CMT Music Awards' Toby Keith tribute to feature Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, Sammy Hagar
The late Oklahoma country music superstar Toby Keith will be honored with star-studded television tributes on CMT.
An all-star homage to the "Should've Been a Cowboy" hitmaker featuring performances by Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar, all backed by Keith's longtime Easy Money band, is planned during the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
Keith died Feb. 5 at the age of 62 after a multi-year battle with stomach cancer. He will be posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October.
Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini, the CMT Music Awards will air live from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, April 7 from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on the CBS Television Network.
Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers will be able to live-stream the fan-voted awards show, while Paramount+ Essential subscribers will have access to the three-hour show on-demand the day after it airs.
Country rocker Lukas Nelson and baseball legend Roger Clemens also will make special appearances during the CMT Music Awards' tribute to Keith.
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, one-half of the Country Music Hall of Fame duo Brooks & Dunn, and Hagar were among the performers who played Keith's 2013 Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Plus, Hagar had featured Keith on his TV series "Rock & Roll Road Trip."
Nelson is the son of country music icon Willie Nelson, a longtime pal of Keith's who recorded with him the hit duet "Beer for My Horses" and co-starred with him in the film of the same name.
Clemens’ friendship with Keith included the Songwriters Hall of Famer inducting the retired pitcher into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame, according to Variety.
Toby Keith had a long history with the CMT Music Awards
Keith had a long and storied history with the CMT Music Awards, earning 30 nominations with seven wins.
The Oklahoma native performed on the awards show 13 times, including performances for 10 consecutive years.
Keith also co-hosted the awards show twice: He and Pamela Anderson shared co-hosting duties for what was then called the CMT Flameworthy Video Awards in 2003, when he took home three belt buckle trophies, including the top prize for Video of the Year for his controversial smash “Courtesy of The Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”
The Norman resident returned to co-host the 2012 CMT Music Awards alongside with actress and singer Kristen Bell ("Frozen," "Veronica Mars").
The 2024 CMT Music Awards also will feature performances by Bailey Zimmerman, Cody Johnson, Dasha, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Sugarland, Megan Moroney, NEEDTOBREATHE with Jordan Davis, Old Dominion featuring Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum featuring Brittney Spencer, Sam Hunt and former Owasso resident Trisha Yearwood, who will receive the inaugural June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award.
Along with the tribute during the CMT Music Awards broadcast, CMT is planning a new one-hour standalone special with the working title "CMT Music Awards Celebrates Toby Keith."
The celebration of his most memorable moments from the awards show is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 11 on CMT.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: CMT Music Awards will have tribute to Toby Keith with country stars
