Toby Keith's Family Speak On His Legacy At CMT Music Awards 2024

what does it mean to you got for you guys to be here tonight it it it means a lot it's our first really public appearance public outing and so it's very bittersweet it's going to be emotional we're doing our best to keep the tears in now um make it through this line of cameras we've honestly I mean this is an award show that we came to quite a bit and um we've always come with him so this our first time being here without him um but he's being honored so we feel like he's here and um and we're excited to hear his music even though he's not the one singing it but you know we're we're really honored that um you know Brooks and dun and and Sammy and Laney have um come to to honor him in this way so we're we're really excited he meant a lot to so many people and his his loss has been felt I mean I don't live in Nashville but I know it's been felt here it's just going to be amazing tribute he was bigger than life for sure he he had a we we felt um you know what we knew that you know he was an incredible artist we knew he was an incredible songwriter um we knew he had a huge fan base but what we didn't um I think what took us by surprise was the outpouring from the community and the the industry people that we've known for so many years and and people that we have never met but telling us stories about the impact that he had on them and um I think that speaks volumes um to who he was to not just the industry but this I mean the entire country music family and all the people in this industry have you been able to talk to Brooks and Dunn or Laney Wilson about the performance ahead of time not this performance we've kept it a secret for us I know he was with Ronnie and kicks a few weeks back in Nashville I got to talk to them briefly we didn't talk too much about CMT you know there was a it was the um announcement of the Hall of Fame induction so I got to I got to um see them backstage at that and and talk to them um just about what he meant to them and and vice versa I got to relay the same back and so we're we're really excited to be here for them to see them perform as well Sammy I mean we we spent last night with Sammy and and Ki his wife and um just you know hearing Billy Bob Thornton was there and just telling stories about uh telling stories about my dad and and hearing stories we've never heard and telling stories they've never heard um it's it's kind of cathartic to to sit and and live through some of those I don't think there's going to be a dryi on the house so I'm ours are certainly not going to be I can promise you that