Toby Keith was honored at the ACM Awards with a performance of “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” by Jason Aldean. Prior to his performance, Blake Shelton, who presented Keith with the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards last fall, praised the future Country Music Hall of Fame member.
“As a friend, a fan, and a fellow Okie, I feel heartbroken and yet honored to be standing here tonight to remember a man who became one of the biggest country music stars of all time, the late great Toby Keith,” Shelton said. “Toby was a big star in every way. He sold more than 44 million albums, with 33 No. 1 hits, and 14 ACM Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. But in the end, the mark that Toby left was much more than just that. Toby was a loving husband to his beautiful wife, Tricia. He was a proud father to their three kids, and we’re so honored and moved to have Tricia and the kids all here with us tonight.”
.@blakeshelton welcomes @Jason_Aldean to the stage for a tribute performance honoring the late Toby Keith ❤️🩹 #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/ZhjQEaO7yq
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 17, 2024
“Toby was a great friend to me,” he continued, “and he was a real straight-shooter who was larger than life, and he always would shoot you straight, right to the very end of his brave ride that ended way too soon. Here to honor Toby’s memory with one of his greatest songs, another friend who loved him very much, Jason Aldean.”
When the tribute performance was announced, Aldean said it was Keith who inspired him the most, both on and off stage.
“I’m excited to be here and perform for Toby, and honor him, just because I’ve known him for years,” Aldean said ahead of the ceremony. “I met him almost 20 years ago, probably 20 years ago. I had a chance to tour with him over the years and different things. He’s just one of the guys, so I think for us in the business, he was one of those guys that was always there, and you knew what you were going to get from him, you knew what he stood for. He never shied away from things; he spoke his mind.”
More than what Aldean learned from Keith musically, it was how he conducted his life away from the stage that impacted him the most.
“I think for me especially, that was something that I always respected him a lot for, because it’s not always easy to do in this business,” Aldean reflected. “The way you feel isn’t necessarily the popular opinion. Toby was the guy that really didn’t care. He was going to be himself, and be who he was, and be unapologetic about it. I think that was something that I always admired about him, and I was glad that I had the chance to come and honor him.”