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After a sweet video montage,Blake Sheltonpresented the “I Love This Bar” singer, 62, with the award, honoring him for his work as a musician, humanitarian and entrepreneur.
“Bet you thought you’d never see me in skinny jeans,” Keith quipped, while accepting the honor. “I want to thank the almighty for allowing me to be here tonight. You’ve been riding shotgun with me for a little while.”
After thanking his family, he showed his gratitude for his team noting that “a lot of people go into making a big career like this of 30 years.”
“Most of all I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do,” he added.
Before the award show began, Keith spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about how he and Shelton, 47, are “kindred spirits” and what it meant to him to receive the award.
Keith has released a slew of hits throughout his career including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “How Do You Like Me Now,” “As Good as I Once Was,” and “Beer for My Horse."
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015, won the National Medal of Arts and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021 and was named a BMI icon last year.
Keith, who has been dealing with stomach cancer since 2022,returned to the stagefor a pair of surprise performances in July — his first since announcinghis diagnosislast summer.
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Keith hopes to be “out on the road this fall,” he told the outlet, shortly before he ended updoing two pop-up shows.
He added, “All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
source: people.com
