Blake Shelton celebrates his 44th birthday on June 18, marking another year of wisecracks and another year of Shelton’s country music career, which is quickly nearing the two-decade mark.
The Oklahoma native released his first single in 2001, and his star has only continued to climb, with the singer nabbing numerous number one hits and awards, becoming a bona fide television personality with his long-running role as a judge on The Voice, and showing off his entrepreneurial chops with his entertainment venue, Ole Red, which now has locations in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and Nashville, Tennessee. Among his many achievements, Shelton has released 11 studio albums, earned 27 No. 1 singles, 17 of which were consecutive, won 10 CMA Awards, five ACM Awards and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
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Think you know everything there is to know about Shelton? Read on, and think again.
He competed in pageants as a child
Shelton participated in pageants as a child alongside pint-sized beauty queens, joking to Entertainment Tonight that his goal was “picking up chicks.” “There was a talent portion of the pageant,” he admitted. “In order for me to sing in the pageant like my mom wanted me to, I had to do the evening wear and all that crap.”
He is the only artist (so far) invited to join the Grand Ole Opry via Twitter
Shelton was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2010, with his invitation coming right after he finished performing “Hillbilly Bone” with Trace Adkins at the venue. As Shelton went to exit the stage, Adkins waved him back, pulling out his phone to deliver the missive. “You are invited to join the Grand Ole Opry,” the message read. Shelton was inducted that October, nine years after making his Opry debut back in 2001 when he performed “Austin,” his very first single.
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His older brother Richie died in a car accident when Shelton was 14 years old
The “I’ll Name the Dogs” singer’s brother passed away in November 1990, when Shelton was 14. To honor Richie, Shelton wrote the song “Over You” with ex-wife Miranda Lambert, who went on to record the track herself because Shelton said he would never be able to sing it on stage.
Lost my brother 27 years ago today. I was only 14 at the time but it changed my life forever… Made me realize that life is precious and there’s no time like RIGHT NOW to go for it… We still miss you Richie!!
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) November 13, 2017
His favorite dessert is Rice Krispie treats
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Shelton revealed that the dessert he can’t live without is Rice Krispie treats. As for the craziest thing he’s ever eaten, The Voice judge really did have a crazy answer. “Crow,” he revealed. “A friend and myself actually cooked some crow so we could actually say we’ve eaten crow. Don’t ever do that.”
He has vodka in his red cup on ‘The Voice’
Fans of The Voice will be familiar with Shelton’s red cup, but what they might not know is that it’s actually filled with vodka. “I have vodka. I drink vodka on the show,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “Now that I think of it, every damn brand of vodka has been in that cup. And I don’t care if you like it or if anybody likes it, that’s what I drink so get over it.”
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He once had a pet turkey named Turkey
Unbeknownst to the bird, Shelton accidentally let Turkey indulge in a bit of cannibalism at one point. “I went outside one day and I had a bunch of table scraps laying around the kitchen after Thanksgiving, and I threw them out in the yard,” he told CMT.com. “And I looked out the window and I saw my pet turkey actually eating some turkey! I got a big kick out of that.” Sadly, Turkey passed away in 2003.
He hates the tattoo on his forearm
The singer is a big fan of the outdoors, so he drew some deer tracks to be tattooed on his forearm. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what people see when they look at the ink. “This is what I drew him for a deer track,” he told GAC, via The Boot. “To this moment, people still come up to me and say, ‘Man, ladybugs … that’s cool. What does that mean to you?’ I probably have the crappiest tattoo — not only in country music — but maybe the world.” Shelton added that he later got barbed wire tattooed around the tracks to make them “more manly.”
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His favorite TV show is ‘The Golden Girls’
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2016, Shelton revealed that his favorite television show is The Golden Girls. After Kimmel threatened to reveal a secret told to him by The Voice host Carson Daly regarding Shelton, the singer agreed to talk about The Golden Girls, revealing that his favorite of the women is Bea Arthur’s character, Dorothy. “For sure,” he said. “I think her sarcasm on that show is incredible, don’t you think?”
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He likes orange-flavored gum but not mint-flavored
Shelton told Genius.com that he’s a big gum-chewer, sharing that he’ll often go for multiple pieces at once. “I chew a lot of pieces of gum at one time,” he said, via CMT.com. “One is not good enough for me. I’ve made some extra money along the way, and now I don’t mind splurging on gum. So I’ll chew like three pieces at a time. I like Orange Orbit. I like bubblegum flavor Extra. I like Big League Chew and Bubble Tape.”
