Editing Clint Black (section)

==Music career==
===1983–1988: Early career===
Black was initially drawn to a variety of musical genres.  According to his father, he chose to focus on [[country music]] in the early 1980s, after singers [[George Strait]] and [[Reba McEntire]] moved the genre back toward the more traditional; in the style kept alive by [[George Jones]] and [[Merle Haggard]].<ref name=mitchell1989 /> For six years, Black supported himself as a construction worker, bait cutter, and fishing guide,<ref name=long>{{citation |last1=Long |first1=Steven |last2=Zuniga |first2=Jo Ann |title=Country newcomer hits it big |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=February 19, 1990 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1990_684794 |access-date=April 9, 2009 |page=Section A, p 1}}</ref> while singing at various lounges as a solo singer and guitarist.<ref name=mitchell1989 /> In 1987, at one of the gigs he met another guitarist, [[Hayden Nicholas]].  The two men connected musically and began a song writing partnership that would last decades.<ref name=mitchell1989 /> In the late 1980s, Black delivered a demo of their collaboration "Nobody's Home" to record promoter Sammy Alfano.  Within two days of that delivery, Black was invited to a meeting with [[Bill Ham]], who managed [[ZZ Top]].<ref name=mitchell1989 />

===1989–1991: Breakthrough===
Black soon signed with RCA in October of 1987, and at the time, RCA was considered one of the "most aggressive" labels in country music.<ref name=racine>{{citation |last=Racine |first=Marty |title=Clint Black wows home crowd |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=May 8, 1989 |page=Star, p. 1 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1989_622002 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> His first album, ''[[Killin' Time (Clint Black album)|Killin' Time]]'', was released in 1989.  Each song on the album was penned at least in part by Black; four of them were attributed solely to him, while the rest were collaborations with Nicholas.  In a departure from most other country albums, Black used his road band instead of session musicians to record ''Killin' Time''.<ref name=mitchell1989 /> The album was a critical and commercial success,<ref name=graff /> reaching [[List of number-one country albums of 1990 (U.S.)|number one]] on the [[Billboard Country Albums|''Billboard'' Country Albums]] chart and certified platinum in 1990.<ref name=mitchell1991>{{citation |last=Mitchell |first=Rick |title=Clint Black's time has come |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=January 2, 1991 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1991_754465 |access-date=April 9, 2009 |page=Section A, p. 15}}</ref> He made his debut in 1989 with the single, "[[A Better Man (Clint Black song)|A Better Man]]", which reached number one on the [[Hot Country Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs]] in early June. This marked the first time in 14 years that a debut single by a male artist had peaked at the top of the chart.<ref name=mitchell1989 /> In total, five singles off of his debut album reached number one, the first time any country artist had accomplished this feat.<ref name=hodges2000 /> Black won the [[Country Music Association]]'s Horizon Award for best newcomer in 1989.<ref name=long /><ref>{{cite web |title=23rd Annual CMA Awards |url=http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cma/archives/1989.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021035701/http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cma/archives/1989.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=CMT |access-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref> At the end of the year, his singles, "A Better Man" and "[[Killin' Time (Clint Black song)|Killin' Time]]" place number one and number two on the year-end country singles charts.  It had been 36 years since another artist had claimed both top spots in a single year.<ref name=long /> Looking back at the early stages of his career, Black recalled: "'At one point, I knew I crossed this line out of obscurity and I felt like no matter what happened from that point on I would always be remembered for ''Killin' Time''. There was this kind of mixed feeling of remorse and excitement.'"<ref name=mitchell1992>{{citation |last=Mitchell |first=Rick |title=New Album: New Image – Clint Black |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=July 5, 1992 |page=Zest, p. 16 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1065589 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref>

In late 1990, the ''Los Angeles Times'' surveyed country music industry insiders to determine which acts could be expected to sell the most records over the next seven years.<ref group=Note>Seven years was the typical length of a recording contract.</ref> Black placed second in the poll, two votes behind [[Garth Brooks]].  The survey results were surprising in that 10 of the top 20 artists named were relative newcomers to the industry; in the past, country music had been dominated by artists with several decades experience.<ref name=hilburn>{{cite news |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |title=Country's new crop |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=December 30, 1990 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1991_755354 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The plethora of new acts confused some reviewers, however.  Many reviewers lumped many of the new acts together; as ''Newsweek''{{’}}s David Gates wrote: "Good song, good voice, hot band: who cares which one it is this time?"<ref name=gates />  Black soon became known as one of Nashville's "hat acts"; like other country artists such as [[Tracy Lawrence]], [[Alan Jackson]], and [[John Michael Montgomery]], Black was a relative newcomer who wore a hat, and had "clean, neotraditional sound with pop appeal".<ref name=gates />

''Killin' Time'' was certified platinum in 1990.  Black's second album, ''[[Put Yourself in My Shoes]]'', was released in November 1990.  It reached number two on the country chart and was in the top 20 on the pop album charts.<ref name=mitchell1991 /> This success on the pop charts resulted from a change in the way Billboard calculated album sales; a new reliance on [[Nielsen SoundScan]] instead of information from selected record stores showed that sales of country albums had previously been under counted.<ref name=gates>{{citation |last=Gates |first=David |newspaper=Newsweek |title=New Kids on the Range |date=October 7, 1991 |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/127087 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The album did not meet with as much critical acclaim as his debut, but nonetheless still included several hit singles. He began touring with [[Alabama (American band)|Alabama]].

Black has been a member of the [[Grand Ole Opry]] since 1991.<ref>{{cite web|title=Opry Member List PDF |url=http://www.opry.com/img/Opry%20Members%20List.pdf |date=April 23, 2012 |access-date=June 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607030858/http://www.opry.com/img/Opry%20Members%20List.pdf |archive-date=June 7, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Clint Black |url=http://www.opry.com/artists/b/Black_Clint.html |access-date=June 29, 2012 |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525022256/http://www.opry.com/artists/b/Black_Clint.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===1992: Lawsuits and ''The Hard Way''===
In March 1992, Black sued his manager, Bill Ham, for breach of contract; Black sought $2&nbsp;million in damages and requested that Ham return $4&nbsp;million in royalties.  Under the terms of their initial contract, Ham controlled all publishing royalties for any song that Black wrote or co-wrote for his first eight albums.  Because Black wrote all of his own music, this amounted to a fee of 20 to 30 cents per album sold.  Industry standards generally counseled songwriters to form their own publication companies, so they would be able to retain more of the royalties.<ref name=mitchell1992 />

Ham promptly countersued, blaming the initial lawsuit on poor advice Black received from his new personal assistant, his mother-in-law Jonni Hartman.  His lawyer told the press that "Mr. Ham invested $1 million of his own money in Clint Black's career at a time when nobody else would do so. For that commitment, Mr. Black should show a little gratitude and honor his contracts".<ref name=mitchell1992 />

By mid-1992, Black's first two albums had sold a combined 5&nbsp;million copies.<ref name=mitchell1992 /> The difficulties with Ham caused a delay in the release of Black's third album,<ref name=mitchelloctober1992>{{citation |last=Mitchell |first=Rick |title=Clint Black polished, energetic, but where's the hat? |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=October 4, 1992 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1084883 |access-date=April 9, 2009 |page=Section A, p. 30}}</ref> ''[[The Hard Way (Clint Black album)|The Hard Way]]'', which was released on July 14.<ref name=mitchell1992 /> The album had been expected the year previously, and during the delay the country music scene changed.  Both Alan Jackson and [[Travis Tritt]] achieved greater success, and [[Billy Ray Cyrus]] became a teen idol.  The competition that Black faced was now much stiffer than with his earlier albums.<ref name=mitchelloctober1992 />

According to Black, he and producer [[James Stroud]] spent more time putting this album together than either of those preceding and were "a lot more aggressive in the way we cut and mixed the album".<ref name=mitchell1992 /> Black was also more satisfied with the vocals on this album.<ref name=mitchell1992 /> Several of the songs on ''The Hard Way'', including "Burn One Down", were initially reported to be Black's responses to his situation with Ham.  Co writer Nicholas refuted the rumors, maintaining that most of those songs were written in the late 1980s.<ref name=mitchell1993 />

To promote the album, Black launched The Hard Way Tour on June 26, 1992.  The tour ran for 11 months.  Reviewers noticed that with this album Black presented a "new, sexier image", wearing tighter clothing and in many cases leaving behind his trademark hat.  Black commented simply that he was bored wearing the hat all the time.<ref name=mitchell1992 />

===1993–1999: Continued success===
[[File:Clint Black 1994.jpg|thumb|Black in 1994]]
Black's fourth album, ''[[No Time to Kill]]'' was released almost a year after ''The Hard Way''.  The album received mixed reviews.  The ''Houston Chronicle'' noted that Black's duet with [[Wynonna Judd]], "[[A Bad Goodbye]]", was "precisely the kind of radio-ready, big-production ballad that record companies tend to force on their artists when they sense that their careers are in trouble....[I]t sticks out like a sore thumb in his body of work."<ref name=mitchellNoTime /> On the other hand, a review in ''Time'' magazine thought the duet helped Black show his emotions more intensely.<ref name=farley>{{citation |last=Farley |first=Christopher John |title=A Bluer Shade of Black |date=August 23, 1993 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979064,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050113074628/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979064,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 13, 2005 |access-date=April 24, 2009 |newspaper=Time}}</ref> Some reviewers also noted that in some of the more serious songs on the album, Black's voice sounded strained.<ref name=mitchellNoTime /> On January 30, 1994, Black performed as part of the "Rockin' Country Sunday" [[halftime show]] at [[Super Bowl XXVII]], along with Judd, [[Tanya Tucker]], [[Travis Tritt]], and Naomi Judd.

''[[One Emotion]]'' followed in late 1994. Also a platinum certified album in the US, this album accounted for five straight top five hits. First was the number four "Untanglin' My Mind", a [[Merle Haggard]] co-write. After it came the number three "Wherever You Go", three-week number one "[[Summer's Comin']]", the number two title track and finally the number four "[[Life Gets Away]]." The latter two were also number one country hits in Canada.

In 1996, Black became the fourth country music singer to earn a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Clint Black earns his star |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=December 13, 1996 |page=C11}}</ref><ref group=Note>The first three were [[Gene Autry]], [[Roy Rogers]], and [[Garth Brooks]].</ref> Later that year, he released his first greatest-hits package. This was led off by the chart-topper "[[Like the Rain]]", which spent three weeks at number one. After it came the number six "Half Way Up", his first single since "One More Payment" to miss the top five.

Black's next album, 1997's ''[[Nothin' but the Taillights]]'', was released to mediocre reviews. Thom Owens of [[AllMusic]] said that the album made no attempt to change his sound, and was "sturdy" but less country than his previous efforts.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic |class=album |id=r307586|pure_url=yes}}|title=''Nothin' but the Taillights'' review|last=Owens|first=Thom|work=Allmusic|access-date=2009-06-06}}</ref> Lead-off single "Still Holding On", a duet with labelmate [[Martina McBride]], became his first single to land outside the top 10, with a number 11 peak that year. He soon recovered his chart momentum with the number two "[[Something That We Do]]" followed by two straight chart-toppers in the album's [[Steve Wariner]]-penned [[Nothin' but the Taillights (song)|title track]] and "[[The Shoes You're Wearing]]". The next two singles – the number 12 "Loosen Up My Strings" and number 29 "You Don't Need Me Now" – were less successful.

In 1998, he made a brief foray into [[big band jazz]] when he recorded a cover of the [[Christmas song]] "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]" for the soundtrack of the animated movie [[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie|of the same name]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8USN7o2O7PA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/8USN7o2O7PA| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer performed by Clint Black|website=YouTube|date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=September 6, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1999, Black released ''[[D'lectrified]]'', which relied completely on [[acoustic music|acoustic]] instruments.  Nevertheless, ''USA Today'' thought the "album sounds as full and brash as an electric album since he used creative arrangements and horn sections".<ref name=usatoday>{{citation |title=Nashville sound: Dixie Chicks |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/lmds756.htm |access-date=April 9, 2009 |date=October 27, 1999 |newspaper=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> Three of the songs on the albums were remakes of previous Black singles.  Several others featured guest appearances by some of Black's idols, including [[Waylon Jennings]], [[Kenny Loggins]], and [[Eric Idle]].  The songs tended to be longer than most of those played on country radio, with many stretching more than five minutes.<ref name=usatoday />

===1999–2013: Later career===
Black and Hartman welcomed their first child, Lily Pearl Black, in May 2001.<ref name="Lily Pearl Black">{{citation |title=Welcome Lily Pearl Black |newspaper=Country Weekly Magazine |date=May 13, 2001 |url=http://www.countryweekly.com/news/377 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> Black took a three-year break from the music industry to stay home with his daughter.  He explained that "it ended up not being a smart career move, but it was a real smart dad move. …  I wouldn't go back and try to do anything for my career in exchange for that."<ref>{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Regina |title=CLINT BLACK Musician, actor, family man scheduled for Durant show |newspaper=KLBC BUZZ |location=Durant, OK |page=11 |publisher=KLBC |date=June 2012 |url=http://klbcfm.com/images/buzzitems/june12/clintblack.pdf |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6BSDIGsmM?url=http://klbcfm.com/images/buzzitems/june12/clintblack.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

During his sabbatical, Black spent time reassessing his career.  After deciding he was unwilling to work within the current recording industry system, he formed his own record label, [[Equity Music Group]].  Black admitted that it was difficult to leave RCA.  In his 14 years with the label, he had sold over 20&nbsp;million records.<ref name=clark />

The new label operated under very different rules than those Black had begun his own career under.  Artists were guaranteed ownership of their songs and were granted an equity stake in the label.<ref name=clark>{{citation |last=Clark |first=Michael D. |title=Clint Black's getting back to his (grass) roots |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=March 4, 2004 |page=Houston section, p. 10 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3740871 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The first release from the new label was Black's next album, ''[[Spend My Time]]''; his eighth studio album was Black's first release in five years.  The ''Houston Chronicle'' called it "arguably the most adventurous of his career".<ref name=clark />

In 2005, Black released ''[[Drinkin' Songs and Other Logic]]''.  Black chose the title of the album to limit himself to simple topics in his past. He explained: "I went out and bought all the music I grew up on that I didn't already have and spent three months listening to only that. Only stuff from before I started making records, so it was pre-1989—[[Waylon Jennings|Waylon]], [[Willie Nelson|Willie]], [[Buck Owens]], [[Merle Haggard|Haggard]], [[Don Williams]], [[Jim Croce]]. And what I discovered was a simplicity in song that I had moved away from. It was quite an emotional journey because these were all the songs that moved me and inspired me to do what I've been doing ever since."<ref>{{cite web |title=Clint Black – Drinkin' Songs and Other Logic |url=http://magazine.angrycountry.com/article.php?story=20051011140923681 |publisher=AngryCountry.com |date=October 11, 2005 |access-date=July 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626220445/http://magazine.angrycountry.com/article.php?story=20051011140923681 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

[[File:ClintBlackperforming.jpg|thumb|right|Black performing at a benefit concert]]
Black has continued to record new material, however.  In 2007, he released the single "The Strong One" the first original song he has recorded that he did not write.<ref name=guerra>{{citation |last=Guerra |first=Joey |title=Clint Black: soft but strong |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=September 28, 2007 |page=Star, p. 1 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4432364 |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The song was included on his first digital EP, released on March 11, 2008. Titled "The Long Cool EP," the collection features Black's single, "[[Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)|Long Cool Woman]]", "The Strong One" and a duet with his wife titled "You Still Get to Me".<ref>{{cite web |title=Long, cool Clint Black goes digital route |url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=1410 |publisher=COUNTRY Standard Time |date=February 19, 2008 |access-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref> Equity Music Group closed its doors in December 2008 due to economic difficulties.<ref name=paxman>{{citation |title=Clint Black's Label Closes |newspaper=Country Weekly Magazine |date=December 17, 2008 |last=Paxman |first=Bob |url=http://www.countryweekly.com/news/clint-black%E2%80%99s-label-closes |access-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref>

Black was also a judge for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prlog.org/10244858-bostons-own-debbie-and-friends-among-the-8th-annual-independent-music-awards-vox-populi-winners.html |title=Boston's Own Debbie And Friends Among The 8th Annual Independent Music Awards Vox Populi Winners |author=Debbie and Friends |work=PRLog |date=May 27, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=8th Annual IMA Judges |url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/judges/8th-annual-ima-judges/ |publisher=IMA |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129195553/http://independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/imajudges2009.asp |archive-date=January 29, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref>

===2013–present: Return to music===
Since the closure of his label in 2008, Black had intermittently hinted at a new album that never materialized.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/473861/clint-black-is-back-readies-first-new-album-in-7-years |title=Clint Black Is Back: Readies First New Album in 7 Years |first=Chuck |last=Dauphin |date=December 5, 2012 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>  In 2013, he issued a [[Cracker Barrel]]-exclusive album which featured re-recorded versions of some of his biggest hits as well as three new songs.  Black stated that he hired the same musicians that had played on the original versions to perform the new ones, and that some songs were approached from a "fresh angle" while others were made to be as close to the originals as possible.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/5638079/clint-black-reflects-on-new-album-cracker-barrel-partnership |title=Clint Black Reflects On New Album & Cracker Barrel Partnership |first=Chuck |last=Dauphin |date=August 2, 2013 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

In early 2015, Black appeared with [[Joe Nichols]] on the ''ACM Superstar Duets'' special, which featured modern artists teaming up with older icons that had influenced their music.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clintblack.com/blog_index&postid=1560765 |title=ACM Superstar Duets |work=ClintBlack.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731012926/http://clintblack.com/blog_index%26postid%3D1560765 |archive-date=July 31, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>  In July 2015, it was reported that Black had signed a new record deal with independent label [[Thirty Tigers]] to release an album of new studio material in the Fall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2015/07/36485-clint-black-release-new-album/ |title=Clint Black To Release A New Album |first=Matt |last=Bjorke |date=July 21, 2015 |work=RoughStock}}</ref>  The record title was revealed shortly thereafter as ''On Purpose,'' with a release date of September 25.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-BLACK-CLINT/dp/B0130HVMWE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440025878&sr=8-1&keywords=clint+black+on+purpose |title=Clint Black - On Purpose |work=Amazon.com|date=February 15, 2024 }}</ref> Black's next album, ''Out of Sane'', was released in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Clint Black on Upcoming Album 'Out of Sane': I Try 'to Make Music That's Not Trendy' (Exclusive)|url=https://popculture.com/country-music/news/clint-black-upcoming-album-out-of-sane-try-make-music-not-trendy-exclusive/|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Country Music|date=September 4, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>