Country Music Month - The Texas Connection: Clint Black

I was driving through the Metroplex in about 1990 on my way to Puerto No One Knows when I heard this song. I thought to myself, "Damn, Haggard's done it again." One problem. It wasn't Merle Haggard singing that song. It was some new guy named Clint Black. Whoa! This guy was good and I was hooked. As Clint cranked out the hits, I was amazed at the way he told a story with the lyrics of his songs, like the phrase "Puerto No One Knows" (from When My Ship Comes In) That's great stuff.

Clint was born in New Jersey, but moved to his Dad's hometown of Houston when he was less than a year old. The story from there is a familiar one where boy teaches self to play guitar, writes songs, gets recording contract. But unlike many others who traveled a similar path, Clint went on to become a star. His first album Killin' Time was a smash, selling over a million copies. Black was consistently in the Top 10 with his albums and singles, when, in May, 2001, he became a Daddy to a little girl and took a three year break from the music industry. People in the industry told Clint he was committing career suicide, but he stood by his decision saying, "..it ended up not being a smart career move, but it was a real smart Dad move..." Now, I like this guy even more.

Here are some of my favorite Clint Black tunes:

• Like The Rain - probably my favorite CB song.
• Good Run of Bad Luck -  from the movie Maverick
• Untanglin My Mind - co-written by Merle Haggard. Enuff said.
• Cadillac Jack - Good deed gone bad.

With over twelve million albums sold, I am in good company with 11,999,999 other Clint Black fans who really like the man's music. If you wanna flash back to an earlier time, here's a Clint Black YouTube page for your viewing and listening pleasure. Until next time, I'm off to Puerto No One Knows.