NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Following three sold-out shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Clint Black is going on tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the award-winning album Killin’ Time. He and his electrifying band will play the album top to bottom, along with many other number-one hits.
Black moved to Nashville over 35 years ago with his bandleader and longtime songwriter colleague, Hayden Nicholas, where he readily signed a deal with RCA Records.
In one of the most storied careers in modern music, the Katie, Texas native surged to superstardom as part of the fabled Class of ’89, reaching #1 with five consecutive singles from his triple-platinum debut, Killin’ Time. The superstar logged the #1 Billboard Country song of 1989 and 1990 for “A Better Man” and “Nobody’s Home,” respectively, both from Killin’ Time.
The thing that I found most amazing is that Killin’ Time was Black’s debut album. It had five number-one singles on it. And though the title track, “Killin’ Time,” is his signature song, the song “A Better Man,” found on side B of the record, won Single of the Year at the 1989 ACM Awards. The album also won ACM Album of the Year in 1989.
Clint followed Killin’ Time with the triple-platinum Put Yourself in My Shoes and then a string of platinum and gold albums throughout the 1990s. Perhaps most impressively, Clint wrote or co-wrote every one of his more than three dozen chart hits, including “A Better Man,” “Where Are You Now,” “When My Ship Comes In,” “A Good Run of Bad Luck,” “Summer’s Comin’,” “Like the Rain” and “Nothin’ But the Taillights,” part of a catalog that produced 22 #1 singles and made him one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era.
Since then, Clint Black has won four Grammys, sold millions of records, and had billions of streams. In October 2019, Black received his star on the Music City Walk of Fame, and in 2023, his authentic lyricism and powerful musicianship earned him the ACM Honors Poets Award.
Rolling Stone magazine called Killin’ Time one of the “most important albums in country music.” After seeing it performed live, I would have to agree.
“Time flies when you’re…Killin’ Time!” commented Black. “My band and I are very excited to play the album top to bottom. Revisiting these songs has been inspiring and we can’t wait to hit the road and play it for the fans!”
I also would like to give a shoutout to Black’s amazing band. Two of the team members have been with him since the onset, and they regularly break into jam sessions unlike any I had seen from a country band. They are superbly talented and tight.
Make every effort to see Black and his band in person this year. You won’t regret it.
Tickets and on-sale information are available at clintblack.com.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X(Twitter).
