A Special Tribute: Luke Bryan Honors Toby Keith With A Heartfelt Gesture

During the all-star Toby Keith: American Icon tribute show, Luke Bryan made a very special wardrobe decision to honor the late icon. Bryan typically performs wearing a baseball cap, but during his appearance at the tribute—taped in Nashville last month and airing on Wednesday night (Aug. 28)—he brought out his black cowboy hat in honor of the late, great icon.

The Keith hit Bryan sang was "Should've Been a Cowboy," making it fitting for him to don his best cowboy attire for the occasion. However, the hat held even more significance for Bryan. He chose to wear it in memory of his late sister, Kelly, who gifted him the hat before she passed away in 2007.

"This hat has been hanging in my closet for probably 15 years," Bryan explained, as reported by Billboard, which previewed a sneak peek of his performance. "I used to wear this hat every night, and ever since I lost my sister, I hadn't put this hat onstage in a lot of years. I was walkin' out the house, and I said, 'You know what? I'm just an old country boy from Georgia, but Toby Keith certainly made me want to be a cowboy. I'm gonna be a cowboy tonight. This is for you, Toby."

Taste of Country attended the July taping of the benefit show at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. One of the highlights is expected to be a performance from Krystal Keith, Toby's daughter, who delivered a haunting rendition of his song "Don't Let the Old Man In." Earlier this week, NBC shared a clip of Carrie Underwood's performance of "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action."

• Keith died at age 62 in February after battling stomach cancer.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• Partial proceeds from the tribute show will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Toby Keith Foundation's OK Kids Korral.

Toby Keith: American Icon will air on NBC on Wednesday night at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT.

Carena Liptak is an Associate Editor and staff writer at Taste of Country. She specializes in breaking country music news, interviews, and lists. In particular, she has a soft spot for sad songs—check out her roundup of the 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time!