Clint Black
He kicked open the door to the 1990s country boom with a hat, a hitch in his voice, and songs that felt like classic honky-tonk rediscovered.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American country musician·Birthday: February 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
When Clint Black arrived in 1989, country music was polished and pop-leaning. Then came 'Killin' Time,' a debut single that sounded like it had been beamed in from a 1970s Texas roadhouse. With his deep, resonant baritone and a songwriter's ear for turn-of-phrase, Black, alongside artists like Garth Brooks, became an architect of the genre's massive commercial resurgence. He wasn't a bombastic showman; his power was in craftsmanship. He co-wrote almost every one of his early hits, songs like 'A Better Man' and 'Nobody's Home,' which married traditional country themes with a modern crispness. The black hat and handsome face made him a star, but it was the substance of the songs that sustained him. While the frenzy of the '90s country boom eventually cooled, Black's commitment to the song never wavered, maintaining a career built not on trends, but on a clear, unwavering musical identity that reminded audiences of country's core strengths.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Clint was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clint Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Clint's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His debut album, 'Killin' Time,' produced five consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard country charts.
- Has achieved over 13 number-one singles on the US country charts across his career.
- Won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year) in 1990.
- Co-wrote the vast majority of his hit material, establishing himself as a leading songwriter of the era.
Did You Know?
He worked as a fishing guide, construction worker, and bait cutter before his music career took off.
Black is an accomplished harmonica player and often incorporates it into his performances.
He married actress Lisa Hartman in 1991, and they have performed and recorded together.
He holds a pilot's license and has flown his own plane to tour dates.
“ ”
