When Blake Shelton Was Our Cover Boy

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The fellow on the April 2003 cover of our Drysdales catalog (click to enlarge image) is country-music star Blake Shelton. He had recently released his second album, “The Dreamer.”

That was back in the day when the Ada, Okla., native kept his hair long.

Shelton made at least two appearances at Drysdales’ main store in Tulsa that year. Here are photos during one of those store visits, where he posed for photographs with employees and signed autographs:

And here’s a photo of Shelton during a show that year at the legendary Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa:

Dana Cookson, Drysdales’ catalog designer, said meeting the 6-foot-5 Shelton made an impression on her daughter, who at the time was 5 years old.

“He’s really tall,” Cookson said. “My daughter was really little at the time, and she had to keep looking waaaaay up.”

Here’s another Cain’s show that Shelton did in 2005. The sound of this audience video is muddy, but you can clearly hear him doing a version of the Bellamy Brothers’ “Redneck Girl”:

Since then, Blake Shelton has cut his hair and taken on a somewhat more refined look:

And Shelton has seen an eventful eight years since his Drysdales catalog cover. He has:

• Released three more studio albums and two EPs.
• Added six more No. 1 country singles, bringing his career total to eight.
• Was invited and inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
• Won four major country-music awards, including CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 2010.
• Got married to fellow country star Miranda Lambert.
• Served as a coach to amateur singers on NBC’s hit television program, “The Voice.”

Two weeks ago, Shelton and country legend Reba McEntire performed two benefit concerts for tornado victims. Here’s Blake performing one of his signature tunes, “Home,” at that show, with Reba on backing vocals:

And his current single, “Honey Bee,” is racing up the country charts.

http://youtu.be/SqrlhNmSZrc

You’ve come a long way, Blake.