(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) Singer, songwriter and entrepreneur Toby Keith ranks among North America's most successful entertainers by any standard, and that recognition continues to accumulate. Even so, the Oklahoma-bred music star continues broadening his horizons, quite literally, with plans for his first ever European tour.

With his Nov. 9 date in Glasgow, Scotland, Keith will start a journey around Northern Europe promoted by Live Nation International. Keith's international appeal as superstar artist, songwriter and movie star has been consistently growing outside of the US borders. His current album That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy, is already approaching platinum in Norway and has been overwhelmingly received halfway around the world in Australia, where his video for "God Love Her" is No. 1 at the CMC network.

"Country music goes through cycles of mainstream popularity internationally and 2009 has seen the genre go from strength to strength," says Universal VP/International Marketing Iain Snodgrass, with whom Keith's label partners in Europe. "Toby has been at the forefront of this and we are delighted that he's bringing his show to Europe."

Meanwhile, Keith was recently named to Forbes magazine's list of the most powerful celebrities in the world, in part because of a business empire that includes his restaurants, a clothing line, his label, Show Dog Nashville, and an endorsement by Ford Trucks. According to Forbes, Toby placed among the top earners this year. Since the turn of the decade he has grossed hundreds of millions in ticket sales and his songs have spent more than a year at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Adding support to Forbes' ranking is a recent posting on the Yahoo! Music Blog that tapped Toby as the No. 4 album seller, all-genre, of the decade.

On the business front, Keith recently opened another location of his I Love This Bar & Grill. The Mesa, Arizona venue boasts 20,000 square feet of food, drink and entertainment serving the Phoenix area. Toby himself was involved in design for the establishment, which offers Southern style food and plenty of room for live entertainment and dancing. The grand opening invited 100 active duty and veteran soldiers, and as always at any of the chain's locations, a military ID gives service members and vets a one-time free meal deal including an American Soldier burger, choice of side, and a non-alcoholic beverage. The Mesa location joins Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and Kansas City as the fourth I Love This Bar & Grill to date.

Finally and a little closer to home, readers of Oklahoma Magazine have voted Toby on of its "Best Of The Best" in the musician category. The results will be published in the publication's July edition, which is also its most-read issue.

European Tour Dates:

Nov. 9   O2 Academy Glasgow, Scotland
Nov. 10 HMV Apollo, Hammersmith, London, England
Nov. 12 Olympia, Dublin, Ireland
Nov. 13 Odyssey, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nov. 15 Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nov. 16 Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 18 House of Culture, Helsinki, Finland
Nov. 21 Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
Nov. 22 Vestlandshalle, Bergen, Norway

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