Sooner Nation pays respects, mourns the loss of Toby Keith

In the wake of the passing of Toby Keith, Oklahoma Sooners fans and players pay their respects to the Country Music and OU Icon.

The world lost an icon Monday night with the passing of country music star and Oklahoma Sooners super fan Toby Keith.

Keith, who’d been battling stomach cancer, passed away at the age of 62. His departure leaves a significant hole in the OU community as Keith was a proud supporter of all things Oklahoma Athletics.

A statement posted early Tuesday on Keith’s social media read, “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”

From his presence on the sidelines at OU Football games to partying with OU Softball after they won their third-straight national title, Toby Keith was a fixture in the OU community decades and made an impact that will leave a legacy in Oklahoma.

This loss will be felt by everyone involved with the Oklahoma Sooners. Administrators, coaches, players, and fans were all impacted by the life and presence of Toby Keith. Social media was flooded by members of the OU community paying their respects to the country music icon.

We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends and pray for comfort and peace during this time.

Jimmy Butler wants to record an astonishing 200 songs for his upcoming country music album

Jimmy Butler wants to become the DJ Khaled of country music.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is a man of many talents and we may soon find out if music is one of his skills.

Butler, who has previously told us that he averages a perfect score whenever he goes bowling, revealed that he is recording a country music album. It is no secret Butler loves country music (and blasting whatever it is that he is in the mood to listen to in the locker rooms) but this is a surprising revelation.

During a recent feature published by Claire de Lune, however, we learned Butler is already fairly far along in this process. Although he already has more than enough songs for an album, Butler aims to have “around 200” songs to choose from before he releases the project.

Here is more from the insightful story (via The Guardian):

“He’s been quietly working on his own country album for over a year, he says, and while he’s already amassed about 60 (!) songs for the project, he aims to have recorded around 200 to choose from when all is said and done.”

That is a staggering amount of music to record while also playing basketball at the most competitive level, but it will give him a lot of options whenever he is ready to make these recordings public.

If you were hoping to hear Butler’s singing voice on this, unfortunately, you are probably out of luck.

While his fingerprints will be all over the record, Butler sees himself more as a songwriter and as a producer:

He’s unlikely to sing on the album though, as he sees himself in more of a songwriter/producer role (“I’m like the DJ Khaled of this thing,” he deadpans). Butler genuinely admires Khaled’s skill as a curator, telling me, “He’s a crazy talented individual. To bring all these artists together and to have them be able to maintain the egos and be like, ‘Yo, look, this is what we’re trying to get done here,’ he’s mastered it. I freaking love DJ Khaled. ‘We are the best,’ as he would say.”

It is a bummer we won’t hear him singing but this should be a lot of fun.

Peyton Manning to co-host CMA Awards on Nov. 9

“To have the chance to stand among so many incredibly talented artists is an absolute honor,” Peyton Manning said.

Peyton Manning certainly stays busy in retirement.

Manning has stayed closely connected to the Denver Broncos, and he’s filmed multiple commercials in recent years, and he’s been working with ESPN on various projects, and he produced a game show this year.

Now he’s been booked to co-host the Country Music Association Awards show this fall. Manning and his friend, country music star Luke Bryan, will co-host the CMA Awards show on ABC on Nov. 9.

“I am such a huge fan of country music, so to have the chance to stand among so many incredibly talented artists is an absolute honor,” Manning said in a statement Monday.

Manning joked in an Instagram post that one of his recent on-stage performances with Bryan was his “audition tape” for co-hosting the awards show.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgt-FtiOxgP/

Manning has also made appearances at Kenny Chesney concerts in the past, and he’s made it well-known that he’s a big country music fan.

A two-time Super Bowl champion and a five-time NFL MVP, Manning retired after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos in 2016.

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