The late Toby Keith will be enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The announcement, made Monday, also named John Anderson and James Burton as the other two 2024 inductees.
“James, John and Toby were all original performers with clear, identifiable sounds who walked to the beat of their own drummer and inspired countless others to follow in their footsteps,” CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said during an announcement ceremony on the hall’s rotunda Monday morning.
Keith, who passed away Feb. 5, is going in under the Modern Era Artist category after a career that boasted 32 No. 1 singles. He wrote or co-wrote almost all of his music, which earned him inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2021.
He also received the National Medal of the Arts in 2020 and the BMI Icon Award in 2022, among numerous other honors.
While Country Music Association’s bylaws state that, normally, an artist is prohibited from entering the Hall of Fame in the year of their death, Keith was a bit of an exception. The voting was completed prior to his passing and the results revealed the afternoon after his death.
John Anderson will be entering the Hall of Fame as this year’s Veterans Era artist. Anderson boasted five No. 1 singles over his 20 albums. Like Keith, Anderson is also a member of the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
James Burton is the Recording or Touring Artist inductee. Burton, whose prolific career dates back to the 1950s, has played alongside names such as Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Jr., and Merle Haggard.
He is probably most recognized, however, for his tenure with Elvis Presley and the “Taking Care of Business Band.” Burton served as lead guitarist and band leader from 1969 until Presley’s passing in 1977.
The inductions of Keith, Anderson, and Burton will take place later in the year and will increase the number of members in the Hall of Fame to 155.
