Ask
any casual fan of country music to name one male artist
of the genre, and odds are that they’ll say Garth
Brooks. But Brooks’ path to stardom was paved by a
number of other hitmakers of the early 1990s, including
fan favorite Clint Black. Like many other country music
artists of the decade, Black was influenced by country legends
such as Merle Haggard and George Jones, but he also incorporated
some of the rock and pop sounds of the 1960s and ‘70s.
Black
was born in New Jersey, but he grew up in the Houston, Texas,
suburb of Katy, where he listened to both country and rock.
At age 13, he began playing both guitar and harmonica, and
two years later, he began writing songs and playing bass
and singing in his brother Kevin’s band.
Black
took the usual route of playing clubs and coffeehouses until
1987, when he met songwriter/guitarist Hayden Nicholas.
The two collaborated on demos, and Nicholas became Black’s
bandleader. After hearing one of the demo tapes, Bill Ham
signed on as Black’s manager, and Black inked a deal
with RCA Nashville in 1988.
In 1989, Black reached number one with his first single,
“Better Man,” making him the first new male
country act to do so in 15 years. By April of that year,
he was playing the Grand Ole Opry, one month before the
release of his debut album, “Killin’ Time.”
The album was an instant hit, reaching gold status in six
months and producing four hit singles. Black took home the
Country Music Association’s Horizon Award, given to
the top newcomer, and the Best Male Vocalist Award that
year. The Academy of Country Music gifted him with awards
for Best Album, Best Single, Best Male Vocalist and Best
New Male Vocalist.
Black’s second album, “Put Yourself in My Shoes,”
was another huge success when it came out in 1990. It went
double platinum, and Black was once again Best Male Vocalist.
He toured with Alabama, and Clint Black concert tickets
were a hot item, to say the least. In 1991, Black was inducted
into the Grand Ole Opry, and he married actress Lisa Hartman.
“The Hard Way” was a hit album in 1992, but
Black’s success wasn’t quite as stellar as it
had been. Sales of the next couple albums also decline,
and Black eventually left RCA to help form Equity Music
Group. “Spend My Time” was released on that
label in 2004.
|
.