NASHVILLE, TN. (Dreamworks Nashville) - Shock jock
Howard Stern may bill himself "King of All Media," but he's got nothing on country superstar Toby Keith, whose numerous media appearances in support of the Nov. 9 release of his Greatest Hits 2 cross all platforms.
The press bumps start bright and early on album street date with a wake-up appearance on CBS's Early Show. That evening, Keith will perform on the 38th Annual CMA Awards, country's premier annual event also broadcast on CBS. Odds are Keith will be bringing home some mantel displays, as he's up for six awards - Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album, Single, Video and Musical Event.
The following day, Wednesday, Nov. 10, Keith becomes the first country artist featured on AOL
Music Live, the live performance series that has previously tapped Nelly, Usher,
Avril Lavigne and Good Charlotte. The Web concert will stream from The Factory in Franklin, TN, near Nashville.
Four days later on Nov. 14, Keith again performs on a nationally-televised awards show, ABC's American
Music Awards, where he's up for Male Vocalist and Album of the Year honors for his quadruple platinum Shock'N Y'all.
Further television appearances include Jimmy Kimmel Live on Nov. 16, FOX News Channel's Your World with Cavuto the week of Nov. 15 and Extra!, CNN and E! Entertainment Network airing in November. Keith figures heavily in CMT's November programming on shows including "Super Stacked: Toby Keith," "Toby Keith: Live, Uncut & Unleashed," and "Toby Keith Uncut: 60 Minutes II" and is cable network Great American Country's Artist of the Month.
At radio, Keith is the subject of a two-hour Westwood One special airing between Nov. 7 and 14. Hosted by CMT Country Countdown host Lon Helton, Toby Keith's Greatest Hits 2 Big Throwdown was taped in front of a live audience at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, MI, and includes live performances of some tracks from the new hits collection.
On newsstands, look for Toby on the cover of the new Country Weekly, issue date Nov. 23 (coming out beginning this weekend). He's also one of the few country artists ever profiled in the prestigious Playboy Interview, out in the January issue, which is available Dec. 21.
Look for this extraordinary conglomeration of prominent media spots to grow before year's end, just as it has built in the five years covered by the Greatest Hits 2 release. The Academy of Country Music's reigning Entertainer of the Year (two years running) was recently tapped by the NFL to kick off its 2004 season, and his current "Big Throwdown Tour" opened before more than 39,000 fans, making it the largest crowd at a country music show in North
America this year. His current single, and first from Greatest Hits 2, "
Stays In Mexico" is currently in the top five.
