Blake Shelton Reveals Early Importance of Lake Texoma

Blake Shelton's latest album, Texoma Shore, was named after the lake he grew up going to, Lake Texoma, located at the border of Oklahoma and Texas. More than just an album title, the place is one of the most important places in Shelton's life.

"I'm from Ada, Oklahoma. I moved to Nashville in 1994, and I was here for about 12 years," Shelton tells Nash Country Daily. "I just decided I wanted to go back home in 2006, and I did. I moved back to southern Oklahoma, and it took a while, but I finally built a home down there right on Lake Texoma. When I did, I put a studio down there — this has been a couple of years ago — with the intention of someday using this studio to make music here at my home. I finally got the opportunity with this 11th album."

Some of the 42-year-old's earliest memories are at Lake Texoma, although not all of them are fond ones.

"As a kid growing up, we used to call it just 'going to the lake,'" Shelton recalls. "There's an area down there called Cumberland Cove and Catfish Bay. That's where Dad would keep his boat. That's where we always went — any kind of [holiday] like Fourth of July, Labor Day weekend, Memorial Day weekend. We had a crappy houseboat when I was a little kid, I mean like maybe three years old, four years old.

"I have a memory of my mom carrying me into the houseboat for the first time that year, and it was full of bugs and things, packed full of bugs and stuff," he continues. "My [first] memory is my mom screaming at all the bugs. Isn't that nice and peaceful?"

Thankfully, Shelton now has plenty of good memories at Lake Texoma, including time spent with his girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, and her three sons: Kingston, Zuma and Apollo.

"We love to go out on the lake," Shelton tells PEOPLE. "My family, Gwen and her family, we all get together and go out and float around. The kids swim and tube and all that stuff. We have a blast."

Texoma Shore includes the No. 1 hit, "I'll Name the Dogs," and his current single, "I Lived It." Purchase the album at BlakeShelton.com.

Shelton won't have much time to enjoy the lake this summer. The coach on The Voice is performing at fairs and festivals over the next few months. Find a list of all of his upcoming shows here.

Photo Credit: Getty images/John Shearer