Toby Keith to receive 'Country Icon' award at September's People's Choice Country Awards

Sept. 28's debuting People's Choice Country Awards will feature not just Little Big Town hosting the event emanating from Music City's Grand Ole Opry. Toby Keith will also receive the Country Icon Award at the event, presented to the "Red Solo Cup" vocalist by fellow Oklahoma native Blake Shelton.

"We're overjoyed to honor legendary artist Toby Keith with the first-ever Country Icon Award," said Cassandra Tryon, Senior Vice President of Entertainment Live Events at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "As a talented songwriter and powerhouse performer, Keith has touched the hearts of fans across the globe. His illustrious career and passion for philanthropy has cemented his place as an icon in country music history."

In the past decade, Keith has also received Songwriters Hall of Fame, National Medal of Arts, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and BMI Icon honors for his catalog of songs, including "Who's That Man," "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)," "I Love This Bar," "Beer for My Horses," "American Soldier," "As Good as I Once Was," "God Love Her" and "Made in America."

The two-hour "People's Choice Country Awards" telecast will honor fan-chosen recipients in various categories and feature several honorary awards, including the "Country Icon" award. A press release also highlights that the event will "lean into the rich connection between country music and the Opry through chart-topping musical performances, genre-bending collaborations, legendary tributes and surprise moments."

Though no other performers have been named, hosts Little Big Town will perform a medley of their hit singles.

Regarding the event, Mark Fioravanti, President & CEO of Ryman Hospitality Properties, had stated, "This type of collaboration is what we envisioned when we selected Atairos and NBCUniversal as our strategic partner for Opry Entertainment," referring to NBCUniversal's April 2022 equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside independent strategic investment company Atairos.

The program will extend the 48-year-old People's Choice Awards brand into the country realm after 2022's "People's Choice Awards" were aired on NBC and E! (after being acquired by E! in 2017, with its first telecast airing on the network in 2018) and delivered 173 million total engagements across linear, digital and social platforms.

No further information regarding event websites, nominees, performers, or ticket availability has been offered.

For more information, in general, about the Grand Ole Opry, visit https://opry.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Toby Keith to receive 'Country Icon' award at September's People's Choice Country Awards