On his new single “This Old House,” he said, “It wasn’t originally about the Grand Ole Opry, but as I was recording it, I thought it would be a great tribute to the Grand Ole Opry. I thought that the song speaks to what that place is. Then, I thought about getting other people to sing it. Everybody that I asked loved the idea, and that’s when you believe that meant to happen.”
“Initially, I didn’t like ‘This Old House,’ when I was singing it by myself but as I got all the other voices on there, I really started loving it,” he admitted.
Michael Ray is one of the country artists featured on “This Old House,” and Black noted that Ray interviewed him last night at the Grand Ole Opry for American Songwriter. “Michael is great,” he said.
He shared his excitement for his new album, Still Killin’ Time, which will be available on Friday, November 8. “The live songs on the album are real snapshots of us in concert,” he said.
From this forthcoming collection, he listed “Tuckered Out” as his personal favorite song on there. “That song is a barn burner and it has a lot of instrumental solos and I like the outro,” he said.
On being a country artist in the digital age, he said, “I am mixed on that. I appreciate the convenience of it. The delivery system is great and convenient. As a listener, it’s great for me to download songs. I am hoping when we get into 5G, we will go more in favor of the quality. I want the quality to go up.”
Black noted that the passage of the Music Modernization Act (MMA) was a “long time coming,” and he described Nashville as a “publishing town.”
He revealed Alison Krauss and Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum as his dream collaboration choices in country music. “I love their voices,” he said.
This past April, Black performed at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, in the round, on Long Island. “Westbury has always had great country fans and so does New York City,” he said.
Regarding the key to longevity in the country music scene, Black said, “For me, the songs really did it. If you can become a part of someone’s soundtrack, those are our connections. If somebody has a special place in their hearts for a song, they have a reason to come and see you. If you can keep playing live and fans come out and bring their kids, you can end up with generations. It all starts with a song. I was lucky, in the years when I was on a major label, I had a lot of hits, I had 22 No. 1 hit singles and over 30 Top 10 hits.”
For Black, earning a star in the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville was a “cool” feeling.
The country crooner defined the word success as “a healthy and happy family.” “Raising our daughter to be a good citizen and a happy person and a great friend to her friends. Also, 28 years of marriage is a success,” he said. “On the business side, success for me is authenticity.”
Still Killin’ Time is available for pre-order on Apple Music and on Amazon Music. “My fans had been wanting a live album for a while, and of course, this was the time with the 30th anniversary. I feel like I am giving them something they’ve been asking for. I hope that it has a good enough feel for anybody who hasn’t been to our shows to make them want to come out and see us,” he said.
For more information on Clint Black, check out his official homepage and Facebook page.
Read More: Clint Black’s “This Old House” earned a glowing review from Digital Journal.
