Toby Keith Tribute Special Set at NBC Featuring Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and More
NBC will air a musical special in honor of Toby Keith, singer of country hits like “Should Have Been a Cowboy” and “Red Solo Cup,” who died at age 62 in February.
Titled “Toby Keith: American Icon,” the special will feature covers and original songs performed by country artists Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Darius Rucker, the War And Treaty and more.
More from Variety
Post Malone, Doja Cat and Jelly Roll to Headline Global Citizen Festival in Central Park
NBC Mockumentary 'St. Denis Medical' Gets Season 1 Extended to 18 Episodes
The two-hour special will air on Aug. 28 at 9 p.m. Tickets for the live show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena will go on sale on June 28, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral, a cost-free home for families of children dealing with critical illnesses, as well as the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Throughout his career, Keith released 42 Top 10 tracks, 33 making No. 1, and was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts and the BMI Icon. Along with “Should Have Been a Cowboy” and “Red Solo Cup,” his best known songs include “How Do You Like Me Now?!” “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American),” “I Love This Bar,” ““As Good as I Once Was” and “Beer for My Horses.”
“Toby Keith: American Icon” is produced by UMG Nashville’s Sing Me Back Home Productions and ITV America’s Thinkfactory Media in association with Alex Coletti Productions. Executive producers include Cindy Mabe, Dawn Gates and Harper Grae for Sing Me Back Home; Alice Webb and Barak Moffitt for Mercury Studios; Adam Reed and Jordana Hochman for Thinkfactory; Alex Coletti for Alex Coletti Productions; T.K. Kimbrell; and R.A. Clark. Mercury Studios represents “Toby Keith: American Icon” for international sales and distribution. The show and special have been packaged by UTA, where Keith was represented. The live concert is being promoted by Live Nation.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
