Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Sammy Hagar paid tribute to late country music icon Toby Keith with an emotional performance at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on Sunday evening (April 7).
Paid Tribute To The Late Toby Keith
Introduced by Roger Clemens, the country superstars and rock ‘n roll legend joined forces for an epic performance that honored the legacy of Keith. “It’s an honor to be here and celebrate big dog daddy Toby Keith, a true friend, patriot and great American,” Clemens, wearing a black hat with TOBY branded on it, said, introducing the tribute performance.
Brooks & Dunn, composed of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, launched the touching performance with Keith’s iconic hit, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” surrounded by TVs displaying clips of Toby Keith’s music videos.
Sammy Hagar, donning an Oklahoma State University t-shirt with “sooner or forever” and TOBY emblazoned on it, then delivered a rockin’ performance of “I Love This Bar.” After being introduced by Lukas Nelson and Riley Green, Lainey Wilson performed a show-stopping rendition of Keith’s chart-topping hit, “How Do You Like Me Now?”
Toby Keith’s daughters, Krystal and Shelley, and son, Stelen, were seen in the crowd with tears streaming down their cheeks throughout the performance while holding red solo cups.
Rogers Clemens, Lukas Nelson, Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar then returned to the stage, where Clemens graciously thanked Keith’s family for sharing him with the world.
“Shelley, Krystal, Stelen thank you for sharing your dad with all of us. Trish, we love you. Thank you for sharing your husband with the world Trish, thank you,” Clemens said, holding back tears.
The performance concluded with a red solo cup toast to the late legendary singer from Oklahoma. “Whiskey for my men and beer for my horses. Let’s go!” Clemens added, leading the group of artists toasted to Keith.
Keith Had A Longstanding History With CMT
Toby Keith had a longstanding history with CMT. Throughout his iconic career, the “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” singer earned 30 CMT nominations and won 7 trophies. He also delivered 13 performances at the CMT Music Awards, including performances for 10 consecutive years.
In addition to performing on the show numerous times, Keith also had many memorable moments on the CMT Music Awards stage over the last two decades, including two co-hosting gigs, in 2012 with Kristen Bell and 2003 with Pamela Anderson for the then-named “CMT Flameworthy Video Awards,” the year 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).”
Furthermore, a brand-new, one-hour tribute special, dubbed CMT Music Awards Celebrates Toby Keith, will premiere next week on Thursday, April 11 on CMT (10/9c), celebrating the legendary country music singer’s most memorable show moments.
Toby Keith Died On February 5, 2024
Toby Keith died on February 5, 2024 following a battle with stomach cancer. A representative for the country music icon shared the sad news with fans via a statement on his official website and social media profiles.
He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October of 2022, but didn’t reveal his diagnosis with fans until June of 2022. At that time, he was also forced to cancel all of his scheduled concerts to focus on his health.
With 32 No.1 singles and 44 million albums sold, Toby Keith was regarded as one of country music’s biggest hitmakers. He wrote a chart-topping hit every year for 20 consecutive years, including “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American),” “I Love This Bar,” “Beer For My Horses,” and “As Good As I Once Was.”
He was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (having already been inducted into the all-genre Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015), and was honored with the Academy of Country Music’s prestigious Merle Haggard Spirit Award. Throughout his career, the Oklahoma native received the BMI Icon Award as well as the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year award three times, and his hit single “As Good As I Once Was” was awarded BMI’s Country Song of the Year in 2006. He was also honored with the Country Icon Award at the Inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards.
Most recently, Toby Keith received a posthumous induction into the 2024 Country Music Hall of Fame.
2024 CMT Music Awards
The 2024 CMT Music Awards also featured performances by Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Sam Hunt, Cody Johnson, Dasha, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Trisha Yearwood and more.
The fan-voted awards show included a star-studded list of one-of-a-kind collaborations and memorable moments. Parker McCollum teamed up with Brittney Spencer to perform “Burn It Down,” while Old Dominion and Megan Moroney joined forces to deliver a performance of their fan-favorite duet, “Can’t Break Up Now.”
Meanwhile, NEEDTOBREATHE and Jordan Davis gave fans a taste of what’s to come on their episode of CMT Crossroads and Sugarland reunited to premiere a brand-new collaboration with Little Big Town, marking the duo’s return to the CMT Music Awards and their first time performing together on the show since 2011.
Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Amber Riley, Billy Bob Thornton (Landman), Carly Pearce, Cody Alan, Cody Johnson, Emily Osment (Young Sheldon), Emma Roberts, Gayle King (CBS Mornings), James Van Der Beek, Jane Seymour, Jelly Roll, Max Theriot (Fire Country), Melissa Etheridge, Mickey Guyton, Minnie Driver, Montana Jordan (Young Sheldon), Parmalee and Paul Walter Hauser served as presenters during the coveted awards show.
Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini, the 2024 CMT Music Awards aired live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 7 at 8/7c on CBS. The show is also available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
