Six weeks after Toby Keith died, the Country Music Hall of Fame announced that the Oklahoma entertainment icon would be posthumously added to its storied ranks.
But the Norman-based superstar actually was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame before he died.
"It makes a huge difference to us that the voting concluded, and it was already set before he passed away," Krystal Keith , his younger daughter and fellow singer-songwriter told The Oklahoman.
"That makes a huge difference to our family and the way that we look at it."
Already a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame , Keith died Feb. 5 at age 62 after a multiyear battle with stomach cancer .
On Sunday, Oct. 20, the country hitmaker will be ushered into the genre's most hallowed hall during the annual Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The event will include the unveiling of Keith's hall of fame plaque before its placement in the rotunda, officially placing him among the ranks of country music greats like Hank Williams, Mother Maybelle Carter, Merle Haggard and many more.
"I'm really excited. We've always had a great relationship with the Hall of Fame, and he's had exhibits ... there in the past," Krystal Keith said. "It's really bittersweet. It's one of those things that I wish he was here to accept and to be aware of."
Who joins Toby Keith in the Country Music Hall of Fame's Class of 2024?
Along with Keith, the Country Music Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 includes "Swingin'" and "Straight Tequila Night" hitmaker John Anderson, a Florida native, and master guitarist James Burton , who hails from Louisiana.
“This year’s nominees exemplify the excellence of our genre,” Country Music Association Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern said in an email. “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.”
Keith, who was born in Clinton and raised in Moore , will be inducted in the Modern Era Artist category, while Anderson is added Sunday in the Veterans Era Artist category. Burton will be inducted in the Recording and/or Touring Musician category, which is awarded every third year in rotation with the Songwriter and Non-Performer categories.
“One of the most successful country artists of his generation, Toby Keith balanced his innate brashness and bravado with a sly wit, a talent for catchy melodies, and a cowboy poet’s flair for concise wordplay and colorful imagery," Michael McCall, associate director of editorial for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement to The Oklahoman.
"His rich, instantly recognizable baritone also set him apart, especially in the way he shifted between a conversational tone and muscular theatricality to bring out the drama in his songs."
What does the late Toby Keith's Country Music Hall of Hall of Fame induction mean to his family?
All balloting for the Country Music Hall of Fame is tabulated by the professional services organization Deloitte. The final ballot for the hall's 2024 class closed Feb. 2, just days before Keith died.
Krystal Keith said her father knew that the voting was underway and that he had a good chance of being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. But he died shortly before he could learn that he had indeed been chosen for induction.
"He was only 62. He was still touring at a really high level until COVID, and he was still able to sell out shows. They had talked about for years giving him the Icon Award at BMI, and he kept pushing them back. He was like, 'That's something you do at the end of your career; I'm not at the end of my career yet.' He really felt like he had so many years left, " she said.
"It wasn't until after COVID ... that he finally started breaking down and being like, 'OK, fine.'"
During his three-decade music career, Keith amassed 42 Top 10 hits and 33 No. 1 singles, sold 44 million albums and earned more than 10 billion streams. In May, his family announced that his chart-topping 2008 compilation album "35 Biggest Hits" had spent a milestone 150 consecutive weeks on Billboard's all-genre Top 200 chart.
His publicist just announced another batch of gold and platinum certfications for his music from the Recording Industry Association of America, including a four-times platinum designation for his breakout hit "Should’ve Been A Cowboy," three-times platinum for his Willie Nelson duet "Beer For My Horses," three times platinum for his ode "I Love This Bar" and platinum for his anthem "American Ride."
Krystal Keith told The Oklahoman that it's a testament to the strength of her father's catalog that his music has been played and purchased so widely since his death .
"It was taken for granted, I think, that he was just always there. He wasn't somebody that came up in the '90s and disappeared in the '90s and then he just held on to those hits. He continued making hits until the day he died. And I think that people started going back and realizing how much of their lives had a soundtrack of him behind it," she said.
His Country Music Hall of Fame induction will help ensure his musical legacy lives on, she added.
"He'll be in legendary status forever. He's going to be in the hall, and I think it'll be a really special event to be at," Krystal Keith said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Legendary status forever:' Toby Keith is about to be added to Country Music Hall of Fame
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