On May 2, 1989, Clint Black released his debut album, Killin’ Time, which became a smash success. The album is currently certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. That year , the Academy of Country Music (ACM) recognized Clint Black for Album of the Year, Top Male Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist, and Single of the Year for A Better Man.
The genre-altering record (album cover art is pictured above) cemented the country music icon as one of the truest traditionalists in the game and his widespread influence can still be felt in the work of artists today.
Clint Patrick Black was born February 4, 1962, in Long Branch. He spent the first couple years of his life in Shrewsbury, where his father had a temporary job working on a pipeline. While Clint was still a toddler, the family moved to Katy, Texas, outside of Houston.
Today, Clint Black is a country music singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. Having sold over 20 million records, earning 22 #1 career singles, including nearly two dozen gold and platinum awards (U.S. and Canada), as well as a Grammy Award, numerous CMA, ACM, and American Music Awards, and being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Clint Black has had one of the most storied careers in modern music.
In 1990, Clint returned to his native state to perform at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. In an interview, when he was asked about his New Jersey past, Clint said:
I don’t have any recollection of Long Branch, or anyplace else in New Jersey, for that matter, because we moved to Texas when I was a year old. My mama was from Alabama and my dad was from Texas. But I guess playing Harrah’s is sort of like a homecoming.
Sources:
Edwards, Joe. (1990). Country’s Clint Black misses fishing. Associated Press, published in Florida Today, Cocoa, Fla., May 4, 1990, P. 72.
Karas, Matty. (1991). Clint Black: Purebred Country. Asbury Park Press, August 9, 1991, P. 33.
Out of Sane. (2020). About Clint Black. Available: https://www.clintblack.com/about
Roura, Phil. (2006). The country king (and Jersey boy) makes a stop at Harrah’s. Daily News, New York, N.Y., August 13, 2006, P. 157.
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