Blake Shelton on Oklahoma’s Impact on Country Music
Blake Shelton is, for sure, a proud Oklahoman who moved back to his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma after he made it big in country music. Now, Blake and his wife, Gwen Stefani, live in his native state part-time, sharing time with her home in Southern California.
Blake even hosted a special concert to honor Oklahoma on the final night of his 2024 “Back to the Honky Tonk Tour” at this time last year and leaned into his roots, and called up his friends. The performance at Tulsa’s BOK Center was brimming with guest performers, who were all fellow Okies. The special occasion was “Oklahoma Is All for the Hall,” a fundraiser for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s education programs.
In my interviews with Shelton through the years, he often talked about his love for his home state. In one of those interviews a few years back, Blake recalled an event he was at with fellow Oklahomans and country stars.
He told me, “I stood backstage, and I watched Garth Brooks walk up there and then Reba McEntire and Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Ronnie Dunn – these megastars. They continue to come out of the state of Oklahoma. I don’t know what it is about being an Oklahoman. Maybe now just saying that you’re from Oklahoma tends to raise people’s eyebrows, and maybe they listen a little closer.”
He added, “I don’t know if there is any truth to that or not, but you can’t argue with reality, and reality is superstars year after year are from Oklahoma.
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Blake was performing a concert recently when an older lady stormed the stage to get close to him, and he embraced the moment and the lady on stage and sang right to her.
In the video clip Shelton posted to Instagram, the lady comes up behind him while he’s singing, and he turns and hands his guitar to a stagehand as she dances behind him. He then approaches the lady, puts his arm around her, and continues to sing without missing a beat.
Shelton captioned the sweet video, “Y’all never know what just might happen on the Friends & Heroes Tour!!!!!!! #ontour #friendsandheroes #livemusic #countrymusic.”
Fans loved the post and the moment, and many commented, including one user who wrote, “She was so happy! Loved seeing this in person!” Another fan said, “One lucky lady, you go girl! And Blakey, you are so sweet, you made that woman so happy! She will talk about this for the rest of her life!”
See that post here.
