Blake Shelton
| Blake Shelton | |
|---|---|
 Shelton in April 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Blake Tollison Shelton |
| Born |
June 18, 1976 Ada, Oklahoma, United States |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer, television personality |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Giant, Warner Bros. Nashville, Reprise Nashville |
| Associated acts | Bobby Braddock, Miranda Lambert |
| Website | blakeshelton.com |
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976)[1][2] is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The gold-certified debut album also produced two more Top 20 hits. Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, he was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.
His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, were each certified gold as well. His fourth album, Pure BS (2007), was re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. A fifth album, Startin' Fires, was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the albums Red River Blue in 2011 and Based on a True Story… in 2013. Overall, Blake Shelton has charted 24 country singles, including 15 Number Ones. He has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award.
Shelton is also known for his role as a judge on the televised singing competitions Nashville Star, Clash of the Choirs, and The Voice. He has been on The Voice since its inception, and three out of the five seasons (2–4) his teams have won. He is the husband of country singer Miranda Lambert.
Early life
Shelton was born in Ada, Oklahoma, to father Richard, a used car dealer, and mother Dorothy, a beauty salon owner. He began singing at an early age and by age 12 had learned to play guitar. By age 15, Shelton had written his first song. By age 16, Shelton had received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state.[1] On November 13, 1990, his older brother Richie, who was 24 at the time, died in a car accident. He has an older sister, Endy. At age 17, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a singing career.
Musical career
2001–2006: Beginnings
After several years in Nashville, he signed to Giant Records in 2001. In 2001, he was slated to release a song entitled "I Wanna Talk About Me" as a single. Staff at the label considered the song unsuitable for a lead-off single, however, and the song was eventually recorded by Toby Keith, whose version was a number 1 single.[3]
Instead, Giant released "Austin" as Shelton's debut single. Shortly after its release, Giant Records was closed, and Shelton was transferred to parent company Warner Bros. Records. "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. Warner released his self-titled debut album, which was produced by songwriter Bobby Braddock. It also produced the top 20 hits "All Over Me", which Shelton co-wrote with Earl Thomas Conley and Mike Pyle, and "Ol' Red". Although Shelton's rendition of "Ol' Red" was not a major radio hit, he considers it his signature song, and it has become popular in concert.[4] Blake Shelton received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies.[1]
Blake Shelton received a positive review from Maria Konicki Dinoia of Allmusic, who called "Austin" "tremendously imaginative" and praised Shelton for including songs written by Braddock and Conley.[5] Country Standard Time was less favorable, with Scott Homewood saying that it "album just smacks of being assembled with the intent on capturing the burgeoning alternative country market".[6]
Shelton's second album, The Dreamer, was first released on February 4, 2003, on Warner Bros. Records. Its lead-off single, "The Baby", reached Number One on the country charts, holding that position for three weeks. Although the second and third singles ("Heavy Liftin'" and "Playboys of the Southwestern World", respectively) only reached No.32 and No. 24, The Dreamer earned gold certification as well. He, along with Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry, sang guest vocals on Tracy Byrd's mid-2003 single "The Truth About Men". Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was the title of Shelton's third studio album, released in 2004.[1] Its lead-off single, the Harley Allen co-write "When Somebody Knows You That Well", peaked at No.37 on the country charts, while the follow-up "Some Beach" became his third No.1 hit, holding that position for four weeks. It was followed by a cover of Conway Twitty's 1988 single "Goodbye Time".[7] Both this cover and its followup, "Nobody but Me", reached Top Ten for Shelton as well. As with his first two albums, Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was certified gold. Accompanying the album's release was a video collection entitled Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill: A Video Collection.[1]
On December 18, 2005, several of Shelton's songs, including "Nobody but Me", appeared on the TV movie The Christmas Blessing, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, and Rob Lowe. Shelton had a small role at the end of the movie, playing himself at a benefit concert, singing "Nobody but Me".
2006–2011: Pure BS and Startin' Fires
Shelton issued his fourth studio album, Pure BS, in early 2007.[1] Unlike with his first three albums, which were produced entirely by Bobby Braddock, Shelton worked with Braddock, Brent Rowan, and Paul Worley as producers for this album. Its first two singles—"Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink"—were both Top 20 hits on the country charts, respectively reaching No.12 and No. 19. Also in late 2007, Shelton made appearances on television shows: first as a judge on the talent competition Nashville Star, and later on Clash of the Choirs.
Pure BS was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, including a cover of Michael Bublé's hit single "Home". This cover, released in early 2008 as the album's third single, became his fourth No.1 hit in July.[8]
"Home" was followed in August 2008 by the single "She Wouldn't Be Gone", his 14th chart entry and his fifth No. 1 hit. It was the first time in his career that he had two consecutive Number Ones. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" is the lead-off to Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires, which has also produced the single "I'll Just Hold On." This album also includes "Bare Skin Rug," a duet with Lambert.[9] It was produced by Scott Hendricks, except for one track which was produced by Brent Rowan, and another ("I Don't Care", which carried over from Pure BS) was produced by Braddock.[10] After "I'll Just Hold On" fell off the chart in October 2009, Blake Shelton released a duet with Trace Adkins titled "Hillbilly Bone". It was the lead-off single on Shelton's EP, Hillbilly Bone, released on March 2, 2010 through Reprise Records Nashville. After "Hillbilly Bone" reached No.1 in February, came the August release of "All About Tonight", the lead-off single to his EP of the same name. In September, he released the second single from All About Tonight, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking", his 18th single release. He released his first greatest hits album, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton in November 2010.
Shelton was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry during the September 28, 2010 "Country Comes Home" concert celebrating reopening of the Grand Ole Opry House after the Cumberland River flooded the Opry House in May 2010. The formal invitation was extended on his Twitter account and was announced by Opry star Trace Adkins.[11] He was formally inducted by Adkins at the Saturday, October 23, 2010 Opry performance. Shelton recorded the title track for the remake of Footloose released on October 14, 2011. Shelton appeared on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 where he performed "All About Tonight" and won Male Vocalist of the Year.[12]
In 2011, Shelton started working as a judge/coach to singers on the NBC reality television series The Voice.[13]
2011–2012: Red River Blue and Cheers, It's Christmas
Blake Shelton released the album Red River Blue on July 12, 2011, led by the single, "Honey Bee". The song received 138,000 downloads in its first week and was certified gold in its seventh week, setting a new record for the fastest gold certification by a male country singer.[14] On June 13, 2011, in its tenth chart week, "Honey Bee" went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming his ninth No. 1 and his fastest-climbing. The album was expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with around 110,000 copies sold.[15] "God Gave Me You", a cover of a Dave Barnes song, was the album's second single; it also reached No. 1. "Drink On It", the fifth song on the album, hit No. 1 in April 2012, giving him his 11th No. 1 song. On April 30, 2012, Blake performed "Over" on the Semi-finals of the second season of The Voice. “Over” became Shelton's seventh consecutive No. 1. and his 12th No. 1 hit to date.
Blake Shelton is a coach on the NBC show The Voice. In season 1, his finalist Dia Frampton came in second. Frampton recorded a track with Shelton titled "I Will" on her album Red, released December 6, 2011. Shelton returned for a second season of the show with his finalist Jermaine Paul as the champion.[16] In season three of The Voice, Shelton’s team member, Cassadee Pope, was declared the winner with other Team Blake contestant Terry McDermott finishing as runner-up.
Blake Shelton took the stage with Miranda Lambert at Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012 to open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful”. It marked their first TV performance since their headlining nuptials in May 2011.
In October 2012, Shelton released his first Christmas album, Cheers, It's Christmas, which peaked at no. 1 and no. 2 respectively on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums and Top Country Albums charts.
Blake Shelton appears on fellow "Voice" coach Christina Aguilera's album Lotus on the song "Just a Fool".
2013: Based on a True Story…
At 12:02 a.m. on New Year's Day 2013, Shelton premiered a new single entitled "Sure Be Cool If You Did",[17] which was released to iTunes on January 8[18] and reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay chart in 2013. His eighth studio album, Based on a True Story…, was released on March 26, 2013 and debuted at No. 1 on the country chart and No. 3 on the all-genre chart by selling a career best nearly 200,000 copies.[19][20] The album's second single, "Boys 'Round Here" released to country radio in 2013 and also reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The album's third single, "Mine Would Be You", was released to country radio on July 22, 2013 and reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in November 2013. "Mine Would Be You" became Shelton's 10th consecutive number one single, tying him with the record set by Brad Paisley in 2009.
Blake Shelton received the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award for his role as a coach on The Voice at the 48th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2013.
Shelton will support Based on a True Story… on his Ten Times Crazier Tour which began on July 19, 2013 and will end on October 5, 2013.[21]
On season four of The Voice, he became the winning coach for the third consecutive time with team members Danielle Bradbery as the winner and The Swon Brothers in third place.
Healing in the Heartland
Blake Shelton and NBC put together the "Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert," which aired on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 that included some of Oklahoma's superstar talent, to raise money for the victims of the tornado of May 20, 2013. Shelton was joined on stage by Usher, one of his fellow judges on The Voice, to perform the song "Home", asking the audience, "Man, is there anyone in the world cooler than Usher?" and a list of performers: Oklahoma country music stars Miranda Lambert, Shelton's wife; Reba McEntire; Vince Gill; Luke Bryan; Joe Don Rooney, a Picher native with Rascal Flatts; and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. After the massive storm ripped through the Moore, Oklahoma area on May 20, killing 24 people and leaving thousands of homes damaged, Shelton decided to use his voice—and his Rolodex of A-list music stars—to help raise money for relief and recovery efforts. The one-hour concert was aired live on NBC from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. All proceeds benefit the United Way of Central Oklahoma's tornado relief fund. Healing in the Heartland raised over 6 million dollars for a local Oklahoma City chapter of the United Way.
Personal life
Shelton married long time girlfriend Kaynette Gern on November 17, 2003.[22] They divorced in 2006.
In 2005, Shelton met fellow country singer Miranda Lambert at the CMT's 100 Greatest Duets Concert.[23] Lambert also sang background vocals on his cover of Michael Bublé's song, "Home", which became a Number 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. On May 9, 2010, after dating for four years,[24] Shelton proposed to Miranda, after seeking (and receiving) her father's blessing.[24][25]
Shelton and Lambert were married on May 14, 2011, at Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas.[24] 550 people were in attendance, including many celebrities, such as Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Kelly Clarkson, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley, and the Bellamy Brothers. After the wedding, Shelton expressed his joy stating, "I wanted to be married to Miranda the day I proposed. Finally, it's official!"[26] Blake and Miranda reside in the small town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, which is located in the Texoma area.[citation needed]
On January 17, 2012, Shelton's father, Dick, 71, died in Oklahoma, following a period of declining health.[27][28] Shelton's brother, Richie, died in 1990 when Blake was 14 years old. Blake and Lambert wrote about Richie in Lambert's song, Over You. The song was named CMA Song of the Year for 2012. It was also named Single Record and Song of the Year at the 2013 Academy of Country Music awards.
Discography
- Blake Shelton (2001)
- The Dreamer (2003)
- Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill (2004)
- Pure BS (2007)
- Startin' Fires (2008)
- Red River Blue (2011)
- Cheers, It's Christmas (2012)[29]
- Based on a True Story… (2013)
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–13 | The Voice | Himself (coach and judge) | Seasons 1–present |
| 2012 | Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas | Himself/host | Christmas special |
| 2012 | Michael Bublé: Home For The Holiday's | Himself | Christmas special |
| 2013 | Malibu Country[30] | Blake MacKenzie | Episode: "Oh Brother" (1.15) |
The Voice
Shelton has been a coach on NBC's The Voice since its inception in 2011.
- Season 1 – Runner-up coach as his final team member, Dia Frampton, won second place of the season
- Season 2 – Winning coach as his final team member, Jermaine Paul, was declared winner of the season
- Season 3 – Winning coach as his team member, Cassadee Pope, was declared winner of the season (runner up Terry McDermott was also on his team)
- Season 4 – Winning coach as his team member, Danielle Bradbery, was declared winner of the season
- Season 5 – Third place coach as his team member, Cole Vosbury, was eliminated in the Playoffs
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Academy of Country Music | Top New Male Vocalist | Nominated |
| 2002 | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Vocal Event of the Year – "The Truth About Men" (with Tracy Byrd, Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry) | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Country Music Association | Horizon Award | Nominated |
| Vocal Event of the Year – "The Truth About Men" (with Tracy Byrd, Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry) | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Academy of Country Music | Vocal Event of the Year – "Hillbilly Bone" (with Trace Adkins) | Won |
| CMT Music Awards | Collaborative Video of the Year – "Hillbilly Bone" (with Trace Adkins) | Won | |
| Country Music Association | Male Vocalist of The Year | Won | |
| Vocal Event of the Year – "Hillbilly Bone" (with Trace Adkins) | Won | ||
| 2011 | CMT Music Awards | Male Video of the Year – "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" | Won |
| Best Web Video of the Year – "Kiss My Country @#!*% " | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Male Country Artist | Nominated | |
| Choice Music: Country Single – "Honey Bee" | Nominated | ||
| Country Music Association | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won | ||
| Single of the Year – "Honey Bee" | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year – All About Tonight | Nominated | ||
| Music Video of the Year – "Honey Bee" | Nominated | ||
| American Music Awards | Favorite Country Male Artist | Won | |
| 2012 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Male Artist | Nominated |
| Favorite Country Artist | Nominated | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Country Album – "Red River Blue" | Nominated | |
| Best Country Solo Performance – "Honey Bee" | Nominated | ||
| Best Country Song – "God Gave Me You" | Nominated | ||
| CMT Teddy Awards[31] | Best Flirting Video – "Honey Bee" | Won | |
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Entertainer of The Year | Nominated | |
| Male Vocalist of The Year | Won | ||
| CMT Music Awards | Video of The Year – "God Gave Me You" | Nominated | |
| Male Video of The Year – "God Gave Me You" | Nominated | ||
| CMT Performance of The Year – "Footloose" | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Male Country Artist | Nominated | |
| Country Song – "God Gave Me You" | Nominated | ||
| Male Artist | Nominated | ||
| Country Music Association | Entertainer of the Year | Won | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won | ||
| Single of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | Won | ||
| 2013 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Male Artist | Nominated |
| Favorite Country Artist | Nominated | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Country Solo Performance – "Over" | Nominated | |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Singer | Nominated | |
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year – "Over You" | Won | ||
| Gene Weed Special Achievement Award | Won | ||
| CMT Music Awards | Male Video of the Year – "Sure Be Cool If You Did" | Won | |
| Country Music Association Awards[32] | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won | ||
| Album of the Year – "Based On A True Story..." | Won | ||
| Musical Event of the Year – "Boys 'Round Here" (Feat. Pistol Annies) | Nominated | ||
| Music Video of the Year – "Boys 'Round Here" (Feat. Pistol Annies) | Nominated | ||
| American Music Awards | Favorite Country Male Artist | Nominated | |
| American Country Awards | Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year – "Based On A True Story..." | Won | ||
| Single by a Male Artist – "Sure Be Cool If You Did" | Won | ||
| Great American Country – Music Video of the Year – "Sure Be Cool If You Did" | Won | ||
| Music Video by a Male Artist – "Sure Be Cool If You Did" | Won | ||
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Male Artist | Nominated |
| Favorite Country Artist | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Album – "Based On A True Story..." | Nominated | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Country Album – "Based On A True Story..." | Nominated | |
| Best Country Solo Performance – "Mine Would Be You" | Nominated | ||
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Entertainer of the Year | Pending | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Pending | ||
| Album of the Year – "Based On A True Story..." | Pending | ||
| Song of the Year – "Mine Would Be You" | Pending | ||
| Vocal Event of the Year – "Boys 'Round Here" (Feat. Pistol Annies) | Pending |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cohoon, Rick. "Blake Shelton biography". Allmusic. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
- ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1264). Jun 21, 2013. p. 26.
- ↑ Crossan, Jeff. "Bobby Braddock article". Songwriter Universe. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton: Celebrating Country Life". Ada Evening News. April 25, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ↑ Dinoia, Maria Konicki. "Blake Shelton review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ↑ Homewood, Scott. "Blake Shelton review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ↑ Salonica, Kelly (November 7, 2005). "Story Behind the Song". Country Weekly 12 (23): 70.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton calls number one "Home"". Country Standard Time. July 7, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
- ↑ Vercher, Brody (October 3, 2008). "New Blake Shelton Album Bumped to Nov. 18; Features Miranda". The 9513. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton readies fifth CD". Country Standard Time. October 3, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ↑ Grand Ole Opry Celebrates Triumphant Reopening With Blowout Concert, Surprise – Our Country. New.music.yahoo.com (September 29, 2010). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton". TVGuide.com. November 2, 2010.
- ↑ Ng, Philiana (March 7, 2011). "Blake Shelton Joins NBC's 'The Voice' as Fourth Judge". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ↑ Trust, Gary (May 25, 2011). "Blake Shelton’s "Honey Bee" Goes Digital Gold And Makes Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ Keith Caulfield (July 14, 2011). "Blake Shelton On Course For First No. 1 Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
- ↑ NBC, Coaches Bio. Retrieved on February 22, 2012.
- ↑ Pole, Tad. "Blake Shelton Releases 1st New Song of 2013 – It’d Sure Be Cool If You Did". Big Frog 104. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ↑ "iTunes – Music – Sure Be Cool If You Did – Single by Blake Shelton". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ↑ 20/20 TIMES TWO: A DEJA VU EXPERIENCE. hitsdailydouble.com (April 2, 2013).
- ↑ "Blake Shelton: Video Premiere, Album Cover, Release Date, Tracklist, Demo Sneak Peek (AUDIO)! | The Voice". mjsbigblog. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ↑ Duvall, Erin (January 17, 2013) Blake Shelton Tour Dates 2013 Will Be 'Ten Times Crazier'. The Boot.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton Biography". People. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- ↑ Blake Shelton Talks About Divorce, Leaving Nashville And New Girl Miranda Lambert – Starpulse Entertainment News Blog. Starpulse.com (May 1, 2007). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Bartolomeo, Joey (May 15, 2011). "Miranda Lambet and Blake Shelton Marry!". People. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
- ↑ "Miranda Lambert's Engagement Ring (Photo) Blake Shelton Pops the Question". National Ledger. May 12, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Just Married! Blake Shelton And Miranda Lambert Get Hitched". Perez Hilton. May 15, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
- ↑ Entertainment News, Celebrity Interviews and Pop Culture – ABC News. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved on February 10, 2012.
- ↑ Blake Shelton's father dies –. Usatoday.com (January 18, 2012). Retrieved on February 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton's 'Cheers It's Christmas" Due October 2 | The Voice". mjsbigblog. August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Blake Shelton, 'Malibu Country': 'Voice' Coach to Make Guest Appearance on Reba's Show". The Boot. February 5, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ↑ "CMT Teddy Awards 2012". CMT. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Nominees by Category | CMA AwardsCMA Awards". Cmaworld.com. 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
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