Blake Shelton

An award-winning vocalist with the charm of a Southern gentleman tempered by a rakish bad-boy wit, Blake Shelton first captured the hearts of country music fans with his successful self-titled debut album in 2001. Shelton quickly gained notice as one of Nashville's most successful recording artists and songwriters. Following the same path as his musical idol Garth Brooks, Shelton delivered some of country music's biggest hits of the 2000s and '10s, such as "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (2008) and "Honey Bee" (2011). Shelton was also a master of reinventing country and pop standards by making them his own, including a chart-topping country rendition of Michael Buble's pop hit "Home" (2005). In 2010, Shelton received one of country music's most esteemed honors when he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. A year later, Shelton broke through to the pop mainstream as one of four celebrity judges on the hit reality competition show, "The Voice" (NBC 2011- ); his casting on the show proved testament to the talented artist's appeal, influence and contributions to country music.