‘ACM Presents: Our Country’ Viewers Share Spirited Response to Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani’s Cozy Performance

The Voice coaches Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani appeared on NBC rival CBS Sunday night for a good cause, joining country stars for the Academy of Country Music’s special ACM Presents: Our Country. The real-life couple performed their hit duet “Nobody But You” from Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch, where the two are practicing social distancing. The special aired in place of the ACM Awards, which have been delayed to September.

“Nobody But You” was featured on Shelton’s new greatest hits album, Fully Loaded: God’s Country. The song was written by Tommy Lee James, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally and Ross Copperman. They released an acoustic version of the song last month and also performed it during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in January. Shelton often performed the song without Stefani on the stage during his most recent tour, but Stefani joined him for his show in Wichita, Kansas. It ended up being the final performance of the tour due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In January, McAnally said the song was written with Shelton and Stefani in mind. He wrote it after recently working with Stefani. “When I heard the melody, it made me think of Blake, and it sounded like a love song. I just said, ‘We should kind of write this with them in mind,” he recalled. “And then, I was working on Songland, and we did a promotion piece on The Voice… And I saw Blake.”

While visiting The Voice, McAnally played the song with Shelton, who suggested he send it to Stefani.

“It’s basically a song about Gwen and I. Why wouldn’t I have her sing this song with me?” Shelton said of the song. “She comes from the whatever world, ska, pop world that she comes from, and I’m a straight-up country artist. The fact that we ended up together to begin with, much less make a record, is unbelievable. It’s just literally a dream come true.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Shelton has vowed to continue paying the employees at his Ole Red restaurants.

“Until this thing gets behind us, we all have to do the right thing, so I’m out here in the middle of nowhere,” Shelton said in an Instagram video. “Just do the right thing, stay away from everybody. For some of us, that’s not hard, ’cause nobody likes us.”

“I will be coming back to you all, and passing along any new information, as far as Ole Reds go, and when we may reopen,” he added. “But for now, let’s not think about that. Let’s take our mandatory vacation and try to enjoy it. I’m thinking about y’all, and see you down the road.”

Photo credit: ACM/CBS