The CMA Fest audience told Blake Shelton ‘Ol’ Red’ was a hit

Blake Shelton’s just one of the many country superstars you’ll see Thursday night on ABC’s annual CMA Fest special.

The “Let Him In Anyway” hitmaker traces his first CMA Fest appearance to 2001, and he has a significant CMA Fest memory he associates with one of his signature songs.

“I remember standing on the stage here at Nissan Stadium and performing ‘Ol’ Red’ for the first time, you know, after the song came out as a single,” he said backstage. “I just felt like this reaction from the audience, you could hear it, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think this song is gonna be a hit.””

“It had been out, you know, for maybe two or three months, but you know it was still kinda new at radio,” he explains. “And so that was the first time I thought, ‘Man, we may have something here,’ you know.”

“And the audience was right,” he adds. “You know, these are the hardcore fans. If they react to it, you’ve got something.”

Stay tuned to see what Blake performs on Thursday, as Riley Green and GMA’s Lara Spencer host the three-hour CMA Fest special starting at 8 p.m. ET.