The smooth country crooner that Blake Shelton is today did not always exist in his past. This musician, who grew up in Oklahoma, is living proof that a kid from a rural area can make it big in Music City.
From our most meager beginnings
Shelton is the son of Dorothy Shackleford, who owned a beauty salon, and Richard Shelton, who sold used cars. Shelton himself is the son of Richard Shelton. Shelton first developed an interest in music as a young boy in Ada, and by the time he was 16 years old, he had already amassed a number of followers after performing in the local bar circuit. Shelton, then 17 years old, moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to launch a career in country music just a few short weeks after graduating from high school in 1994.
However, Shelton's childhood was marred by tragedy when, in 1990, the singer lost his older brother, Richie, in a car accident. This event left a lasting impression on Shelton.
"It was a week after he passed away when I remember picking up the phone to call him to tell him about something I had just seen on television... It was like constantly a shock to me that he was dead," Shelton said on "60 Minutes" in 2014.
Later on, he collaborated with his ex-wife Miranda Lambert to write a song called "Over You" that was about the death of his brother.
Shelton packed up his belongings and relocated to Music City a few years after his brother passed away.
His breakthrough in the world of music
"Austin" was the title of Blake Shelton's debut single, which was released in the year 2001.
"Austin" was the title of Blake Shelton's debut single, which was released in the year 2001. (AP)
Shelton issued his debut single, "Austin," in the year 2001, after he had risked everything to relocate to Nashville. Before he released his self-titled debut album, which included the hit "Ol' Red," the song occupied the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for a total of five weeks before he released the album.
Shelton has continued his career by releasing a total of ten additional albums and numerous hit singles, including "The More I Drink," "Hillbilly Bone," "Honey Bee," and "God Gave Me You."
Shelton has been honored with a great deal of acclaim for the significant contributions that he has made to the field of country music, as evidenced by the nine CMA awards, five ACM awards, and induction into the Grand Ole Opry that he received in the year 2010. 2017 marked the year that he celebrated selling 10 million albums.
While Shelton was building what is now a flourishing career, the singer's love life was fraught with its own share of challenges.