Tribute to Dorothy Shackleford: Blake Shelton’s Biggest Cheerleader

Dorothy Shackleford is the mother of country superstar and The Voice judge, Blake Shelton. Shackleford is a prolific songwriter, writing dozens of tunes over the last two decades, including "Time for Me to Come Home" in collaboration with her son, Blake. This song was the foundation of a book she wrote and for several Hallmark Christmas movies with similar titles. 

Dorothy Ann (née Bristol) Shackleford was born in 1946 in Oklahoma. As she grew up, Dorothy became a hairdresser, and today, she owns and manages several beauty salons. She married her first husband, Ronnie Musgrove, and they had a son, Richie, who was born in 1966. Sadly, Richie died in an automobile accident in 1990, which greatly affected the whole family.

To this day, Blake still pays tribute to his late brother in song and by honoring Richie when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 12, 2023. Dorothy said to Blake before the ceremony that she wished Richie could have been there for the ceremony, and that's when Blake dedicated the ceremony to his late brother. During the Hollywood Walk of Fame celebration, Dorothy was by Blake's side, as was his sister Endy, her husband Mike, and Dorothy's two grandchildren, Ryan and Jace.

After divorcing Musgrove, Dorothy married a U.S. Army veteran named Richard Lee "Dick" Shelton. Dorothy and Dick had a daughter Endy, born in 1972, and then Blake, who was born in 1976. The Sheltons divorced, and Blake's father, Dick Shelton, died on Jan. 17, 2012.

Blake introduced his mother to his then-boss, Mike Shackleford. Dorothy and Mike married and are still together today. Dorothy's daughter and Blake's sister, Endy, has two children, Ryan and Jace, who are Dorothy's grandchildren. While Blake has no biological children, he is the stepfather to his wife Gwen Stefani's three children, sons Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. Stefani's exhusband, rocker Gavin Rossdale, is the boys' father.

Dorothy always knew she wanted to be a hairdresser, and over her 41-year career, she owned beauty salons, where the art of styling and cutting hair was and still is a passion of hers. In Blake's early days, he had a mullet hairstyle, which was popular in the 1980s. Dorothy was embarrassed by his choice, but she maintained his look for years before Blake cut it off. At some point, he left Oklahoma and moved to Nashville. 

A funny story about the mullet look: In September 2014, Blake's hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, held a party to celebrate his ninth album release, Bringing Back the Sunshine. There was a Blake look-alike contest at this party, including his look with a mullet. Dorothy was the proud judge of the contest. 

Blake was always drawn to music, using common household items as fake microphones, and Dorothy encouraged him to sing and perform. As Blake was a cute kid, his mom decided to enter him into a beauty pageant. While he felt uncomfortable being around a bunch of girls, he did enjoy the talent part of the pageant.

He told his mom that he wouldn't enter a beauty pageant again. Dorothy entered him into several talent shows while he was growing up. Today, Shelton is a mega country music star with eight GRAMMY nominations. He's won 10 awards from the Country Music Association, a Billboard Music Award, and six Academy of Country Music awards. He also has 12 studio albums and has had a successful career as a judge on The Voice. His career and charming personality are due to the encouragement, love, and respect his mother, Dorothy Shackleford, continues to give to Blake Shelton.

Blake says that his mom was always an artist when he was growing up. She painted and did all sorts of crafting projects. Today, Dorothy still enjoys them, especially painting pet portraits. She loves upcycling items into new art projects, and she co-owns a fun store in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, called Junk Stars. She often sells recycled art to raise money for one of her favorite nonprofits, the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dorothy co-wrote the song "Time for Me to Come Home" in 2012 with Blake for his Cheers, It's Christmas album. After the song became a hit, she co-wrote a book with Travis Thrasher with the same title. From there, the Hallmark Channel made several movies based on the premise of the song and book, including:

Blake is an executive producer of all four movies, and Dorothy is credited as one of the co-writers of the films.

Blake is close to his mother, his sister, and her family, and they spend every Christmas together. When Blake married Gwen Stefani, she and her three sons were welcomed into the Shackleford home, and they all celebrate the holiday together every year.

Blake and Gwen also try to celebrate Dorothy's birthday with her. During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Blake and Gwen moved to Blake's Oklahoma ranch. They were able to spend time with close family, including his mom, during those challenging times.

Blake and Dorothy have a strong relationship, and they adore each other. She said she isn't surprised by his success because of his charismatic personality, zest for life, kindness, and talent. While they spend as much time together as possible, Dorothy supports Blake and his family in all their ventures. She even flew to California from her home in Oklahoma to be by Blake's side when he received the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They're all blessed to have so much love and support within the family.