Krystal Keith, daughter of the late country hitmaker Toby Keith took the field at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas last month to perform the national anthem.

Standing midfield in front of a massive American flag, Keith performed “The Star Spangled Banner” to kick off the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on December 27.

Keith’s performance would have made her late father proud on several levels. First and foremost, she knocked it out of the park. Her voice was crystal clear and she wasn’t afraid to hit the high notes.

At the same time, she didn’t succumb to the temptation to over-sing those big notes like some performers do with mixed results. More than that, though, the Oklahoma Sooners were playing against the Navy Midshipmen. The late Keith was a patriot as well as a lifelong supporter of the University of Oklahoma and the Sooners.

Krystal Keith Used to Lie About Toby Keith’s Job

Krystal Keith grew up with a superstar for a dad. However, she didn’t go around bragging that her dad was Toby Keith, the award-winning country star. Instead, she lied and told everyone her dad worked a regular blue-collar job. She revealed this fact in an interview last year.

“I think I thought everybody’s dad had a job like my dad,” she recalled. “He might as well have been a plumber. In fact, that’s what I told people he did. Later in life, when people would find out who he was and they would come ask me a question, I knew they knew the answer,” she added. “They’d be like, ‘What does your dad do for a living?’ I’d be like, ‘He’s a plumber.’”

She wouldn’t even tell people her dad’s name. Instead, she would usually say her dad’s name was Mark. Sometimes, she’d throw them a curveball. “My second favorite thing to say was Garth Brooks, because they were already, like, they knew he was a singer,” she said. “They were expecting Toby Keith, and I’d be like, ‘My dad’s Garth Brooks!’”

She didn’t lie because she was ashamed, though. Her dad worked hard to give his kids a normal childhood and her dodging questions about his fame was seemingly an extension of that.

Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group