CMT Will Pay Tribute To Toby Keith At CMT Awards

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

April 4th 1:23 PM

CMT will pay tribute to Toby Keith in the 2024 CMT Music Awards. The planned all-star tribute to Toby Keith will feature a stacked lineup of one-of-a-kind performances from Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, and Sammy Hagar, all backed by Toby’s longtime band, with special appearances by Lukas Nelson and Roger Clemens.

Toby’s CMT History

CMT and Toby’s longstanding show history includes celebrating 30 nominations with 7 wins and 13 performances, including performances for 10 consecutive years and many memorable moments on the CMT Music Awards stage over the last two decades.

Keith co-hosted the show in 2012 with Kristen Bell and in 2003 with Pamela Anderson for the then-named CMT Flameworthy Awards. In 2003, he was the most-awarded artist of the night, taking home three belt buckles, including “Video of the Year” for his video “Courtesy of The Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”

Toby in 2003 hosting the then-called CMT Flameworthy Awards with Pamela Anderson. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)  

RELATED: Toby Keith Has The Number One Album In America

Keith in 2012 at a press conference with CMT co-host Kristen Bell before hosting the CMT Music Awards. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Toby died on February 5 of stomach cancer at the age of 62.

The Biggest Honor In Country Music

It was announced on March 18 that Toby would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He will join fellow 2024 inductees James Burton and John Anderson.

Keith’s family said in a statement, “Toby’s passing left our hearts broken. We miss him so much, but we take comfort that his music and legacy will live forever. Thank you, Country Music Hall of Fame, for helping keep it alive.”

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn announced that Toby was an inductee; they discussed his many accomplishments in country music. After that, Keith’s son, Stelen, who was visibly nervous, spoke to the gathered crowd. He said, “On behalf of my whole family, we want to thank the Hall of Fame. It’s an honor to stand here and represent my father, an amazing man, husband, father, and artist. I just want to thank everybody for being here; thank you.”

Ronnie Dunn added of Toby, “The man who once sang that he dreamed about living in your radio has got a permanent home in the Hall of Fame rotunda.”

Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement, “Toby Keith from Oklahoma brought a sly swagger and a patriotic passion to songs that made him one of the best-selling Country artists of the past 30 years. They have all profoundly shaped our music, and we are honored and delighted that their achievements will now forever be enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

Five of Toby Keith's Songs That Will Live Forever

• "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993)

  This is his debut single and the song people will always associate with Toby. Many artists mentioned the song and its lyrics in their tribute to him after his death (2/6). Keith wrote the song himself, and it has always been his anthem. The song has received more than three million spins on country radio, making it the most-played country song of the 1990s. Over the years, the song has been a staple following sporting events at Oklahoma State University (home of the Cowboys), often played over the venue’s PA system several times in succession as fans emptied the stadium or arena.

• "How Do You Like Me Now?!" (1999)

  This song brought Keith to superstardom. Toby told me the inspiration for the song in 2000. “Initially, I said, ‘Here’s my title: ‘You Never Loved Me Before, So How Do You Like Me Now?’ It’s one of my catchphrases. A lot of people become successful after they’ve been told they won’t ever be so that people can relate to this. It can be about an old flame or a boss or a teacher -whatever it means to each individual. It was a fun song to write.”

• "I Wanna Talk About Me" (2001)

  This is another fun song and a big hit for Keith. The song was originally pitched to Blake Shelton, whose label turned it down. After recording the song, Keith said he knew he would get banged around for the song a bit. He noted, “They’re going to call it a rap, [although] there ain’t nobody doing rap who would call it a rap.”

  The music video for the song shows Toby in many different situations, including a man shopping with his girlfriend or wife, a police officer, a motorcycle rider, and a surgeon.

• "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002)

  The song he wrote after the 9/11 attacks on America and was also inspired by Keith’s father’s death in March 2001. In a November 2003 interview with CBS, Keith said of writing the song: “I was so angry when we were attacked here on American soil that it leaked out of me.”

  The music video for the song features Toby performing the song, playing a red, white, and blue guitar, and showing images of his own father fighting in a war.

• "Red Solo Cup" (2011)

  Keith sure is good at fun party songs, and he proved it once again with this song, which was the only song on the album Clancy’s Tavern that he did not write. The song was written by the Warren Brothers in Nashville.

  The music video includes cameos from Jeff Dunham (and his character Bubba J), Carrot Top, Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Craig Ferguson, Geoff Peterson, Roger Clemens, Eric Church, Joe Nichols, Lance Burton, and Larry Bird, among others.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Category:

• Country 102.5
• Music

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CMT Awards,Toby Keith