Kevin Canady

Monterey native and Monterey High grad Kevin Canady is officially Blake Shelton’s tour manager, but that’s a lot like calling a fireman a guy who rides in a red truck. Yes, Canady arranges everything around concert dates, but he also books other appearances and radio events and coordinates the band, road crew, truck drivers, bus drivers and sees to a long list of other moving parts. “None of which was taught at Fresno State,” says Canady, on where he studied ag business. “You quickly learn how to wear lots of hats.”

He became Shelton’s “day-to-day guy” after season 2 of The Voice seven years ago, and splits time between his Nashville home and Los Angeles for the show, which just launched its 14th season and runs through May. Shelton, in turn, will visit Monterey County for a performance July 13 for California Rodeo Salinas.

Weekly: What do you think viewers will get most psyched this season?

Canady: Having an artist/coach like Kelly Clarkson on the show this year has been nothing but positive and exciting – especially since she is a product of a reality-singing competition and adds so much to the development [of] these contestants. The banter between the coaches is a huge part of the show. They are all great friends and what you see on TV is what they are in person. The coaches don’t get paid extra if they win. They truly care about each artist on the show, even if they are on another team.

When do you feel most alive with your job?

We’ve played sold-out arenas and stadiums, festivals and rodeos with 70,000-plus people, all of which are electrifying. But the times we get to meet a special needs child or a Make-a-Wish patient, that makes me feel the best about what we get to do. And seeing people’s reactions to meet their musical hero is special. Really, we are all fans of music. Thankfully my father Elmer is one and introduced me to music at a young age. Some people have the God-given ability to sing or play an instrument, none of which I do. But I get to be behind the scenes, making sure things go smoothly and these experiences are a success.

What’s the biggest myth about entertainment?

That it’s easy. You can argue it’s better than an office job or digging ditches, but I’m grateful I did those jobs growing up. Nobody is handed success. I have lots of friends who have record deals or have been in acting for a long time. Some of them still struggle to keep their career alive. To quote my father, “The only place you start on top is digging a hole.”

What separates those who make it in the industry and those who don’t?

Your attitude and the team around you. There are millions of great singers. Some are lucky, some are given more chances to be successful. But someone else is waiting to take it from you if you don’t work your butt off to continue your own career.

What’s the thing about the industry that you didn’t expect?

It’s a relationship business. Good ones keep you in the game, bad ones don’t do [you] any favors.

How do you describe your dynamic with Blake?

By default, you become best friends. We’ve been in each other’s weddings. We treat each other like brothers – yes, he’s my boss and I don’t forget that – but he doesn’t pay me to agree always. Plus, I’ve taught him to be witty and funny. (Laughs.) I may be a smart ass, but seriously, you can’t outwit that hillbilly.

How do you know you have a real Shelton fan on your hands?

They have a T-shirt from the early days with the long-hair-mullet-looking Blake Shelton or a tattoo that matches his deer-track tattoo. Thankfully, he’d cut his hair by the time I started with him.

What would surprise people most about The Voice behind the scenes?

We’re one big happy family: Kids are running around, family members and friends of the coaches hang out in our compound. It keeps things feeling like normal life off-camera.

What’s your secret music fetish?

I always go back to my roots growing up on ’80s and ’90s R&B, country and hip-hop. I love good music no matter what genre it is. The oldies but goodies we listened to at Colton [Middle School] and Monterey High never left my playlists.

Favorite thing to do when you get back to Monterey?

Golf, and hang with family and friends. I often dream about sand dabs. In a perfect world, I’ll retire in Monterey!