On July 23, 2005, Toby Keith’s “As Good as I As soon as Was” began a six-week run atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It grew to become the fifteenth of his 20 profession No. 1s and tied his longest command, first set by his Willie Nelson team-up “Beer for My Horses” in 2003.
Keith co-authored “As Good as I As soon as Was” with longtime collaborator and bandmate Scotty Emerick and co-produced it with James Stroud. It was launched because the second of three singles from his LP Honkytonk College, which arrived on the High Nation Albums summit, changing into his fourth of 10 No. 1s. The set’s lead observe and title track hit No. 8 and third single “Massive Blue Be aware” reached No. 5.
The wry “As Good as I As soon as Was” finds Keith proudly proudly owning his middle-age prowess (in a variety of situations) with its signature lyrics, “I ain’t nearly as good as I as soon as was, however I’m nearly as good, as soon as, as I ever was.”
Chuck Dauphin of Billboard described the track as “a practical have a look at the masculinity behind the lead character. Similar to with lots of Keith’s songs, this one was accentuated by the humorous video, which ends with a bar struggle — and the singer being taken off in an ambulance. Ah, the lifetime of a rustic music star.”
Keith, who handed away at age 62 on Feb. 5, 2024, following a protracted battle with abdomen most cancers, was born July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Okla. He was a soccer star at Moore Excessive College, the place he performed defensive finish. He went on to play semi-pro ball for the Oklahoma Metropolis Drillers.
An ardent supporter of the U.S. navy, Keith carried out on 18 USO excursions, together with stops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Beginning in 1993, Keith rolled up 76 Scorching Nation Songs appearances, together with 42 prime 10s. His debut anthem, “Ought to’ve Been a Cowboy,” led the checklist for 2 weeks.
Keith appears as fashionable in the present day as he, properly, ever was. That was made clear by his efficiency on the July 19-2025, dated charts, the place, following the July 4th vacation, his 35 Greatest Hits set skyrocketed again to the highest 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and High Nation Albums.