A decade before his long-running role on NBC’s singing reality TV competition show The Voice made him a household name, Blake Shelton first established himself among country music’s premiere hitmakers of the early millennium. After graduating from high school in his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, in 1994, a then 17-year-old Shelton headed to Nashville to make his name in country music.
In the late 1990s, Bobby Braddock—the celebrated Nashville songwriter behind George Jones’ timeless hit “He Stopped Loving Her Today”—discovered Shelton, helping him land a contract with Giant Records in 2001.
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On this day (July 31) in 2001, Shelton kicked off his nearly three-decade country music reign with his self-titled debut album.
Thanks largely to the success of its lead single “Austin”, Blake Shelton reached number three on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and number 45 on the all-genre Hot 100.
Why Blake Shelton Feared His Career Was Over Before It Began
Ahead of the album, Blake Shelton released the lead single, “Austin”, in April 2001 through Giant Records.
Written by David Kent and Kirsti Manna, the heartwarming ballad is a classic tale of love lost and found again.
However, Shelton experienced a curve ball when Giant Records shut its doors as “Austin” made its way up the charts—casting doubt on the “Honey Bee” singer’s future in Nashville.
“From the day I signed with that record company, I was excited and had a sick feeling at the same time,” Shelton later told CMT. “You know how Nashville is. The rumors were always flying around: ‘Giant’s gonna close.’ They were true rumors, just way ahead of their time. Luckily, I was able to finish my album before the company closed.”
Giant’s parent company, Warner Brothers, took over the country singer’s contract.
His next two singles, “All Over Me”—which Shelton co-wrote with Earl Thomas Conley and Mike Pyle—and a cover of “Ol’ Red” hit the top 20.
He Initially Hated the Lead Single
Spending five weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart, “Austin” also gained traction with pop listeners as it climbed to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It tied a record set by Billy Ray Cyrus’ 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heart” for the longest run at number one by an artist’s debut single.
“Austin” set the tone for Blake Shelton’s career, giving him the first of 30 overall and 17 straight number-one hits.
Not too shabby for a song he didn’t even want to record.
“When I first heard ‘Austin,’ I thought it was just super cheesy, and I was just like, ‘God, this guy is so desperate, let it go, dude. It’s been a year, you’re still putting this answering machine message on, what are you doing?’” Shelton recalled in a 2021 interview.
Luckily, producer Bobby Braddock and Debbie Zavitson, Shelton’s then-manager, were there to serve as voices of reason.
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“[Thank] God they stayed on me about that, because otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you 20 years later, probably,” said the five-time Entertainer of the Year.
Featured image by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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