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Toby Keith’s last recording session was Luke Combs’ Joe Diffie cover
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Toby Keith’s last recording session was Luke Combs’ Joe Diffie cover


A video has been released of a cover of Joe Diffie’s 1992 hit “Ships That Don’t Come In”, the last known live recording session of Toby Keith. He’s in the booth with Grammy winner Luke Combs.

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The last known studio recording of Toby Keith’s three-decade mainstream career has been released as a music video.

Five months after the release of HARDY’s latest installment from his HIXTAPE project, “DIFFTAPE” — a 17-song collaboration celebrating the life and work of Okalhoma-born country legend Joe Diffie, in collaboration with Diffie’s estate — an incredible moment regarding the project comes to light.

A video has been released from another Oklahoman — the late country giant Toby Keith — featuring Keith teaming up with Grammy-winning country superstar Luke Combs for an in-studio recording session of the “DIFFTAPE” version of Diffie’s 1992 hit “Ships That Don’t Come In.”

The moment also marks Keith’s final recording session before his death in February 2024. The song, released in March 2024, also features previously unheard vocals from Diffie, recorded in 2006.

“When I heard it, it was a no-brainer to be on a song with Toby. It was something I always hoped to do, but I never knew it would happen,” Combs said in a press release. “The fact that it was one of Joe’s songs, especially this one, made it even better; he was there when I was inducted into the Opry and even gave me my Opry membership award. I grew up listening to both of those guys’ music, so to be a part of this version of the song, and it being Toby’s final recording, is hard to put into words. Country music misses them dearly, but I hope we do justice to what they started.”

The video for Combs and Keith’s collaboration was released following NBC’s premiere of Toby Keith: American Icon, a two-hour concert special celebrating the life and music of the soon-to-be inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The tribute included performances and special appearances by HARDY and fellow HIXTAPE collaborators Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson and Trace Adkins.

Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Diffie had more than a dozen No. 1 and Top 10 country hits between 1990 and 2001, including the 1994 hits “Third Rock from the Sun” and “Pickup Man.” Diffie died in 2020 from complications due to COVID-19.

Joey Moi produced the 17-track album “DIFFTAPE”, which features Diffie singing vocals alongside artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Combs, Keith, Post Malone, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson.

“My dad was good at those sassy and quirky mid-tempo songs with funny sayings, but when he sang a ballad, he could portray emotions that would melt your heart,” Joe’s son, Parker Diffie, told The Tennessean.

“As someone who had the great privilege of performing with my father, it fills my heart with immense joy to see his enduring legacy continue with the same passion and fervor that he embodied,” Parker Diffie added via a press release. “This album is an opportunity to not only celebrate the past, but to embrace the future with reverence and enthusiasm.”