Clint Black

Country artist Clint Black launched his career during the late 1980s and remained one of the genre's best-selling stars through the turn of the 21st century. Although born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on February 4, 1962, he spent the majority of his childhood in Katy, Texas, where he began writing songs as a teenager. Those songwriting skills would serve him well throughout his multi-decade career, with Black penning the majority of his own hits, including Number 1 singles like "Nobody's Home," "Like the Rain," and "Nothin' But the Taillights." The first four of his 13 chart-topping hits appeared on his debut album, Killin' Time. Released in 1989, the album sold more than three million copies, as did its 1990 follow-up, Put Yourself in My Shoes. Hailed as an icon of neo-traditionalist country, Black joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1991. He spent the rest of the decade on the road, in the recording studio, and on the Billboard charts, releasing platinum-certified albums like 1992's The Hard Way, 1993's No Time To Kill, and 1994's One Emotion. As the decade drew to a close, he nodded to his traditional roots with D'Electrified, an unplugged album performed on acoustic instruments. Although he remained active during the first two decades of the 21st century, he released music at a slower pace. Highlights include his 2005 honky-tonk album, Drinkin' Songs and Other Logic, and 2015's On Purpose, both of which were produced by the songwriter himself.