Trace Adkins photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

They both played defensive end as football players, and both worked in oilfields before they found their footing in country music. Toby Keith and Trace Adkins have finally paired up on stage with America’s Toughest Tour, a teaming Trace thinks is long overdue.

“I’ve said for years that it just seemed like it would make a lot of sense for Toby and I to tour together,” Trace told The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The two have plenty more things in common. They’ve both been ardent supporters of the U.S. military, playing forward operating bases on the front lines in the Middle East. They’re both willing to share their political views publicly, and they’re both an easy mark for children’s charities. One of Toby’s favorite causes is Ally’s House, an Oklahoma facility that aids pediatric cancer patients and their families. And Trace, of course, made his successful run on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008 specifically to help the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Trace has said frequently that the only reason he did “Apprentice” was because of the attention he could bring to the charity. But there is one other factor. The talent booker for Donald Trump’s series is the same guy who booked Trace repeatedly on Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect.” And he went to Trace’s wife, Rhonda, to nudge the singer into “Apprentice.”

“He knew how to get to me,” Trace said. “He knew that he needed to go through my wife, because I told him no twice. He went to her, and the rest is history.”

America’s Toughest Tour brings Toby and Trace to Tampa on Friday, West Palm Beach on Saturday and Jacksonville on Sunday.

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