June 18: Country singer Blake Shelton is 35 years-old today.

Blake Tollison Shelton was born in Ada, Oklahoma. He began singing at an early age and by age 12, he learned to play guitar. By age sixteen, Shelton had received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state. When he was 17, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee in pursuit of a recording career.

After several years in Nashville, he signed to Giant Records in 1998. In 2001, Shelton made his debut with the single "Austin." Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

The album also produced the #18 "All Over Me" (which Shelton co-wrote with fellow country artist Earl Thomas Conley) and the #14 "Ol' Red," which was a cover version of a George Jones song. Although Shelton's rendition of "Ol' Red" was not a major radio hit, he considers it his signature song, and it has become popular in concert. Blake Shelton is certified gold by the RIAA.

Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.

His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer -   his first for Warner Bros. - and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, were each certified gold as well. Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS, was issued in 2007, and re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. This cover was also that album's third single.

Shelton issued his fourth studio album, Pure BS, in early 2007. Unlike with his first three albums, which were produced entirely by Bobby Braddock, Shelton worked with Braddock, Brent Rowan, and Paul Worley as producers for this album. Its first two singles — "Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink" — were both Top 20 hits on the country charts, respectively reaching #12 and #19. Also in late 2007, Shelton made appearances on television shows: first as a judge on the talent competition Nashville Star, and later on Clash of the Choirs.

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Pure BS was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, including a cover of Michael Bublé's hit single "Home." This cover, released in early 2008 as the album's third single, became his fourth #1 hit in July.

"Home" was followed in August 2008 by the single "She Wouldn't Be Gone," his 14th chart entry and his fifth No. 1 hit. It was the first time in his career that he had two consecutive Number Ones. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" is the lead-off to Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires, which has also produced the single "I'll Just Hold On." This album also includes "Bare Skin Rug," a duet with future wife, Miranda Lambert.

A fifth album, Startin' Fires, was released in November 2008. Overall, Shelton has charted seventeen singles on the country charts, including nine Number One hits: "Austin" (2001), "The Baby" (2003), "Some Beach" (2004–2005), "Home" (2008), "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (2009), "Hillbilly Bone" (2010), a duet with Trace Adkins, "All About Tonight" (2010), "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" (2011), and "Honey Bee" (2011). Additionally, three more of his singles have reached Top Ten: a cover version of Conway Twitty's "Goodbye Time," "Nobody but Me," and "I'll Just Hold On."

In October 2009, Blake Shelton released a duet with Trace Adkins titled "Hillbilly Bone." It was the lead-off single on Shelton's EP, Hillbilly Bone, released on March 2, 2010 through Reprise Records Nashville. After "Hillbilly Bone" reached #1 in February, came the August release of "All About Tonight," the lead-off single to his EP of the same name. In September, he released the second single from All About Tonight, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," his 18th single release.

He released his first greatest hits album, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton in November 2010.

Shelton will release an album entitled 'Red River Blue' on July 12, 2011, led by the single, "Honey Bee." The song received 138,000 downloads in its first week and was certified gold in its seventh week, setting a new record for the fastest gold certification by a male country singer. On June 13, 2011, in the 10th chart week, "honey bee" went #1 on the billboard hot country songs chart. This was Shelton's quickest song to go number one and "honey bee" is his 9th number one country single.

He is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show The Voice with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green.


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