LEGACY LIVES ON
The late Toby Keith will get place in Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Association announced Monday that Oklahoma native Toby Keith will be posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year. Other inductees in the 2024 class include James Burton and John Anderson.
A larger-than-life country music icon, Keith, who was born Toby Keith Covel, died Feb. 5 after a multiyear battle with cancer. He was 62.
“Toby's passing left our hearts broken,” the Covel family said in a news release. “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.”
Keith will be inducted in the Modern Era Artist category, Burton will be inducted in the Recording and/or Touring Musician category, which is awarded every third year in rotation with Songwriter and Non-Performer categories, and Anderson will be inducted in the Veterans Era Artist category.
“This year's nominees exemplify the excellence of our genre,” Sarah Trahern, CMA chief executive officer, said in a news release. “James, John and Toby have each made an indelible impact and brought their distinctive contributions to Country Music, enriching our format. Their influence is evident throughout the longevity of their careers, ensuring each legacy will thrive indefinitely. It is with great pride that we welcome these three remarkable individuals into the esteemed ranks of the Country Music Hall of Fame.”
A formal induction ceremony will take place in October at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.
About Toby Keith
Keith was born in 1961 in a small city outside Oklahoma City, the son of a second-generation oil-field roughneck. He cut his teeth playing honkytonk bars across Oklahoma and Texas before moving to Nashville to focus on music, and the rest is history.
A singer, songwriter, entertainer, philanthropist, businessman, unabashed patriot and proud Oklahoman, Keith was best known for his enduring country music hits like “Should've Been a Cowboy,” “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American).”
Throughout his hall of fame career, Keith scored 42 Top 10 hits, including 32 chart-toppers, sold 40 million albums and achieved more than 10 billion streams, primarily on the strength of his own songwriting. He told The Oklahoman that he considered his 2015 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame “my ultimate trophy.”
Keith also was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2005, ushered into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the National Medal of Arts in 2021. Last year, he received the inaugural Country Icon award, presented by fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton, during the People's Choice Country Awards.