The Augusta Chronicle (May 16th 2003)

Brother's death inspires country musician

Blake Shelton said the death of his brother, Ritchie, in a car crash 13 years ago led him to try harder at everything, including music.

"I was 14 when it happened," Mr. Shelton said in a telephone interview. "It made me grow up really quickly.

"Something like that makes you realize that you may not have tomorrow. It never sinks in until something like that happens to you. It makes you work harder. It lit a fire under me."

Ritchie also was a musical inspiration for Mr. Shelton, who performs Saturday at the Hot Southern Night benefit concert at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

"My brother was one of the best entertainers I've ever met," Mr. Shelton said. "He was so funny just to be around. The music he liked was an early influence on me. He was the one who really exposed me to Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Ted Nugent and Bob Seger. He loved all kinds of music. He just wanted it to be good."

Mr. Shelton was last in Augusta in November for radio station WKXC's Guitar Pull benefit concert. Mr. Shelton also can be seen as a presenter on the 38th annual Academy of Country Music Awards show, which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday on WRDW-TV (Channel 12). He also is a nominee for Top New Male Vocalist on the show.

His most recent Warner Bros. Records single, The Baby (about being the youngest child in a family), stayed at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's country singles chart for three weeks. The video of the song reached the most popular video spot on cable television's Great American Country network.

Mr. Shelton's current single is Heavy Liftin' from his recently released second album, The Dreamer.