Jo-Jo & Blake hang at The Knibbe Ranch in San Antonio.
I've gotta admit...one of the coolest things I've had a chance to do recently was spend the weekend in San Antonio...drove up on Friday, saw Bret Eldredge perform, enjoyed great company from friends from around the U.S....
Bret Eldredge performance @ the JW Marriott in Ssan Antonio.
...on Saturday, I had a chance to speak to one of my all time favorite people...Blake Shelton.
Blake & I have a really good relationship. He has always been courteous & a very thoughtful & light-hearted person. I remember meeting Blake, years ago, when AUSTIN had first come out. We met up again in Nashville at one of our conventions & I ran into him at an ATM. I told him to pull enough money out, so that he could buy a new pair of boots...not sure if he had the money for it, then or not...although, he can probably afford a couple of pair, now!
A one-on-one interview with Blake.
His new cd is called BASED ON A TRUE STORY, in stores 3/26/13 (see it in the background of the picture above). It already has a big hit, "Sure Be Cool If You Did" on it. The next release will be "Boys Round Here". It has a similar feel to "Hillbilly Bone," according to Blake.
We had a chance to sit down & talk about life, the tabloids, The Voice, and the new cd. To this day, it still puts a smile on my face to see & hear him talk. He's a very talented individual.
After the interview, we went our seperate ways...I went to lunch & he conducted some other interviews. Later that afternoon, we met up at the Knibbe Ranch in north San Antonio. Blake, as always, was jubilant & had fun words for everyone present. We took a tour of the ranch in a flat bed trailer, filled with hay, that he kept chewing on...afterwards, we sat on the porch & talked jibberish, sports, life, music...anything that came to mind - there were no boundaries, no shows to perform at, no long line of people to meet, just about 40 people in the radio business hanging out with the 'self proclaimed, "most interesting man in country music...' " What a treat! It was like hanging out with your family at a reunion. Some ate, some drank, some wandered off, but a good time was had by all.
We then had a chance to listen to his new cd. Blake & producer Scott Hendricks shared their thoughts on the music & told us about the work that had gone into putting it together. After the listen, it was time for dinner. A huge spread of steak, ribs, chicken, oh, so much food...oh, and a fantastic array of desserts...including 'cowboy style cobbler' in a big 'ol skillet :)
After dinner, we all gathered around the camp fire...Blake pulled out his guitar & sang for us. There was no fan fair, no amps, no security....just a bunch of radio people, Blake, and his guitar. Blake stayed as long as he could but then had to leave, to pick up his wife at the airport. You could tell he didn't want to leave, if for no other reason, but that he could just hang out & be himself... What a special night it was.
If you get a chance, pickup Blake's new cd. It's a good piece of music. Cheers, to many more Blake Shelton albums!
