In front of a camera or a microphone, it’s easy for a singer to pretend to be someone he isn’t. But there’s no faking it when hunting for deer deep in the Iowa backwoods - you’e either the real deal, or you’re not.

For a guy who doesn't care much about the idea of "stardom," Blake has made quite a name for himself during the past couple of years.

This week, Shelton's sophomore album, "The Dreamer," proves his point. Its first single, the tearjerking "The Baby," already is a big hit.

Blake Shelton has wedding plans with a longtime sweetheart, another hit with "The Baby" and a hometown full of fans.

With “The Baby” growing into a career hit, Blake Shelton recently called in from a business trip in Los Angeles to answer questions from curious CMT.com readers.

Shelton says of The Dreamer, “I certainly can hear a difference when I listen to the first record and then this one.”

And Blake says he has a new best friend who he may take as his date to the Academy of Country Music Awards.  He explains who this friend is, and how his fiancé feels about it, this week on CMT's Country Countdown USA.

So how did Blake Shelton (The Baby) ask his longtime girlfriend to marry him?

Country singer Blake Shelton is marrying his longtime lady, Kaynette (Kat) Williams, a school teacher he met in his hometown of Ada, Okla., a tiny town some 90 minutes away from Oklahoma City.

Shelton likes to sing you a story, and he's wondering how his own tale will end.

Blake Shelton relocated from Ada, Okla. to Nashville at the tender age of 17. This bold career move had more to do with blind faith, though, than with any kind of youthful confidence.

Blake Shelton spent most of a recent Saturday shooting video scenes for “The Baby” which is the first release from The Dreamer, Shelton’s second Warner Bros. album, which will be released Feb. 4.

Both seem to be on the cusp of stardom, but both acts also realize they’ve got a few more dues to pay and are happy to be playing anywhere.

Blake Shelton reflects on lessons learned about the cost of fame.

As the old saying goes, sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you. It looked like the latter scenario might be played out for country singer Blake Shelton, who enjoyed a face-to-face encounter with a bruin while on a recent five-day Colorado elk bow-hunting trip.

Blake Shelton has come home, packing a hit album, hit singles and a future that looks as bright as the one he dreamed about as a boy.

Blake gives some stats to Country Weekly - hair color, eye color, and just as importantly, his earliest public performance.

In the country music world, the first hit is the important one. That's the one that gets people listening. You'll be able to tell that tonight at the annual Common Ground festival.

Blake Shelton plays a captivating role in his made-in-prison music video, “Ol’ Red.” Incarcerated at the former Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, Shelton sheds his cowboy hat, dresses in inmate garb and sports a scraggly beard.

"Austin" singer Blake Shelton never expected to find himself plotting his escape from prison. But here he is, decked out in convict garb as he shoots the video for his new single, "Ol' Red."