Feel-Good Friday: The Toby Keith is an icon edition

The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards were held at the Grand Ole Opry Thursday night. The first-ever event got off to a bumpy start.

The event was scheduled to last for two hours. It ended “abruptly” according to reporting on the program. Half of the awards were not presented on-air.

Yes, the People’s Choice Country Awards TV program ended abruptly after only half of the awards had been presented. The event had a hard broadcast limit of two hours, and brevity was not in the cards for those accepting awards, including Toby Keith and Wynonna Judd.

There were also moments when younger members of the Grand Ole Opry, inducted in the past decade (including Lauren Alaina, Lady A and Dustin Lynch), appeared to ad-lib at considerable length about their favorite genre moments to date.

Given that the program is part of a partnership between independent strategic investment company Atairos, NBCUniversal and Opry Entertainment Group, the event is likely to return. However, 12 categories and several honorary awards, plus ten performances in 120 minutes may be too much of a good thing.

In other words, the honorees talked for too long. The show would have gone way over, so that left half of the winners without their time in the spotlight. Given the partnership put together for the program, it will likely go on, but with changes. Growing pains. Rookie mistakes happen.

Among those honored with awards include Lainey Wilson (Female artist of the year and Collaboration song: “Save Me” – with Jelly Roll), Wynonna Judd (Country champion award), and Toby Keith. Toby Keith was honored with the first Icon Award.

The “Red Solo Cup” vocalist was honored with the “Country Icon” Award by his “Oklahoma Brother” Blake Shelton. The country favorite and Ole Red honky-tonk brand proprietor honored Keith with a performance of his 2002 classic “Who’s Your Daddy.”

Keith has made numerous recent public appearances after an 18-month break from touring to focus on his health, following announcing a stomach cancer diagnosis in June 2022, following receiving radiation, chemotherapy and surgery for six months.

The artist will release a new compilation, “100% Songwriter,” on Nov. 3.

Keith is “the man who taught me more about performing than anyone else,” said Shelton.

After accepting the award, Keith performed his song “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”

“I’m working my way back into performing shape,” noted the artist on the awards’ red carpet.

Thursday’s Grand Ole Opry appearance showed him to be well along that path.

That’s good news. Keith has only recently been slowly easing back into performing, mostly at small venues until he gets his stamina back.

He told the press, “I feel pretty good.”

The country legend — who was accepting the Country Icon Award — told E! News that his cancer struggle is “a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down.”

“It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today,” he said while walking the red carpet outside Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry with wife of nearly 40 years, Tricia Lucus.

Keith, 62, revealed his stomach cancer diagnosis in June 2022 with a statement on his Instagram account.

“I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery,” he explained. “So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”

Last night, singer performed his 2019 track “Don’t Let the Old Man In” for his first televised performance since revealing his stomach cancer diagnosis.

Country music isn’t my favorite genre but there are some country artists I enjoy. I became familiar with Toby Keith after 9/11/01 when I heard his hit tribute song, ” Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” At the time, the song was very controversial because of some “angry” lyrics. Imagine an American feeling anger that his country was attacked by Islamic extremists and almost 3,000 people were killed. Crazy, right? Ugh. Television networks wouldn’t let him perform it unless he watered down the lyrics. He refused. Iconic.

Best of luck to him as he continues to battle stomach cancer. God bless him.