It seems like every country artist has some sort of story about Toby Keith helping them. Before he passed, he touched anyone to ever grace Nashville with earnest intentions. His influence was so strong, he brought Jamey Johnson out of hiatus for over a decade. Moreover, Keith didn't do any of this for the sake of the cameras. He went out of his way to help people on his own accord simply because he had the means to do it.
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One such instance sees Toby really look out for Cledus T. Judd. Recently, the comedic country crooner went on the Try That in a Small Town podcast to chronicle his journey throughout Nashville. Additionally, he candidly talks about parodying Keith and becoming close friends with him over the years. Eventually, he goes on tour as host with Toby alongside Keith Urban and Brooks & Dunn. However, Judd's mom had a heart attack during a stop in Bakersfield, California. Cledus doesn't love flying, and his mother is all the way over in Georgia. So he breaks down in tears, unsure of his next move. Then, Keith comes in to remedy the situation.
Toby Keith Buys Cledus T. Judd Plane Tickets to See His Mom After Every Show
"He said, 'Look here, hoss. I got this envelope here. I know you don't like to fly, but what I've done is, I've bought you plane vouchers all the way back home if your mom gets sick,'" Judd recalls Toby saying. "'In Albuquerque, you can fly out of Albuquerque. If she gets sick in Phoenix, you can fly out of Phoenix. If you make it to Dallas, you go to Lovefield.' He had this whole thing, him and David Mile, mapped out the whole way. And man, I just bawled my eyes out."
Cledus misses the final leg of the tour with Toby, and it breaks his heart because he was having the time of his life. But the country legend pulls out one last stop for his friend to show his love and generosity. "About 6:30 that evening, my phone rings... he next thing I heard in the background, the late Toby Keith on that microphone saying, it's in Virginia Beach, and he said 'Hey everybody, we're missing a member of the show tonight. Cledus T. Judd hosted this entire tour, and he was not able to be here tonight. His mom is sick, and he's in Georgia. And I was just wondering if all 15,000 of y'all could give me a little Cledus chant just for a minute,'" Judd recounts.
The crowd chants Judd's name over the phone, and Toby says he loves him and he'll see him later. It's a real testament to his character that he would do that for someone. All the success and he was still deeply intentional and generous with his time and energy.
