When people “make it big,” they often celebrate with a big-ticket purchase. Tom Brady bought a luxury watch. Selena Gomez invested in Louis Vuitton apparel. Mae Whitman bought a king-size mattress, and Evangeline Lilly bought a used car. As with many other things, going big in country music can mean a different ballpark altogether. For star Blake Shelton, the first big purchase he made after his first hit single was nothing short of a bulldozer.
Blake Shelton had his first country hit in 2001
Shelton moved to Nashville in 1994 and spent several years writing demos and scraping by, until he landed a record deal several years later. In 2001, he finally started gaining attention on the country music charts with the No. 1 hit “Austin.” A self-titled debut album followed the next year, with singles like “Ol’ Red” and “All Over Me.” However, the artist didn’t command much fanfare until later in his career.
Shelton has said himself that he flew “under the radar” for about the first 10 years of his country music career. In 2012, he won his first male vocalist of the year from the Academy of Country Music. Around that same time, he was starting his long-standing run as a coach on The Voice, which helped him turn into even more of a household name.
Now, Shelton is married to literal rock star Gwen Stefani, is the winningest coach on The Voice going into its 23rd season, and has amassed a net worth estimated at $100 million. That said, all the way back in 2001, Shelton was still playing venues without actual stages, and trying to make his dreams in country music come true. And when his first few singles got him on the right track, he went out and bought a bulldozer.
‘You aren’t crap in country music’ without a bulldozer, Blake Shelton says
Shelton has always had an affinity for tractors and large equipment, which he inherited from his father. His dad was a Kubota salesman, and Shelton now owns several Kubota vehicles, the singer told Jimmy Kimmel in a recent interview. The bulldozer might not be a Kubota, but Shelton said it’s the first big purchase he made after he had a hit single. “Because you’re not crap in country music unless you have your own bulldozer,” Shelton joked to Kimmel. “You really haven’t made it…So I bought a bulldozer.”
Shelton, an Oklahoma native, now owns his own ranch where he stores the construction vehicle and other big equipment. He is by no means an expert at running everything, though. “I bought this old bulldozer and just started trying to figure it out. Even starting it was an adventure. How do you make it go, just running crap over…it’s awesome,” Shelton gushed.
Kimmel asked if the artist used the truck for anything other than “nonsense.” Sheepishly, Shelton said he knows his limits. “If I need something actually done with it, then I’ll pay somebody to run the ‘dozer,” the “God’s Country” singer admitted. “But if it’s just like, you know, having a bad day — OR a good day — get on in and go push some stuff.”
Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and her boys spend ample time at the ranch
Shelton, Stefani, and Stefani’s three boys split their time between Los Angeles and Oklahoma. The couple bought a home in LA together before the pandemic in 2020, presumably so the boys could attend school there and Shelton could film episodes of The Voice for multiple seasons each year. However, the family also spends plenty of time at the ranch in Oklahoma: Shelton and Stefani got married there, keep horses there together, and travel back and forth frequently.
Now that Shelton is filming in his final season on The Voice, it might mean even more time to kick back and relax in the countryside. Before that happens, he’ll be wrapping up a short U.S. tour, and is continuing to film his other show, Barmageddon, with The Voice host Carson Daly. Shelton has said the free time he gains from not appearing on The Voice after this season will likely be spent performing country music — and hopefully getting some time to “live some life” with Stefani. Perhaps aboard some construction equipment.
