Toby Keith Chooses a Root Canal Over the CMA Awards

Toby Keith Chooses a Root Canal Over the CMA Awards

Country music artist Toby Keith has rejected the CMA Awards, where he's nominated for Music Video of the Year, with the video for 'Red Solo Cup'. 

While speaking to Country Weekly, in his endearing country drawl, he said, "Hell no, I ain't showing up. I gotta go get a root canal that day, or something fun." It has been seven years since he was last nominated at the awards, despite being one of the biggest selling country music artists of the past two decades. In all 27 nominations he's received from the CMAs over the course of his career, he's only won twice before. Once in 2005 for his "As Good As I Once Was" video, and in 2001 in the highly sought after category of Best Male Singer. He believes the CMAs are largely politically driven, rather than basing the awards- nominations and winners- on talent. 

He spoke with Country further about his country peers achieving cross over into mainstream tastes. "All of my peers that are hard ticket sellers, successful people, at the top of the game we play every day, about every one of them has had a certain amount of crossover play: Taylor, Tim, Keith, Flatts, Faith." He said,  "I was always the one guy in that generation that didn't. [Pop stations] were always like, 'He is so country, we're not going to play him.' And I always took pride in that ."