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It’s very rare for an artist to have a No. 1 hit with a debut single, but Blake Shelton<\/a> joined that elite club on Aug. 11, 2001, when “Austin” landed at the top of Billboard<\/em>‘s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.<\/p>\n The Oklahoma native moved to Nashville right after high school, and after several years of struggle, he landed a recording deal with Giant Records.<\/p>\n The label released “Austin” as the lead single from his self-titled debut album<\/a>\u00a0on April 16, 2001, and by the time the album came out on July 31, “Austin” was already a hit.<\/p>\n It peaked just over a week later, and would remain at No. 1 for five weeks, tying a record Billy Ray Cyrus<\/a> set with his debut single, “Achy Breaky Heart,” in 1992.<\/p>\n Though “Austin” gave him success right out of the gate, Shelton had a rocky road to seeing the song become a hit.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/em> Blake Shelton Denies Gwen Stefani Divorce Rumors<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Giant Records announced it was closing in May of 2001, and both his album and its lead single transferred over to Warner Bros., where Shelton has been ever since.<\/p>\n The move could have derailed the single’s rise.<\/p>\n “I had been hearing rumors,” Shelton recalls to CMT<\/a>. “From the day I signed with that record company, I was excited and had a sick feeling at the same time. You know how Nashville is. The rumors were always flying around: ‘Giant\u2019s gonna close.’ They were true rumors, just way ahead of their time. Luckily, I was able to finish my album before the company closed.”<\/p>\n Shelton released “All Over Me” and “Ol’ Red” as the next two singles from his debut album. Both reached the Top 20, and Shelton landed another No. 1 hit, “The Baby,” from his sophomore album, The Dreamer<\/em>.<\/p>\n He’s gone on to have one of the most successful chart\u00a0runs in country music history.<\/p>\n Below are the The Voice<\/em> coach’s 50 best songs. Lyrical integrity and production were also considered in this ranking. Really it’s hard to argue against any of the Top 5, but we understand if there’s a debate about placement. Heck, we encourage it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In this list of 10 things you didn’t know about Blake Shelton, you’ll learn what the singer thought of his ’90s mullet, what his pet peeves are, what songs he sang when he entered pageants as a kid (yes, really!) and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Was Blake Shelton’s Debut Single?<\/h3>\n
Top Blake Shelton Songs: His Greatest Hits + Best Deep Cuts<\/h2>\n
10 Blake Shelton Facts You Probably Didn’t Know<\/h2>\n