Blake Shelton Personally Moved by ‘The Voice’ Singer Peedy Chavis’ Elvis Presley Recreation

Blake Shelton had a personal connection to Peedy Chavis' cover of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" on the The Voice on Monday night (Sept. 20). The country judge lobbied hard for the 19-year-old to join his team during the Season 21 premiere.

After doing a spot-on cover of "Heartbreak Hotel," Chavis admitted that Presley had been an idol since his mother played him video of the King's 1968 concert special. He'd go on to share that he — the contestant — has an old musical soul and is a big fan of long-passed stars like Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

"That had me fired the hell up," Shelton says after he and John Legend turn their chairs for the Lawrenceville, Ga., native. Ariana Grande gave the only criticism of Chavis, saying she didn't hear his original voice in the song. Watch for yourself or skip ahead to see if Team Blake is one Elvis impersonator stronger.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was written by Presley, Thomas Durden and Mae Boren Axton, a legendary country music writer and executive and someone Shelton considered a personal friend before her death in 1997. "I don’t even think I would have known where Music Row was if it wasn’t for Mae; it was that pivotal," he once said (per the Boot), adding that she helped land him his record deal.

That story was enough to sway Chavis. It was no surprise when he chose Team Blake instead of Team John, although Legend's pitch to make him a multi-format star was attractive. He became the second member of the veteran coaches team, joining Wendy Moten.

Shelton is the reigning champion of The Voice. In total he's won eight times. Along with host Carson Daly, he's the only member of the cast to remain after 20 seasons.

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