Brantley Gilbert is a big, big fan of Blake Shelton. Gilbert enlisted Shelton, along with Vince Gill, for “Heaven By Then,” a song from Gilbert’s latest So Help Me God album. But long before their collaboration, Gilbert was a fan of Shelton, both as an artist and as a person.
“Any time you meet somebody in this business, especially as another artist, you never know what to expect,” Gilbert tells BMLG. “Everybody has horror stories and great stories about different people. And I will say that Blake Shelton has been just solid. I think a lot of him. He’s never been anything but kind and welcoming. We played a show with him one night, and there really wasn’t any time, and he sent somebody to get me and made time for me to come back and say hey.
“And Gwen [Stefani] was back there with him,” he adds. “I’ve never met her, I got to meet her. And I don’t know that you’ll meet anybody that’ll say a whole lot of negative stuff about Blake.”
This isn’t the first time Gilbert has praised Shelton. The 37-year-old sang Shelton’s praises, ahead of the release of “Heaven By Then” as well.
“I’ve been a big fan of [Blake’s] for a long time,” Gilbert shared on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen. “Blake’s one of those that he’s always been nothing but kind and cool to me. When I came on the scene, especially back when I was drinking, I was a little different. I looked a little different, acted a little different than a lot of these cats up here. And it never bothered him a bit. He’s just always treated me the same and been kind to me, and I’ve always appreciated that …If I had a bucket list, he’d be on it.”
“Heaven By Then” was written by Gilbert along with several other writers, whom Gilbert asked to join him on a writing trip. He never imagined that the song would ultimately include not one but two of his musical heroes.
“‘Heaven By Then’ came out of a conversation during a writers retreat in Texas that we do every year,” Gilbert said of the song. “A guitar ended up in HARDY’s lap, which is usually a good sign that it’s about to turn into something special. I think we all knew that as it was being written. It came to life that night.
“To have Blake Shelton and Vince Gill on the song meant so much to me. Those two brought so much to the table and gave it a voice I didn’t have. We were all in separate places when we recorded, but it was a cool way for everyone to put their spin on it. They just did what felt natural and sonically you hear that,” he concluded.
Find “Heaven By Then” and all of Gilbert’s music and tour dates at BrantleyGilbert.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Valory Music Co.