Ada Evening News (April 25th 2009)

Blake Shelton: Celebrating Country Life

Pull on your boots, grab your cowboy hat, and head on out to FireLake Grand Casino for a toe tappin’ evening of country music with Blake Shelton on May 2.

Born in Ada, Shelton set his goal early for a career in country music. While still in high school, he entertained in the Oklahoma City clubs and at special events. When Ada honored Mae Boren Axton, who wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” for Elvis, Shelton wowed her with his musical talent. She encouraged him to move to Nashville and offered to help him get a record deal. As a result, two weeks after his high school graduation, he did move to Nashville. He was able to work with Earl Thomas Conley, Hoyt Axton, Bobby Braddock and many others. When he recorded his debut single “Austin”, he quickly found his name at the top of the charts.

More hits followed, including “Nobody But Me”, “Some Beach”, “The More I Drink”, “Ol’ Red” and many others. Although “Ol’ Red” wasn’t a huge radio hit, it became Shelton’s signature song. He says that it is the one people request during concerts. His newest album Startin’ Fires is more autobiographical according to Blake. This album contains songs that celebrate the life that he enjoys like “driving back roads, drinking beer, and being outdoors.” He identifies most with the song “Green”.

“That’s what I do,” Shelton says of the song’s rural images. “I sit with my guitar, plant corn, and watch the deer and hawks. When I left the house this morning, there was camouflage hanging on the clothesline—as redneck as it gets ... I can sing that with a big smile on my face, confident that people are getting a hundred percent who I am as a person.”