CMC Rocks Bringing Toby Keith To Australia

American country heavyweight Toby Keith will play his first shows in Australia next year as he headlines the CMC Rocks The Hunter festival.

Promoted by Rob Potts' Entertainment Edge and Chugg Entertainment, the leading country music festival will once again return to the Hunter Valley's Hope Estate with Keith joined by the Eli Young Band, Kellie Picker and Lee Kernaghan.

The full first announcement incudes:

American artists – Toby Keith, Eli Young Band, Kellie Pickler, Craig Campbell, Love And Theft, Paul Thorn and The Greencards.

Australian artist – Lee Kernaghan, Morgan Evans, The Flood, Luke O'Shea, Adam Eckersley Band, Peter McWhirter, Kaylens Rain, Jason Owen and The Viper Creek Band.

New Zealand's Jody Direen is also on the bill.

Today Rob Potts said that Keith, “has been in our sights for years and we're thrilled to finally bring him down under,” while Chugg Entertainment Chairman Michael Cugg added, “The festival keeps getting bigger and more exciting each year and what better way to see CMC rocking the Hunter in 2014 than with Toby Keith performing in Australia for the first time ever!”

Toby Keith has now announced headline dates as well, check out those details here.

The festival, whose sister event CMC Rocks North Queensland will be headlined by Alan Jackson later this year, is it its seventh year, the fourth of which is at the Hunter Valley.

Chugg Entertainment's CEO Matthew Lazarus-Hall said, “The reception from businesses in the area has been so wonderfully mutual over the years;Over a quarter of the event staff are locals hired from across the region and more than 25 percent of the event's total expenditure is with companies within the region too. We're proud to be supporting both local businesses and local Australian music.”

The three-day camping festival will run from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March next year. Tickets go on sale 9am Monday 9 September from here, with three-day adult tickets $269. Payment plans are available.

Read our wrap of last year's event here.