Ballads and Blasters

Do you believe, as the song says, you “Should’ve Been a Cowboy?” Are you still lamenting the fact that you missed your senior prom?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, you might consider jumping into some dressy Western duds and getting your picture taken at the cowboy prom--the seventh annual Gold Dust Gala on Saturday in Ventura. Considered the county’s country-western social event of the year, this fund-raiser benefits Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s Outreach Education Program for Children.

From 5 p.m. to midnight, the Agricultural Building at Seaside Park will be festooned with hay bales and twinkling lights, as more than 900 cow folks gather for dinner, dancing and an up-close-and-personal concert by Toby Keith.

Also on tap for the evening: a silent auction, dance lessons with Vince Fiske, entertainment by the K-HAY dancers, musician Alan Thornhill and the new K-HAY Band featuring Janet Cartwright, Jon Cowsill and Jill Miles on vocals.

But the gala’s highlight promises to be the appearance of country singer-songwriter Keith, whose rich vibrato-baritone voice is burning up the airwaves with his No. 1 single, “We Were in Love,” on the Mercury label.

Prior to country stardom, the strapping 36-year-old Oklahoma native served a musical apprenticeship with his band, Easy Money, on the Oklahoma/Texas dance-hall circuit, complete with tour bus and an album. Keith’s time doing oil-field work, riding rodeo broncos and playing semipro football also provided material for songwriting.

But when he came to Nashville with a tape of original songs in search of a major-label recording deal, “They told me my songs sucked, spanked me and sent me home,” said Keith during a recent phone conversation.

But the 6-foot-4 entertainer got signed by Mercury Records and was named Billboard Top New Country Artist in 1993. That same year Keith’s platinum-selling self-titled debut CD spawned four No. 1 singles:

With his fourth album, “Blue Moon,” Keith began to co-produce his work last year. Here’s some of what Keith had to say about his career, songwriting and his new album, “Dream Walkin’,” which was released in June.

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There’s a lot of buzz about this album as a “career record.” You wrote or co-wrote eight of the 11 cuts--five with Chuck Cannon. And critics are saying it contains your best vocal styling. What gives?

James Stroud, who hadn’t produced me before, said, “Toby I think you make great records. But I think I can make your vocals even better . . . You out-sing your records.”

Usually it takes a couple of hours to really nail a song, but I sang “We Were in Love” three times through and we were done with it. That’s just how good he made me sound in there. I can sing that low. I always could. My voice is very powerful . . . I never had any vocal lessons. I learned mine at honky-tonk university. But it’s just a good producer.

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Did your demo songs ever get recorded?

Yes. “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” both No. 1 songs off the first album. “He Ain’t Worth Missing” was a top five record off that album. “Close but No Guitar” and a song called “Valentine” were also cuts off the first album. And “Does That Blue Moon” was a No. 1 song off my third album. Those were the six songs on my demo.

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What can we expect from your live show?

I don’t want to be known as a balladeer. And I don’t want to be known as somebody who plays rock ‘n’ roll. I just play American music; I’m a country singer. I think there has to be a nice blend there and just kinda give the crowd a roller coaster. You want to come out and open with a bang to get everybody’s blood pressure up--get everybody pumpin’ and jumpin’. And you want to slow it down at some point to deliver some very powerful ballads. Versatility is probably the key to my success.

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Despite favorable reviews about the overall album, you’ve received some flak about including Sting’s tune, “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying” on the CD. Now it’s the second single off the album. Were you trying to be versatile?

What difference does it make who wrote it? It’s a great country song. People take music way too serious. It’s just a little button on your CD. [Laughs.] It’s called “next.” If you don’t want to listen, just hit that skip button. And I put 11 songs on there so you’re still getting 10 for your money. [Laughs.]

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Is there a cut off the new album for which you would like to be remembered?

“Tired,” co-written with Chuck Cannon. It will probably never be a single, never be heard. I’ve got nine No. 1 records and five top five. And if I was sitting in a songwriters’ circle, I would probably play “Tired.”

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Did you hit any snags with your co-producer Stroud on “Dream Walkin’ ”?

Well, my dad’s a tremendous Bob Wills fan. So I insisted we include “I Don’t Understand My Girlfriend.” It’s more jazzy than a western swing. I was even to the point of wanting to put a kazoo on it. But Stroud said, “No, I’m producing you. And you can’t discredit me that much with a kazoo.”

BE THERE

Gold Dust Gala, Agriculture Building at Seaside Park, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura; 5 p.m. to midnight, Saturday. Tickets, $60 per person, are available at the Wharf, 908 E. Front St., Ventura, 648-5035; during weekday business hours at Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N. Brent St., Ventura, 652-5009; and at the door. Reservations recommended.