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Clint Black

Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is a Grammy Award-winning American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.

Although his momentum gradually slowed throughout the 1990s, Black consistently charted hit songs into the 2000s. To date, he has amassed more than thirty singles on the U.S. Billboard country charts (of which thirteen have reached Number One), in addition to releasing nine studio albums and several compilation albums. In 2003, Black founded his own record label, Equity Music Group.

Black has also ventured into acting, having made a cameo appearance in the 1994 film Maverick, as well as a starring role in 1998's Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack.

Biography

Early life

Black was born in Long Branch, New Jersey and grew up in Katy, Texas, the youngest of four brothers. Black took a passionate interest in music at age 13 teaching himself to play the harmonica, then guitar and bass guitar as well. He dropped out of Stratford High School (Houston, Texas) to play in his brother's band and played the local club circuit around Houston, Texas as he also ventured into songwriting.

Career

Black and his friend Hayden Nicholas began playing and writing songs together, soon signing with Bill Ham (manager of ZZ Top, among others) at RCA Records. To date Black has sold over 12 million albums worldwide. Clint's first single, "A Better Man", landed him a #1 country hit, as did the next three singles off his debut album, Killin' Time; the album itself was also #1 in album sales. He swept the Country Music Association's awards in 1989, winning in six different categories.

Black's second album, Put Yourself in My Shoes, did not meet with as much critical acclaim as his debut, but nonetheless still included several hit singles. He began touring with Alabama and soon married actress Lisa Hartman. A royalty-lawsuit with Bill Ham was ongoing while Black recorded his third album, The Hard Way, which received mixed reviews but became almost as successful as the previous two. His next albums were popular within the country music scene, although his ability to produce top hits slowly declined over time. Despite being one of the most popular acts of the 1990s, he would land only one Top 5 hit in the 2000s, a duet with his friend Steve Wariner.

After parting ways with longtime record label RCA, Clint started his own record label, Equity Music Group, in late 2003. Clint has released two mainstream records on his own label, as well as a Christmas album and a collection of love songs. On March 11th, 2008, Black released his first ever digital EP, available for download on all digital websites. Titled "The Long Cool EP," the collection features Black’s brand new single, "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)", as well as his recent single, "The Strong One," and a new duet with his wife Lisa, titled "You Still Get to Me". The iTunes version of the EP features an exclusive fourth bonus track: Harry Nilsson’s hit "Everybody’s Talkin’." All of these songs will also be found on his next full-length studio release, due out early in 2009. According to an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Black says the new album does not have a title yet, but expects the album to be released in February 2009.

Alongside his musical career, Clint has also tried his hand in acting. He has appeared in TV shows such as Wings, King of the Hill, Hope and Faith, Hot Properties and in Las Vegas as himself, not to mention a major role in The Larry Sanders Show (Season 3, episode 16), and an appearance in the final episode of the series, where he sings "A Bad Goodbye" to Larry. He has also had roles in movies such as Maverick, Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack, Going Home, and Anger Management.

For his contribution to the recording industry, Black has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7080 Hollywood Blvd.

Black was a contestant on the short lived CBS reality show "Secret Talents of the Stars," which debuted on April 8th, 2008. Black's secret talent was stand-up comedy. After making it through the first round, he was scheduled to perform again in the semifinals on April 22nd, 2008. However, CBS announced that after airing just one episode they would cancel the series.