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Clint Black Named As 2025 BMI Icon Award Recipient
An icon indeed.
Clint Black is going to be honored in a big way come November 18th at the BMI Awards, as Black was recently named the BMI Icon recipient.
The prestigious award is given to those who have had “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers,” and Black will stand alongside fellow country artists like Toby Keith, Hank Williams Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and more.
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Clint Black is one of the most underrated country stars of the ’90s, and like many other country stars, he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a musician. He taught himself to play harmonica at 12 and wrote his first song at 14, about the time his parents started to notice he had a real gift for singing. He joined a band with his brother, taught himself to play guitar, and before long, the quartet was performing at backyard barbeques with 70 people in attendance. He later dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time.
Always considering himself a traditionalist, he wanted to keep the styles of George Jones and Merle Haggard alive while performing solo as a singer and guitarist at various lounges. Clint held many odd jobs to pay the bills, including as a fishing guide and a bait cutter.
All those years of hard work paid off. After being signed to RCA Records, Black released his debut album Killin’ Time, and it was a smash success. The lead single from his debut project, “Better Man,” was the first debut single to go number one in 14 years. He followed that up with four more number one singles, marking the first time a country artist had 5 number one singles from one project.
The album hit number one on the Top Country Albums chart and remained there for a dominating 31 weeks, spending a total of 195 weeks on the chart. If you’re good at math, you know how long that is; if mental math isn’t your strong suit, like me, it’s a total of 4 years. 4 years on the chart is unheard of today.
Since becoming affiliated with BMI in 1993, Black has written 22 singles, all of which he has had a hand in.
“Clint Black’s career is a testament to the power of songwriting, and he is a true trailblazer whose artistry continues to leave an indelible mark on Country music. He set a new standard for storytelling in song that defined an era. His ability to craft songs that resonate across decades has made him a true BMI Icon.”
BMI’s Nashville VP of Creative, Clay Bradley, said.
Clint told People Magazine that he was in awe to be selected for this prestigious honor. In an exclusive interview, Black shared that he was honored to hear the news from BMI executives rather than from his management.
“It was pretty moving, Clay Bradley and Mike O’Neill said, ‘Hey, we want to get with Clint and meet with Clint,’ and they met with me and told me the news. So right off the bat, I knew something was happening here; they both wanted to meet with me. So, just the way they presented it was a big deal.
It did make me emotional. And I could feel the gravity or the levity of it, whichever way you want to characterize it. It was a special moment to be told by them, for them to take the time.”
Black also hinted that they would be doing a medallion ceremony at the BMI Awards, but he has to sit tight to see what is up their sleeves.
“They said, ‘Now, we’re going to do something, and you can’t know what that’s going to be, and we’re going to swear your manager to secrecy,’ which even made it even more special, because it sounds like it’s more than a medallion ceremony.”
While Black is highly honored to be seen as an icon in country music and to be so highly respected in the space, he made it very clear to People that he has no plans to slow down.
“I’m still playing 80 cities a year, roughly, and I still practice just almost constantly. I’m still improving. I haven’t seen any decline; I’ve just seen improvements. I’m still striving to become the musician I think I can be. And so that requires putting it to the test, getting up on stage, trying to pull off these challenges I’ve created for myself as a musician, as a singer.”
While some might think you’re winding down your career to be named an icon, Black made it very clear that he has no plans of slowing down.
Black shares that, although he knows he has fans, no matter what stage he’s on, he likes to act like it’s a clean slate and that he has to convert those in the audience into fans. While Black loves the party aspect of being in the business, it’s his job to make sure the fans are enjoying their party, and then he can cut loose once the job is done.
“When I walk on stage, I haven’t earned their respect yet. And that’s what I’ll have to do for the next hour and a half plus. So, every single show is that important to me; it’s never just me and the band playing the songs. It’s always that opportunity to be at the highest level of excellence we can reach, so that when we leave the stage, the audience is satisfied.”
Clint Black is a true entertainer, masterful songwriter, and icon. Well deserved, Clint Black.
Fire up a few tunes before you go.
“Loving Blind”
“Killin’ Time”
The post Clint Black Named As 2025 BMI Icon Award Recipient first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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