Famed country crooner Toby Keith, who tragically passed away on Feb. 5 at the age of 62 after losing his battle with stomach cancer, has garnered country music’s most prestigious award.
On Monday, the Country Music Association revealed the late “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” singer was among the newest class to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“Truly one of the greatest honors of my job is getting to inform these inductees that they’re the newest members of the hallowed class,” Ms. Trahern explained.
“My heart sank ... knowing that we missed the chance to inform Toby while he was still with us,” she continued. “But I have no doubt that he’s smiling down on us knowing that he will always be ... as good as he once was.”
Ms. Trahern noted that Mr. Keith’s posthumous induction did not violate the Hall of Fame’s rule against electing an artist in the same year they passed away. As she explained, the singer was elected last fall—months before his death—with the final ballot closing on Feb. 2.
Mr. Keith’s son, Stelen Covel, accepted the honor on his behalf.
“It’s an honor to stand here and represent my father. He’s an amazing man, husband, father, and artist,” he said. “I just want to thank everybody for being here.”
In a press release, Mr. Keith’s family also expressed gratitude to the Hall of Fame for the distinguished honor.
2024 Inductees
During the press conference, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of the iconic country music duo Brooks & Dunn—who were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019—announced this year’s inductees, which included award-winning country singer John Anderson in the Veterans Era Artist category and guitarist James Burton in the Recording and/or Touring Musician category.During the press conference, Mr. Burton said he was “honored” and “really surprised” to be an inductee. He said: “I just want to thank all you guys for your love and support.”
While standing behind the podium, Mr. Anderson, who is known for country music hits like “Swingin'” (1982) and “Seminole Wind” (1992), shared a similar sentiment.
“This is probably the greatest honor I could ever receive standing on this stage today,” he shared.
“Still trying to get a grasp on just the reality of this happening to me,” he added, noting that he was “so very proud and so honored.”
“Just the fact that I get a chance to be amongst this kind of greatness I can’t—words can’t really explain for me how important it is,” Mr. Anderson said.
“Music has been my whole life—a lot of what keeps me driven—since I was just a child. I have so much to be thankful for.”
Country Music Hall of Fame
According to the Country Music Association’s website, it launched the Hall of Fame “to recognize significant contributions to the advancement of country music by individuals in both the creative and business communities.”Three new members are elected each year, with singer-songwriter Hank Williams, singer Jimmie Rodgers—renowned as the father of country music—and musician Fred Rose holding the coveted distinction of being the very first members, inducted in 1961.
Mr. Keith, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Burton join 152 other country music stars elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“Each of these inductees has made an indelible impact on our business, our genre, and our community, further proving how deserving they are of this honor,” Ms. Trahern said.
The trio will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in October during the esteemed Medallion Ceremony, which is held each year at the CMA Theater in Nashville, Tennessee.
Singer Patty Loveless, songwriter Bob McDill, and singer-songwriter Tanya Tucker were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year.
