Who Is Toby Keith’s Wife? All About Tricia Lucus

Toby Keith and Tricia Lucus have a country love story for the books.

The “I Love This Bar” singer, who is currently battling stomach cancer, and Lucus met shortly after Keith graduated high school while he was working in the oil fields and playing bars at night. The couple dated for three years and married in 1984.

“Dozens of people told Tricia, ‘You need to go and tell your old man to get a real job,'” Keith said Country Weekly, according to The Boot. “It took a woman with a strong heart and love to say, ‘He’s good enough at music that I have to let him try. And it will be a great shot for both of us if he succeeds.’ ”

He added: “I absolutely love performing and writing songs, but the best feeling is being at home with my wife Tricia and three children.”

So who is Toby Keith’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Tricia Lucus and her relationship with the country singer.

They met at a local bar

Toby Keith and Tricia Covel attend the SwingDish launch event on August 18, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Isaac Brekken/Getty

After graduating from high school in 1979, Keith took a job as an oil field worker, just like his father, doing “the typical rough stuff” and earning $50,000 a year.

Keith also played and sang in local bars with his band called the Easy Money Band, which performed Alabama-style country-rock when he wasn’t working. At that time he met Lucus, who at that time was working as a secretary in an oil company.

“I was 19 and he was 20,” she told PEOPLE in 2001. “He was just one of those larger-than-life, confident guys.”

They got married in 1984

Toby Keith and wife Tricia Covel at the 2011 American Country Awards on December 5, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Christopher Polk/ACA2011/Getty

The couple dated for three years before deciding to tie the knot in 1984.

Keith recently celebrated the couple’s 39th wedding anniversary on Instagram in 2023, sharing an old photo of the pair to commemorate the special day.

He has three children

Stelen Covel, Haley Covel, Toby Keith, Shelly Covel, Tricia Lucus and Krystal Keith.

Stelen Covel Instagram

Lucus is a mother of three children. She had her first daughter, Shelley Covel Rowland, in 1980, before she met Keith. After they married, Keith adopted Shelley, and the couple had two more children: daughter Krystal in 1985 and son Stelen in 1997.

Krytsal is a musician and a musician, just like her father. She is married to her husband Drew and together they have two daughters: Kirby and Hensley.

Stelen, meanwhile, is an entrepreneur, involved in a number of companies, including Sellout Crowd, 405 Burger Bar, Tequila Chulos and Hollywood Corners. He is married to his wife Haley, a travel consultant, and they have a Siberian husky named Dodger.

The family supported Keith when he received the BMI Icon award in November 2022, and Stelen shared a behind-the-scenes video of them celebrating together on Instagram.

She supported his career early on

Toby Keith and wife Tricia.

R. Diamond/WireImage

Keith found that when “the oil fields failed. I started concentrating on my music.”

He and his band began playing regional shows regularly while he and Tricia juggled creditors and started a family. “He’d say, ‘Trish, one of these days my time is coming. Hang in there,’ said his wife.

She thinks he’s charming

Toby Keith and Tricia Lucus at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards on September 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Terry Wyatt/Getty

Back in 1991, Lucus told PEOPLE that Keith was always trying to make her feel special.

“Most people think he’s just the most romantic person on the planet,” she said. “He has his moments of charm. It’s nice to get a bouquet of flowers, but I told him: ‘Save money. Roses die in five to seven days. Buy me some clothes or take me out to dinner.’ ”

She supports him at award shows

Toby Keith and Tricia Lucus at the world premiere of “The Mule” at Warner Bros. Pictures on December 10, 2018 in Westwood, California.

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Lucus has supported Keith at countless awards and honors over the years.

Recently, Lucus attended the People’s Choice Country Awards with Keith, where he accepted the Icon of Country Music award.

His speech brought Lucus to tears after he thanked his family and “the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight. You’ve been riding shotgun with me for a while now.”

They enjoy playing golf

Toby Keith and Trisha Lucus.

Toby Keith Instagram

In their spare time, the couple enjoys the golf course, although Keith said they are not the best at the sport.

As well as playing, they also love to be golf spectators and Keith also hosted the Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic in June 2023.

They are philanthropists

Tricia Lucus and Toby Keith at the 34th Annual Nashville Symphony Ball on December 8, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jason Kempin/Getty

One cause dear to Lucus and Keith is pediatric cancer. In 2019, the couple was recognized by the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine Alumni Association for their donations to the Children’s Hospital and OK Kids Korral, a shelter opened in 2014 by the Toby Keith Foundation for families with children undergoing cancer treatment, according to The Oklahoman.

Keith and Lucus started the Toby Keith Foundation in 2006 with a mission to help children and their families with cancer.

In a 2014 interview, Keith said OK Kids Korral was a mix of “the Ritz Carlton and Disney.” Lucus added, “It gives me goosebumps when I think about it… one of the best things is when you walk away and see the smile on their face because they’re not in a hospital room.”

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Source: HIS Education