Blake Shelton Sings Praises of Elvis Presley Ahead of All-Star Tribute

Blake Shelton is one of several artists who will appear in the upcoming Elvis All Star Tribute television special, honoring the iconic Elvis Presley. For Shelton, it was a chance to acknowledge one of his musical heroes, who helped shape the way for artists like Shelton.

"I think when I came out of the womb – I've been saying this but I mean it," Shelton said in a video shared on his social media pages. "You're born knowing who Elvis is. The name Elvis is just part of the fabric of humanity. He just is this thing that exists in the air, and contributed obviously so much to music. But I think he is the definition of what's cool."

The All Star Tribute was taped ahead of time, which is a good thing, since Shelton's life is about to get even busier. The singer will launch his Friends and Heroes Tour on Feb. 14, with the Bellamy Brothers, John Anderson, Trace Adkins and Lauren Alaina all joining him on the road.

"I'm really excited about my tour because it's taking where I came from and the music I listened to growing up, and actually introducing it to a whole new audience," Shelton said of the upcoming tour. "I feel like a lot of people might know the Bellamy Brothers' and John Anderson's music, but maybe they're not familiar with who they are as artists."

"I think that this is going to be a great opportunity for the country music fan base to be re-introduced to these guys and, selfishly, I'm just excited to share the stage with them!" he continued. "It'll be great to have Trace back out on the road with us, and I can't wait for one of my newer friends and heroes, Lauren Alaina, to blow these crowds away."

Shelton will also return for Season 16 of The Voice, which premieres on Feb. 25.

"Being a coach on The Voice has really kind of revitalized my excitement for this business again," Shelton said. "Because it's easy to kind of fall into a rut, and this definitely keeps me from doing that."

Shelton is serving as the host of the Elvis tribute show, which will include performances by some of the biggest artists of all genres, including Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Pistol Annies, Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Mac Davis and more, singing their versions of Presley's classic hits.

Elvis All Star Tribute will air on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jason Kempin