Blake Shelton is celebrating the 20-year anniversary of his self-titled debut album, which was originally released on July 31, 2001. To commemorate the milestone, Blake has teamed up with Amazon Music to release a special acoustic Amazon Original of his first-ever radio single, “Austin.”
Blake told People, “Man – twenty years may have passed, but sometimes I still feel like the kid from Oklahoma I was back then! The kid who came to Nashville just wanting to sing country music. I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the anniversary of my debut album. ‘Austin’ is the first song we ever released from the album, and it is still a cornerstone of my live shows. I’m excited to share a new version of one of the most important songs of my career with an Amazon Original. I’m not sure how many people actually have an ‘answering machine’ anymore, but the song is still as powerful and special as the first time I ever sang it. I’m grateful for all the fans who continue to connect with it like I do.”
Blake has now moved onto his 12th studio album with Body Language, which was released in May of this year. The 12-track record features his No. 1 hit “Happy Anywhere” (with Gwen Stefani).
Blake will return to the road for his Friends and Heroes 2021 Tour later this month. The tour will welcome very special guest Lindsay Ell, with special appearances by Martina McBride, Tracy Byrd and Trace Adkins. Rescheduled dates from the 2020 run will honor previously purchased tickets, and additional tickets are currently on sale.