The 9-year-old "boy" who inspired Elvie Shane's "My Boy" is now in high school and plenty old enough to recognize how the song changed his family's life. He's also not shy about asking for his share.

Shane's wife Mandi was raising Caleb when she met her husband-to-be, which technically makes him the singer's stepson. That's not how he chooses to label him, however, as the song makes clear.

"He ain't my blood, ain't got my name / But if he did, I'd feel the same / I wasn't there for his first steps / But I ain't missed a ball game yet / And that ain't ever gonna change / I could never walk away / Yeah, he's my son and that's my choice / He ain't my blood, but he's my, he's my boy," Shane sings.

Talking to Taste of Country Nights, Shane says his son still thinks the attention is cool.

"I think it has opened up some doors and broke the ice a little bit for him stepping into high school with Pops who's got a song on the radio," he says.

“I think he's really starting to realize what it's doing for our family and what it means,” the Kentucky-born singer adds.

By that, Shane means a dream is coming true, and a new way to make a living for the family being realized. The singer recalls his own father once telling him to learn a real skill, or he'd be stuck driving trucks for a living just like him. It took time and a few false starts, but as of Monday (Oct. 18), the hard work paid off. "My Boy" is the No. 1 song in country music on the Mediabase country airplay chart.

Caleb might have sensed this was coming.

"He told me just the other day he wants a Nissan 350Z," Shane says, referring to a vehicle that costs around $30,000 new. "I was like, 'Well, uh, there’s three other writers on here, so let’s just see what happens.'"

Well, that's not a no!

In July, the family got a little bigger when Shane's wife gave birth to a baby girl named Zaelyn Journey Payton. Shane's upcoming album is something of a family affair, with co-writes with his brothers and a collaboration with his mother included. Baby Zaelyn did not get a song, however, as she arrived after the project was finalized.

Best Country Albums of 2021 - Critic's Picks

This list of the best country albums of 2021 was curated by Taste of Country staff, with help from fans and with consideration of industry acclaim and mainstream accessibility.

The top album of the year is a traditional country record that makes subtle efforts to include more progressive-minded fans. Elsewhere, find projects from a dynamic mix of artists and and visionaries.

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