Country icon Toby Keith died Feb. 5 after an almost two-year fight with stomach cancer. He was 62.

The singer was known for his rampant patriotism, hard-fought political beliefs and fun-loving musical personality. 

Like many people born in the 21st century, my first introduction to Keith was through his party anthem “Red Solo Cup.”

The song – all about toting the receptacle that is cheap and disposable and after 14 years, it is compostable – has its critics, with some arguing it glorifies drinking and some arguing it’s not a good song. 

Regardless of any criticism, if you’re a brewski or two in, hanging out on the back porch and “Red Solo Cup” comes on, the night starts looking a little better and your beer feels a little cooler.

However, Keith’s claim to fame was his response to 9/11.

Before we had freedom fries or increased Islamophobia, we had “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American).” 

The song is jingoism through and through, but it speaks to a cultural moment that needed an anthem to stand behind – and, in their words, stand behind the flag.

Telling the story of the son of a veteran who fought for his children’s freedom, “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” draws up a hypothetical American response to the attack on our soil: “we lit up your world like the Fourth of July … and it’ll feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you.”

Whether it be the inherently political “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” or the good-ole-days classic “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Keith espoused conservative, pro-American values at a time when that was of the utmost importance. 

Even when he wasn’t performing, Keith stood up for what he believed in. 

A 2009 Rolling Stone article written by Ethan Hawke – yes, that Ethan Hawke – tells the story of an unnamed star, who is believed to be Keith, giving Kris Kristofferson some grief over Kristofferson’s radical political beliefs at Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday concert. 

After wishing Nelson a happy birthday backstage, “the star” sauntered past Kristofferson and muttered “None of that lefty s- out there tonight, Kris.”

If this star is Keith, which virtually every account of the night would lead me to assume it is, Keith is every bit as much of the man offstage as he is onstage. 

With 32 No. 1 singles, Keith made a brand off of being the everyman, highlighteding the thoughts and feelings of middle America. 

Despite musical simplicity and a relatively non-nuanced sound, Keith created an ethos of American normalcy around him and his success was just as purely American.

While some may disagree with Keith politically, it’s not hard to see why he was successful. If you can sum up the thoughts of masses of Americans the way he can, Lord knows there’s no telling how much your art will be heralded.

Toby Keith is not a musical genius on the level of other country greats, but that is not what makes him great. His songwriting serves a specific purpose: to advocate for and defend the American values he felt made America great.

Even if you think Keith’s definition of greatness may be flawed, you cannot doubt his staunch commitment to what he held dear and what he believed was right.

Just about anyone can be disagreed with, but Keith ensured his hopes, his ideals, were what you remembered about him.

I think that deserves the raising of a red Solo cup.