Toby Keith to Perform Merle Haggard Tribute on AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS on FOX

Superstar Toby Keith to perform Merle Haggard tribute at the 2016 "AMERICAN COUNTRY COUNTDOWN AWARDS" live Sunday, May 1 @ 8/7c on FOX. Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey will introduce the tribute.

Superstar singer/songwriter Toby Keith will perform a heartfelt tribute in celebration of his friend and musical hero, Merle Haggard. Haggard's longtime back-up band, The Strangers, will join Keith as part of this memorable performance.

Haggard's widow, Teresa, will be in attendance along with other members of the Haggard family, including son Ben, who also will perform with The Strangers. Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey will introduce the tribute to the late legendary songwriter who inspired countless musicians and who is one of country music's greatest icons.

Keith joins roster of epic 12 performances during two-hour broadcast, including
Kelsea Ballerini, 2016 NASH Icon Award recipients Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Cam, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Martina McBride, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell and Carrie Underwood.

About Toby Keith: From his first No. 1 smash, "Should've Been A Cowboy," to his new album, "35 mph Town," Toby Keith has been one of the most consistent, self-directed hit MAKERS of his era. His single, "Made In America" (from the album "Clancy's Tavern"), topped the charts as one of the fastest rising songs in a long line of chart burners from Keith's pen. The second hit, "Red Solo Cup," has become one of the most commercially successful country singles, with a viral video garnering more than 30 million views. "Drunk Americans," the first single from "35 mph Town," debuted at No. 1 Most Added on both the Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts. At the core of Keith's unparalleled success is his songwriting, which has powered an astounding succession of hit songs to the tune of more than 87 million BMI performances on commercial radio stations worldwide. In June 2015, Keith was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, and he has been honored by the NASHVILLE Songwriters Association International with its Songwriter/Artist of the Decade distinction. He is a three-time BMI Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year and was named the American Country Awards' Artist of the Decade. His albums have sold more than 40 million copies, ranking him among the top-selling all-genre artists on Billboard's Top 200 Artists of the Decade. Keith is also Billboard's No. 1 Country Artist of the Decade and No. 1 Country Songwriter of the Decade. His tours have drawn more than one million fans each year for the last decade. This year's tour, Interstates & Tailgates presented by Ford F-Series, kicks off in May with dates scheduled throughout North America. However Keith's most rewarding experiences, as exhibited in his continual devotion to them, come from giving back. Whether it's helping sick children and their families in his native Oklahoma through the Toby Keith Foundation and the cost-free home OK Kids Korral, or supporting U.S. Troops, including 11 USO Tours throughout the world, Keith has never lost touch with the most important things in life.

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