Was Toby Keith the One Who Discovered Taylor Swift?
Late country star Toby Keith was not only a talented musician but also a smart businessman, making him one of the richest artists of his time. A large part of his wealth came from the restaurant business, but Keith also co-founded Big Machine Records, the record label that discovered Taylor Swift and became a major player in the industry.
Scott Borchetta is credited with discovering Taylor Swift. He heard her sing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 and asked her family if she would sign with his label, which was not yet established. Toby Keith’s Show Dog Nashville label provided the missing infrastructure and financing that allowed Big Machine Records to support Swift.
According to a Billboard article from 2006, the two labels were structured as “sister companies,” sharing their staff, including Show Dog’s “entire promotion team.” It was Keith’s efforts and partnership with Borchetta that effectively launched Swift’s career, providing Big Machine Records with the means it needed to support her. In that sense, Keith was responsible for kickstarting Swift’s career, but not for discovering her.
Were Taylor Swift and Toby Keith friends?
In a 2005 interview featuring a young Taylor Swift, she talked about her partnership with Toby Keith, saying “You’re in the room with him and you can feel it. There’s a power there and you’re just like ‘Oh my god!’” She also confessed that she never stopped feeling starstruck by the country star, who passed away on Feb. 6, 2024.
During that period, the two were professional partners and likely friends, as Swift saw Keith as a mentor and an idol. In 2006, Show Dog and Big Machine parted ways, and Keith was no longer actively involved in Swift’s career. He did, however, continue to earn money from her work’s royalties for the rest of his life. Keith reportedly mentioned in a 2016 interview with the Chicago Tribune that he could live off his investment in Borchetta’s label, which primarily came from Swift’s music royalties.
It seems that Keith must have profited from the sale of Big Machine Records in 2019, which also included ownership of Swift’s masters. Long distanced from Big Machine, it’s hard to say whether Swift held any remorse for Keith’s involvement in the controversial business deal.