Editing Clint Black (section)

===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 />