The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Toby Keith two years ago and the Academy of Country Music gave him the Poet's Award this year – exceedingly high songwriting honors amidst a career chock full of them. And with good reason. The list of writer-artists in any genre who have achieved or exceeded the collective airplay Keith has amassed is quite short. Artistic and commercial achievements aren't the reasons he writes, however. Neither are awards. No, songwriting isn't something Toby Keith does. Songwriting is who he is.
