Video: Toby Keith pays tribute to Wayman Tisdale
Oklahoma singer-songwriter Toby Keith pays tribute to the late Wayman Tisdale with the new music video to his song “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song).” The video premiered exclusively this morning on CMT.
The new single may be the most personal and emotionally raw offering of the country music star’s entire career. “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)” and its accompanying video offer a heartfelt homage to Tisdale, whom Keith considered a close friend.
An all-American basketball player for Oklahoma and NBA star before launching a second career as a jazz bassist, Tisdale passed away unexpectedly in May from complications resulting from cancer treatments that seemed to have left him with a clean bill of health, according to a news release.
For Keith, Tisdale’s death was a terrible blow unlike anything he’d experienced before, the release states. He poured his emotions into music, writing a song he intended to play at Tisdale’s funeral, but the wound was still too fresh.
“I’ve had some loss in my life, of course my dad, but that’s different,” Keith says in the release. “I’ve lost some friends and acquaintances along the way, but this one was very difficult for me. I wrote this for (the funeral), but I could not get through it. I ended up doing Willie’s ‘Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground’ because I wasn’t attached to that. It was weeks before I could make it all the way through the song. It was tough on me.”
“Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song),” co-produced by Mark Wright, was the most added song at country radio last week, according to Country Aircheck/Mediabase. And the video has been added by CMT in Hot Shot Rotation, and by GAC in its Turbo Track slot.
The video features video and photos of Tisdale from both his careers, as well as scenes of him hanging out with Keith, spending time with his family and getting around on his prosthetic limb after losing a leg to cancer. Those images are intertwined with scenes of Keith singing and playing guitar and jazz star Dave Koz, another friend of Tisdale’s who plays on the track, wailing away on his saxophone.
The video will have you welling up with emotion, particularly if you are an Oklahoman and/or a fan who was touched by Tisdale’s life and luminous smile. It is a fitting visual to go with the tearjerking song.
“Cryin’ For Me” is the second single from Keith’s recently released chart-topping “American Ride” album, following the smash No. 1 title track.
Keith’s “America’s Toughest Tour” continues to draw standing-room-only crowds, and the Norman resident will embark on his first European tour this month.
-BAM
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[...] Oklahoman’s Brandy McDonnell noted that Keith wrote the song “he intended to play at Tisdale’s funeral, but the wound was still too fresh.” “I’ve had some loss in my life, of course my dad, but that’s different,” Keith [...]
This is a beautiful song, it makes me cry everytime I hear it, but it also makes me stop and think and thank GOD for every day and everything I have, the love of family, good friends, and to live every day to it’s fullest….GOD bless all of you
i think toby is an awesome singer and this song is so heartfelt and emotional u can’t help but to feel his pain, and the video is unbelievable lets hear it for toby paying tribute to a great man
My name is Ruth—I lost grand daughter to cancer this year
I know the feeling of calling the cell phone to hear her voice.
Most heart felt song I’ve ever heard.—Way to go Toby
I would like to give a big thanks to Toby who is one of my favorite artist. I have known Wayman since he was a kid and was also very sad when he passed. The release of this somg hit me hard not only for Wayman and Toby but also my son who I lost Oct 14, 2009 at 29 years from a life time illness and who through the constant pain wore a huge smile everyday. Now when I hear this song It hits home.
i had heard this song before but didn’t know who it was about. And someone was telling me about it and it being about wayman tisdale a basketball player and he said if you could listen to it without tearing up that you didn’t have a heart. Well i had tears and i didn’t even know who wayman was. You can reallly tell by the song and video he was someone special to toby! great song toby!!!!!
This song has me crying crocodile tears everytime I hear it. I feel for Wayman’s family as well as Toby. I know what it’s like to lose a friend. I lost my best friend of 18 years to breast cancer in 2008. She was 36 with 3 kids. I miss her sooo and this song just makes me think of her and her smile and laughter!!
I’ve never cared much for Toby Keith, I always thought he was arrogant, but if you’ve ever lost a friend, this song will make you cry or at least bring tears to your eyes. It’s obvious to me now that Toby actually does have a heart.
My brother introduced me to this song yesterday and it has been on my heart every since. I have never had the pleasure of seeing Toby Keith sing in person, but have seen Wayman several times, but have gifts that only God can give. It is a great tribute to a friend and a loving song..
Makes me think of the few “very close” friends I have and how I would deal if they passed before me. It would be devastating! Great tribute and a great song. May God Bless!
I love this !!!! Toby outdid himself with this one.
Great song and loved the Sax player could not have been better. Sorry we had to loose Wayman so early.
I first heard this song while working the graveyard shift. I was immediately impacted by the lyrics and the personal tone of the song. I thought of my deceased mother and brother and cried like a baby. Thank you Toby for keeping it real.
I have listened to this song many times since it came out and it’s sooo true of losing a great friend–every verse hits a truth for me. I even made that same phone call a couple of times, to hear his voice and hoping that that he would pick up and talk to me and prove it w…as all just a bad dream.
Toby Keith calls this “Wayman’s song” but myself, I’ll always think of it as “Todd’s song” because it is so powerful in reminding me of my friend and how much of a lose it has been for me from the first time I heard it. I just thank Toby for putting those feelings about his good friend down in the words of this song as it is awesome. If you can’t relate, feel blessed because those that can, know that feeling of the loss and the emptiness you live with after you loose those special people in your life. It has been 8 months now and no easier for me. I just thank my wife, family and friends for loving & putting up with me.
Heard this song on 99.9 Kiss FM while driving my car. Got chills and tears in my eyes. Had just lost a dear friend and the words just hit home. I did call her phone a few times, but now just check her facebook page to see her happy smiling beautiful face as I remember her. Sure do miss her smile.
Toby Keith, the “Ford Truck Man,” has pretty much been little more than the buffoon who kicked the dixie chicks when they were down–a bully, basically. This song proves that there is more in his veins than skoal juice and cheap beer. Way to go, Mr. Keith. You moved me.
This song is so sad. It makes me tear up everytime I hear it. I am crying for me for all the family members I have lost as well as for Toby.