Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton Bio

Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He debuted in 2001 with the single “Austin,” which spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and helped his self-titled debut album reach platinum certification. Over the following two decades, Shelton released multiple platinum and gold albums, charted 30 number-one country singles, and served as a longtime coach on NBC’s The Voice from 2011 to 2023. He is married to musician Gwen Stefani and lives in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

Early Life and Background

Blake Tollison Shelton was born on June 18, 1976, in Ada, Oklahoma, to Dorothy Ann (née Byrd) Shelton, a beauty salon owner, and Richard Lee “Dick” Shelton, a car salesman. He began singing at an early age, and by the time he was 12, his uncle had taught him how to play the guitar. By age 15, he had written his first song, and a year later he received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state.

Shelton’s childhood was shaped by family and by music. In November 1990, when Blake was 14, his older brother, Richie Shelton, died in an automobile accident at the age of 24. The loss left a lasting mark on Blake, and years later he and his then-wife Miranda Lambert would write about Richie in the song “Over You.” After graduating from high school at 17, he chose to pursue music full-time and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to follow that dream.

Path to Country Music

After arriving in Nashville, Shelton took a job at a music publishing company to support himself while he built connections in the country music industry. In 1997, songwriter Bobby Braddock helped him secure a production contract with Sony Music, opening the door to a major-label deal. He later signed with Giant Records, where he began work on what would become his debut single.

Originally, Giant Records planned to release “I Wanna Talk About Me” as Shelton’s lead-off single, but staff felt the song was a poor fit. The track was eventually recorded by Toby Keith, whose version became a number-one hit. Instead, the label released “Austin,” which changed the course of Shelton’s career. Shortly after the single dropped, Giant Records was shut down, and Shelton was transferred to parent company Warner Bros. Records, where his self-titled debut album would eventually be released.

Blake Shelton Career

Early Career (2001–2006)

Shelton’s debut single “Austin” spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart and helped his self-titled debut album achieve platinum certification. The album also produced the top-20 country hits “All Over Me” and “Ol’ Red,” the latter of which Shelton has often called his signature song. His second album, The Dreamer, was released in 2003 and earned gold certification, while his third album, Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill, followed in 2004 and matched his debut with platinum status. During this period, he married Kaynette Gern in November 2003, and the two later divorced in 2006.

By the end of 2006, Shelton had established himself as a reliable country hitmaker. He had landed three consecutive top-selling albums, charted multiple number-one singles, and built a reputation as a traditional country voice with crossover appeal. His growing visibility also led to small television appearances, including a cameo as himself in the 2005 TV movie The Christmas Blessing.

Breakthrough (2007–2013)

Shelton’s fourth album, Pure BS, was released in 2007 and produced the top-20 singles “Don’t Make Me” and “The More I Drink.” A 2008 reissue added a cover of Michael Bublé’s “Home,” which became his fourth number-one hit. His fifth album, Startin’ Fires, followed in 2008, and in 2010 he released the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight. That same year, on October 23, 2010, he was formally inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Trace Adkins after being invited during the “Country Comes Home” reopening concert.

In 2011, Shelton released Red River Blue, led by the record-setting single “Honey Bee,” which earned 138,000 first-week downloads and became the fastest-climbing number-one of his career. That same year, he joined NBC’s The Voice as an original coach and married fellow country star Miranda Lambert. His winning streak on the show continued into 2013, when his team member Cassadee Pope won season three and his eighth studio album, Based on a True Story…, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album produced a string of consecutive number-one singles, including “Doin’ What She Likes,” which broke the record for the most consecutive number-one singles in the Country Airplay chart’s 24-year history.

Notable Works and Milestones

Across his career, Shelton has charted 30 number-one country singles, including a record-setting streak of 17 consecutive number-ones that surpassed Earl Thomas Conley. His self-titled debut album, The Dreamer, Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill, Red River Blue, and Based on a True Story… have all been certified platinum or gold, and he has sold more than 10 million records worldwide. He was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2017, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, one of country music’s highest honors.

Blake Shelton Award Nominations

Throughout his career, Blake Shelton has earned nine Grammy Award nominations, including two for Best Country Album and additional nods for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Music Film. He has also received multiple nominations from the Country Music Association Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the CMT Music Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and the American Country Awards. These nominations reflect his sustained success as both a recording artist and a television personality.

Blake Shelton Awards Won

Shelton has won 10 Country Music Association Awards, including five Male Vocalist of the Year honors that tie him with George Strait and Vince Gill for the most wins in that category. He has also earned six Academy of Country Music Awards, 10 CMT Music Awards, seven People’s Choice Awards, three American Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award, one iHeartRadio Music Award, and one CMT Artist of the Year award. In 2013, he received the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award from the Academy of Country Music, and in 2017 he won the NATPE Reality Breakthrough Award for Best Reality Personality for his work on The Voice.

Blake Shelton Family

Shelton was raised in Ada, Oklahoma, by his mother, Dorothy Ann Shelton, a beauty salon owner, and his father, Richard Lee “Dick” Shelton, a car salesman who passed away in 2012 after a period of declining health. He also shared a close bond with his older brother, Richie Shelton, who died in a 1990 car accident. The family has long been tied to Oklahoma, and Shelton still maintains strong ties to his home state, where he and his wife Gwen Stefani married at a chapel on his Oklahoma property in 2021.

Personal Life

Shelton married Kaynette Gern in November 2003; the couple divorced in 2006. He later married country singer Miranda Lambert in May 2011, and the two announced their divorce in July 2015. Shelton began dating his The Voice colleague Gwen Stefani later that year, and the two were engaged in October 2020 before marrying on July 3, 2021, at his Oklahoma chapel. Through his marriage to Stefani, Shelton is a stepfather to her three sons. In his free time, he has also built the Ole Red restaurant and entertainment chain, with locations in Tishomingo, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Orlando, the Las Vegas Strip, and inside Nashville International Airport.