Country Music - Blake Shelton
It has taken a couple albums and a few years, but Blake Shelton is becoming familiar with himself as an artist. Born in Ada, Oklahoma, on June 18, 1976, Blake was a teenager performing on a local country show. It was a chance meeting with songwriter Mae Boren Axton (she penned Heartbreak Hotel), who encouraged Shelton to move to Nashville. After graduating from high school, Blake did just that. Networking in Nashville proved fruitful, and Shelton released his debut album on the Warner Bros. label. His first single "Austin" held it's number one spot on the charts for five weeks. Spawning another hit, "Ole Red", that first album was certified gold, winning Shelton his first award as Radio and Records' Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2001. 2003 was a productive and successful year, seeing Shelton with another #1, "The Baby", opening for Toby Keith, and marrying his high school sweetheart. It might be difficult for some artists to top the success of those first two albums, but Blake certainly did. Finding his true style, he released Blake Shelton's Barn and Grill in 2004, wowing his fans with a diverse collection featuring the tender ballad, "Goodbye Time", a classic love song "Nobody But Me" and the catchy tune "Some Beach".
