Clint Black Recalls the Competition Between the Class of ’89 [Watch]
Clint Black was part of country music's heralded Class of '89, a group of newcomers grouped together after each had enjoyed tremendous success. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt were also part of this group of stars, and during an interview with Taste of Country, Black was asked if it felt like a competition.
The short answer is yes, but not to him. Black joined Taste of Country Nights radio hosts Evan and Amber for a Facebook Live video on Thursday (June 18) and explained that the group weren't necessarily friends, but that wasn't because they didn't like one another.
“We were friendly to each other," he shares. "Some of us a little more than others, just because we came in contact with each other more. We were all moving at 90 miles per hour.”
On Friday (June 19) Black dropped his newest studio album, Out of Sane, a project he calls his finest ever — which is quite a statement for a man with over a dozen No. 1 hits who many feel should be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Watch the full interview below to see him talk about the personal new music and to see him expand on relationships and the speed of life in the early '90s. One memorable story finds him turning down an invite to a Christmas party hosted by Waylon Jennings, but it wasn't because he didn't want to attend.
“For the most part, artists are a friendly bunch. Every now and then one of them tries to punch another one, but I’ve only seen that once,” he says, smiling but not sharing details.
But was it a competition?
“Well, it was competitive to some of them," Black shares. "They were really outspoken about their competitiveness. It wasn’t for me.”
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