TOBY KEITH TO BE POSTHUMOUSLY INDUCTED INTO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

The Country Music Association announced Monday that Toby Keith will be posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year.

Country artists John Anderson and James Burton will also be in the 2024 inductee class, according to CMA.

Keith and Anderson were selected for the annual “Modern Era Artist” and “Veteran Era Artist” categories. Burton was selected for the “Recording/Touring Musician” category.

According to CMA, they created the Country Music Hall of Fame honor to recognize significant contributions to the advancement of country music by individuals creatively and business-wise.

The first members were inducted in 1961, and they now have 155 members.

CMA said Keith was one of the most consistent hitmakers in country music. In his over 30-year career, he had 42 Top Ten country hits and twenty #1 hits. Worldwide, he sold more than forty million records.

“Keith wrote or co-wrote most of his material, sharing a perspective on life that was by turns tough, tender, and humorous in hit songs,” CMA said in Keith’s artist biography.

He is also being recognized as a savvy businessman who opened a record label and publishing company.

Keith passed away in February of 2024 after a battle with stomach cancer.

The invite-only ceremony will take place in Nashville.

During it, bronze plaques bearing the inductees’ likenesses will be unveiled for the first time and will hang permanently in the Museum’s Rotunda.