‘Bricklight Nights’ feature arts, crafts, live music across from UNM
Clint Black, fireworks mark Independence Day at Balloon Fiesta Park
Early in his career, country legend Clint Black knew he would still be touring and making music almost 30 years later.
“Half of my band today was there, playing on that first album,” Black said. “In an effort to create solidarity and build a tight band, I said to them back then, ‘I want to look around onstage 30 years from now and see the same faces.’ But there are a lot of things that have happened in my career I couldn’t have imagined — playing, writing, recording with musical heroes; starring in movies, directing my music videos, producing other artists.”
It’s been 28 years since Black’s song “A Better Man” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Black continues to enjoy playing that song, as well as other No. 1’s off his debut album, “Killing Time.”
“I wonder how many times I’ve played that song,” Black said of “A Better Man.” “It would be a great piece of trivia. It still feels great to sing it, even after all these years. I’m still trying to get better at it. What makes it still fun to sing is the audience. It’s because they enjoy it that I still enjoy it.”
Black continues to stay motivated.
“I’m determined to get better as a musician,” he said. “And because I have been able to learn and improve as a guitarist primarily, performing is more fun than ever. I could always play harmonica and strum or finger-pick acoustic guitar well, but in 1997 I started working on electric guitar, and now I’m playing guitar solos on some of the most difficult songs we play live, and I played almost all of the electric parts on my new CD, ‘On Purpose.’ So that just makes me hungry for more growth and keeps the cycle going.”
Deep thoughts, Black said, inspire his music today.
“I’m trying to find the profundity in everything,” he said. “Clever is fun, but when I can put wisdom into a lyric, I feel I’ve done something good.”