Cry Pretty,” “Take Me Out” and “Before He Cheats”). The Grand Ole Opry shared a throwback video of the performance on May 13.
“I should've been a cowboy/ I should've learned to rope and ride/ Wearin' my six-shooter, ridin' my pony on a cattle drive/ Stealin' the young girls' hearts/ Just like Gene and Roy/ Singin' those campfire songs/ Woah, I should've been a cowboy”
Keith “passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5 surrounded by his family,” following a years-long battle with stomach cancer that he fought “with grace and courage.” He was 62. Underwood was one of many stars to honor Keith in an outpouring of tributes as the country music community began to mourn his loss on February 6. Underwood shared a few photos taken with the 2024 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee over the years, and wrote in her caption on Instagram: “Saddle up the horses, Jesus, ‘cause a true blue COWBOY just made his ride up to heaven!!! Introduce him to all the Okies and sign that boy up for the choir! We’re gonna miss you, Toby, but my heart has no doubt that you are standing in the presence of our King right now!!! See you again someday, friend.”