Toby Keith’s Team Revealed Val Kilmer’s Line In The 1993 Film Tombstone Inspired Him
They say inspiration can come from anywhere, and as a songwriter, Toby Keith drew inspiration from Val Kilmer’s character in Tombstone.
In 2002, Toby Keith released his album Unleashed. It included the iconic songs “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Beer For My Horses.” It also had lesser-known songs like “That’s Not How It Is” and “Huckleberry.”
In “Huckleberry,” Toby sings,
“Baby I’ll be your Huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me
If the storm gets wild and scary count on me to be right there
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries
We’ll grow up and we’ll get married
I’m gonna be your Huckleberry”
So, how did Val Kilmer inspire him? The movie Tombstone.
Kilmer Starred In Tombstone As Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday was an American West icon, best known for his participation in the iconic O.K. Corral shootout in Tombstone, Arizona.
Some have called his performance in Tombstone the best of his career. It seems Toby Keith may have thought the same.
Kilmer passed away on April 1 from pneumonia at the age of 65, following a decade of battling throat cancer. On April 3, Toby’s team shared a video on social media with a clip from Tombstone of Kilmer saying his iconic “I’m your Huckleberry” line.
The phrase “I’ll be your huckleberry” essentially means “I’m the one you want” or “I’m the man for the job.”
The post had a caption on the video that said, “Toby always said that song inspiration could come from anywhere. This line from Tombstone is what inspired Toby to write the song ‘Huckleberry’.”
The post read, “Thanks for inspiring Toby. RIP Val Kilmer.”
Maybe Val Kilmer and Toby Keith are now chatting about the “Huckleberry” song. Listen to it below.
