Blackhawk | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | Country |
Discography | Blackhawk discography |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | Arista Nashville, Columbia, Rust Nashville, Loud & Proud, Mirror Lake |
Spinoff of | Outlaws |
Members | Henry Paul Dave Robbins Randy Threet [a] |
Past members | Van Stephenson Anthony Crawford Jon Coleman Michael Randall |
Website | blackhawklive |
Blackhawk (sometimes stylized as BlackHawk) is an American country music band founded in 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of founding members Henry Paul (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Dave Robbins (keyboards, vocals). They are accompanied by a backing band consisting of Randy Threet (bass guitar, vocals), Jeff Aulich (guitar), Jimmy Dormire (guitar), and Mike Bailey (drums). Paul, a then-former member of Southern rock band Outlaws, founded Blackhawk with Robbins and former solo singer Van Stephenson (vocals, guitar), both of whom had success as songwriters for other acts such as Restless Heart. Stephenson left shortly before his death from melanoma in 2001 and was replaced by Threet, then Anthony Crawford and Michael Randall; however, Threet has remained in the touring band. Robbins left in 2008 and was replaced with Jon Coleman before rejoining in 2010. After Paul re-established Outlaws in 2005, he, along with Robbins, Threet, and members of the backing band, have toured as both Outlaws and Blackhawk simultaneously.
Blackhawk was signed to Arista Nashville in 1993 and released their self-titled debut album in 1994. They also released Strong Enough (1995), Love & Gravity (1997), and The Sky's the Limit (1998), as well as a Greatest Hits package before leaving Arista in 2001. Their last major-label album was 2002's Spirit Dancer on Columbia Records, and all subsequent releases have been independent. Their albums accounted for several singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the top-ten hits "Every Once in a While", "I Sure Can Smell the Rain", "Down in Flames", "That's Just About Right", "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No", "Like There Ain't No Yesterday", and "There You Have It" between 1994 and 1999. Blackhawk's music combines influences of Southern rock with country, and is noted for vocal harmony and prominent use of mandolin.
Lead vocalist Henry Paul, prior to the foundation of Blackhawk, founded the rock band Outlaws and also recorded several albums as the Henry Paul Band. [2] He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1987 to pursue songwriting. Soon afterward, he left Outlaws as he wanted to pursue a career in country music instead. Through his connections as a songwriter, he met Van Stephenson and Dave Robbins. Stephenson had previously been a rock singer who had a hit in 1984 with "Modern Day Delilah", [2] [3] and both he and Robbins had found success in the mid-late 1980s as country music songwriters. Among these were several songs for Restless Heart such as "The Bluest Eyes in Texas". Paul had initially wanted to record as a solo artist but came in contact with Tim DuBois, a record executive, songwriter, and producer who assembled Restless Heart in 1984 and had collaborated with Stephenson and Robbins as a songwriter. DuBois suggested Paul become lead singer of a new band also featuring Stephenson and Robbins, as they had also wanted to form one after being inspired by the success of Restless Heart. In 1992, the three musicians began writing songs together and recording demos. [4] They initially found the process unsuccessful, but later found a shared interest in vocal harmony and use of acoustic instruments, which would help form their sound. Paul assumed the role of lead vocalist, guitarist, and mandolinist, with Robbins on baritone harmony and Stephenson on tenor harmony; respectively, the latter two also contributed on keyboard and guitar as well. [4] The musicians chose the name "Blackhawk" from the Stutz Blackhawk, a model of car. [2] [3] DuBois was at the time president of Arista Nashville (the country music division of Arista Records, with whom Paul was signed as a member of Outlaws), and signed Blackhawk to a record deal in 1993. [2] [4]
Arista Nashville released Blackhawk's self-titled debut album in February 1994. [4] DuBois and Mark Bright served as its producers. [5] The album was preceded by its lead single "Goodbye Says It All", which peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. [6] Next was "Every Once in a While", a song co-written by all three members of the band. In early 1994, it peaked at number two on Hot Country Songs, [6] and number one on the country music charts of Radio & Records . [6] After this, three more top-ten country hits were released from the album: "I Sure Can Smell the Rain", "Down in Flames", and a cover of Jeff Black's "That's Just About Right". [6] Another cut included on the album was a cover of Kennedy Rose's "Love Like This". [7] [8] By 1996, Blackhawk was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), honoring shipments of two million copes in the United States. [9] Soon after the album's release, Blackhawk was booked as an opening act for Tim McGraw. [10] They also established a touring band initially composed of Dale Oliver (lead guitar), Tere Bertke (bass guitar), and Bobby Huff (drums). [11] Additionally, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) nominated Blackhawk for Top New Vocal Group or Duet. [12] They also received nominations for Vocal Group of the Year in 1995 and 1996 from both the ACM and the Country Music Association (CMA). [13]
Blackhawk was met with mixed critical reception. An uncredited review in Billboard was favorable toward Paul's lead vocals and the band's Southern rock influences, but thought tracks such as "Goodbye Says It All" were "down the middle". [5] An uncredited review in The Modesto Bee said, "pleasantly layered harmonies and easy listening arrangements abound, but there's little originality." [14] Michael Hight of New Country magazine rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of five, comparing the band's harmonies to Bread and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and noting the use of mandolin in the arrangements. Hight was more mixed toward the lyrics and thought the album had a "radio-oriented" sound. [15] Greg Burliuk of The Kingston Whig-Standard was more favorable, highlighting the band's vocal harmony and saying that they "attack each song vigorously". [16]
Blackhawk's second studio album was 1996's Strong Enough . [4] In the process of selecting songs, Bright chose 30 songs out of over 900 which had been submitted to him, and presented them to Blackhawk while they were touring. [17] Among the contributing writers were Mutt Lange, Henry Gross, and Dennis Linde. [18] It debuted at number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart upon release, making it the highest-debuting album by a group or band on the country music charts since Alabama's The Closer You Get... in 1983. [10] Arista Nashville promoted the album through commercials on CMT. [10] The album's lead single, Lange's "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No", also peaked at number two on Hot Country Songs upon release. [6] Next was "Like There Ain't No Yesterday", which went to number three on the same chart. [6] Both songs also peaked at number one on the Canadian country music charts, then published by RPM . [19] [20] The album's next two singles were "Almost a Memory Now" and "Big Guitar", both top 20 hits on Hot Country Songs. [6] Stephenson and Robbins co-wrote "Almost a Memory Now", while Paul collaborated with Gross on "Big Guitar". [18] [6] However, the final single, "King of the World" (also a Jeff Black cover), failed to reach top 40. [6] Strong Enough was certified gold by the RIAA, honoring U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies. [9] Of this album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in AllMusic that it "finds the group consolidating their strengths as songwriters and performers. Throughout the album, the group turns in first-rate songs and tight performances, distinguished by their strong harmonies." [21] An uncredited Billboard review praised the energy of Paul's vocal delivery, as well as the variety of songwriters. [18]
In 1997, Arista released Blackhawk's third album, Love & Gravity . [2] The band chose to focus more on songs written by themselves than on previous albums, and wrote several tracks while on the road. One of these, "If That Was a Lie", was the first song in their career to feature Stephenson singing lead vocals instead of Paul. Songs that they wrote which did not make it onto the album were given to other artists, with one such song being recorded by the Buffalo Club. [22] Also included were covers of Heart's "Will You Be There (In the Morning)" (also written by Lange) and Andrew Gold's "Lonely Boy". [23] [22] Nashville-based producer Mike Clute assisted Bright in production, doing so on digital audio workstations made by Fairlight, and making Love & Gravity one of the first country albums to be recorded entirely on digital equipment. [24] Mike Dungan, senior vice president of Arista Nashville at the time, created a website for the band and arranged for a multi-artist pool party at a Nashville apartment complex to help promote the album. [22] The band also performed a concert for 5,000 shoppers at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, and signed more than 1,000 copies of the album at the mall's Sam Goody store. [25] Despite the promotions, the album accounted for only two unsuccessful singles, "Hole in My Heart" (written by Robbins, Stephenson, and Desmond Child) and "Postmarked Birmingham" (co-written by Phil Vassar), which both peaked in the 30s on Hot Country Songs. [6] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Thom Owens wrote that "several of the songs are simply unmemorable [but] its best moments demonstrate that Blackhawk is more talented and diverse than their previous two albums would suggest." [26] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time thought the Heart and Andrew Gold covers, as well as the string section on "Postmarked Birmingham", suggested a more pop influence than the band's first two albums. [23] Billboard writer Deborah Evans Price later attributed the failure of Love & Gravity to the band "stretching out" with songs that proved unpopular with radio. [27]
In 1998, Blackhawk covered the Christmas hymn "We Three Kings" on Arista Nashville's compilation Star of Wonder: A Country Christmas Collection, which featured all artists on the label at the time performing various Christmas songs. Blackhawk's rendition charted in 1998 from seasonal airplay. [6] Also released that same year was their fourth Arista album, The Sky's the Limit . [2] Of this album, Paul said that he wanted the band to undo the experimental tracks of Love & Gravity and record an album more consistent in tone to their first two, an opinion also shared by executives at Arista Nashville. [27] Among the tracks included on this project was "Always Have, Always Will", their first cut with Robbins on lead vocals. [27] Arista Nashville promoted the album by holding radio contests for listeners to win advance copies of the album in markets where they had determined Blackhawk's music was still popular with listeners. [27] Lead single "There You Have It" charted in the top five of Hot Country Songs in early 1999, also accounting for the band's only Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 41. The only other single from the album was "Your Own Little Corner of My Heart". [6] Wahlert reviewed this project favorably, praising the "high-energy" sound and the lyrics of the track "Who Am I Now" in particular. [28] Owens stated of this album that "they have more confidence, not only in their performances but in the way they merge their pop songwriting instincts with more authentic country instrumentation." [29]
This was followed in 2000 by Greatest Hits . In addition to most of their singles to this point, the album included "Always Have, Always Will" and three new tracks. Among these were "Ships of Heaven", written by Stephenson, and the album's only single, "I Need You All the Time". [6] [30] During release of this project, Stephenson quit the group due to complications of melanoma, of which he would die in April 2001. [2] Following Stephenson's departure, Randy Threet (who had taken over as bassist in their road band) began to fill in on tenor harmony. Also in their touring band at this point were guitarist Chris Anderson and drummer Mike Radowski. [31]
Due to a change in ownership at Arista Nashville, the band was dropped from that label and signed soon afterwards to Columbia Records's Nashville branch. [32] Their only Columbia album, Spirit Dancer , accounted for the low-charting singles "Days of America" and "One Night in New Orleans". [6] William Ruhlmann thought the album was more "personal" than previous efforts, and also thought the lyrics were inspired by Stephenson's death. His review also highlighted "Days of America" and "Brothers of the Southland" for their lyrics. [33] Another track from Spirit Dancer, "Gloryland", was later covered by Keni Thomas in 2005 with backing vocals from Blackhawk. [6] In 2003, guitarist Anthony Crawford took over as Blackhawk's tenor vocalist. Prior to joining Blackhawk, he had toured as a guitarist for Steve Winwood and Neil Young. [34]
In 2005, Paul chose to re-establish Outlaws after reuniting with guitarist Hughie Thomasson. The re-established lineup of Outlaws initially included Robbins and Anderson, alongside drummer Monte Yoho and, following Thomasson's death in 2007, guitarist Billy Crain. Yoho and Crain joined Blackhawk on tour as well. [35] Paul toured with Outlaws while maintaining his membership in Blackhawk. [36] Additionally, Paul and Robbins founded the Van Stephenson Fund in 2006 to raise money for cancer research. [37]
Also in 2006 Blackhawk signed with Rust Nashville. Their first release for the label was a single titled "Better at Hello", intended to lead off their first Rust album For the Sake of the Song. [38] Also released on Rust was a second single, "Who's Gonna Rock Ya". [2] Shortly afterward, the band joined Restless Heart and Little Texas on the "Triple Threat" tour, which ran through 2007. [39] Crawford exited Blackhawk in 2006 due to creative differences, and was briefly replaced by Michael Randall. [2] Additionally, Rust Nashville closed in early 2007, leaving For the Sake of the Song unreleased. [40] Threet, who had stayed in the touring band, reverted to tenor vocalist after Randall left. [41] Robbins quit Blackhawk in 2008, citing a desire to focus more on his songwriting. [42] He was replaced by Jon Coleman, who had also performed with Outlaws. At this point, Paul, Threet, and Coleman were backed by guitarists Chris Anderson and Billy Crain and drummer Monte Yoho. [43] With this lineup in place, the band released a live album, Greatest Hits Live, on Airline Records in 2008. [2] By 2009, they were doing 80 to 100 shows a year. [44]
Coleman left and Robbins rejoined in 2010. By this point, Blackhawk began crediting only Paul and Robbins as members of the group proper, although Threet remained in the backing band. [2] In 2011, they independently released the album Down from the Mountain. [2] Paul and Robbins continued to tour as members of both Blackhawk and Outlaws at this point. [45] In 2014, Paul and Robbins released the album Brothers of the Southland. The title track was co-written by Jim Peterik, and was previously recorded by the band on Spirit Dancer in 2002. Also included were re-recordings of demos the band had previously done before singing with Arista Nashville in the 1990s. Yoho and Anderson also contributed to the album, as did Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Paul Riddle of the Marshall Tucker Band. Brian Mansfield of USA Today described the album as a "tribute" to Southern rock artists who had died, and thought the album would appeal to fans of Blackhawk's earlier work. [46]
Paul and Robbins announced in late 2016 that they would begin working on their first Christmas album. [47] The album, The Spirit of Christmas, was released in 2019. [48] This was followed in 2020 by a live album titled Just About Right: Live from Atlanta, recorded at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia, in 2017. [1] Next in 2022 was the studio album Blue Highway, consisting of songs they had written with Stephenson in the 1990s. All twelve songs were original demo recordings with new instrumentation added. [37] As of 2024, Blackhawk remains active as a touring act. Their touring band consists of guitarists Jeff Aulich and Jimmy Dormire (previously of Confederate Railroad), bassist and tenor vocalist Randy Threet, and drummer Mike Bailey. All members of Blackhawk and their touring band also tour as Outlaws. [49]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the founding members's experience as songwriters and membership in a Southern rock band were influential in their sound, stating, "As a band, Blackhawk merged this sense of songcraft and outlaw swagger in an arena-sized melodic sound that suited the rockin' country of the '90s." [2] The publishers of Country Music: The Encyclopedia also found Southern rock influence in Blackhawk's sound, while also finding the vocal harmony of the original lineup similar to Restless Heart. They furthered the comparison to Restless Heart due in part to DuBois's involvement in founding the band, as well as Stephenson's and Robbins's success in writing songs for that band prior to the foundation of Blackhawk. [4] Wahlert described the band's sound as combining electric guitar, mandolin, and vocal harmonies. [28] [50] Hight thought the use of vocal harmony and prominent mandolin made the band comparable to Diamond Rio, who were also on Arista Nashville at the time. [15] Shirley Jenkins, in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article reprinted in the Anchorage Daily News , also compared the band's sound to Restless Heart and Outlaws, stating that they had "close harmonies with traditional acoustic instruments and an electric guitar edge." [51] The Los Angeles Times writer Buddy Seigal described the sound of Blackhawk's debut album as having "tight three-part harmonies [and] jangling guitars and mandolins". [52]
In the same article, Paul thought the band would appeal to fans of country rock and Southern rock artists such as the Marshall Tucker Band. [52] Paul has cited Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, and Johnny Cash as his influences. [4] Stephenson said he was influenced by rock music of the 1960s and 1970s, and his decision to be in a three-piece group was due to him having previously performed in similar groups while in college. [51] Billboard, in a review of their debut album, characterized Paul's lead vocal as "road-hardened". [5] Wahlert called his voice "distinctive [and] rough", [28] while Ron Young of MusicRow considered his voice "pinched" and reminiscent of Huey Lewis. [53] Nick Krewen of the Waterloo Region Record said that Paul's "nasal intonation gives Blackhawk their distinct sound." [54]
Of their lyrical content, Hight called "I Sure Can Smell the Rain" an "enjoyable character sketch". [15] Dennis Miller of the Star-Gazette described the songs on their debut as "literate", highlighting "I Sure Can Smell the Rain" and "That's Just About Right". He called the latter song "inspirational", and thought the album track "Between Ragged and Wrong" had a theme of individualism. [55] Similarly, an uncredited review of "That's Just About Right" in Billboard described the song as having a "thought-provoking lyric and hook-filled melody". [56] Despite all three founding members of Blackhawk being songwriters, Stephenson stated that they chose to include material written by others as well, so that they could "let other people do what they do best." [51]
Year | Association | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Academy of Country Music | Top New Vocal Group or Duet | Nominated |
1995 | Academy of Country Music | Top Vocal Group of the Year | Nominated |
Country Music Association | Vocal Group of the Year | Nominated | |
1996 | Academy of Country Music | Top Vocal Group of the Year | Nominated |
Country Music Association | Vocal Group of the Year | Nominated | |
Vincent Grant Gill is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He began in a number of local bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention as lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill sang lead on their hit single "Let Me Love You Tonight" in addition to writing several songs of theirs. After leaving Pure Prairie League, Gill briefly played guitar in Rodney Crowell's backing band the Cherry Bombs before beginning a solo career in country music in 1984. Gill recorded for RCA Records Nashville from then until 1988 with minimal success. A year later he signed with MCA Nashville, and he has recorded for this label ever since.
Diamond Rio is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Marty Roe, Jimmy Olander, Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams, Micah Schweinsberg (drums), and Carson McKee. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was founded by vocalists Matt Davenport, Danny Gregg, and Ty Herndon, the last of whom became a solo artist in the mid-1990s. After undergoing several membership changes in its initial years, the band held the same membership from 1989 to 2023, which consisted of Roe, Olander, Truman, Williams, Brian Prout (drums), and Gene Johnson. After the latter two retired in 2022, they were respectively replaced by Schweinsberg and McKee.
Outlaws is an American Southern rock band from Tampa, Florida. They are best known for their 1975 hit "There Goes Another Love Song" and extended guitar jam "Green Grass and High Tides" from their 1975 debut album, plus their 1980 cover of the Stan Jones classic "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky".
Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.
Little Texas is an American country music band started in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Porter Howell, Del Gray (drums), Dwayne O'Brien, and Duane Propes. They, along with Tim Rushlow and Brady Seals, formed the band in 1988. Signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville in 1991, Little Texas released its debut album First Time for Everything that year. The album's lead off single, "Some Guys Have All the Love", reached a peak of No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Little Texas charted thirteen top-40 hits between then and 1995, including the number one "My Love" in 1994. Their debut album earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while 1993's Big Time was certified double platinum and 1994's Kick a Little was certified platinum.
Steven Noel Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1970s. He has released eighteen studio albums and over fifty singles for several different record labels.
Restless Heart was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band's longest-tenured lineup consisted of Larry Stewart, John Dittrich, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, and Greg Jennings. Record producer Tim DuBois assembled the band in 1984 to record demos and chose Verlon Thompson as the original lead singer, but Thompson was replaced by Stewart in this role before the band had recorded any material. Between 1984 and 1998, Restless Heart recorded for RCA Records Nashville. They released the albums Restless Heart, Wheels, Big Dreams in a Small Town, and Fast Movin' Train in the 1980s.
Exile, formerly the Exiles, is an American band founded in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1963. The band consists of J.P. Pennington, Les Taylor, Sonny LeMaire, Marlon Hargis (keyboards), and Steve Goetzman (drums). With a founding membership including original lead singer Jimmy Stokley, the band played cover songs and local events in the state of Kentucky for a number of years before becoming a backing band on the touring revue Caravan of Stars. After a series of failed singles on various labels, Exile achieved mainstream success in 1978 with "Kiss You All Over", a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. This iteration of the band mostly played soft rock and pop music.
The Buffalo Club was an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group's members were Ron Hemby, John Dittrich, and Charlie Kelley. Hemby was a vocalist in the Christian group the Imperials, Kelley played guitar for Doug Stone, and Dittrich had left his role as the drummer in the band Restless Heart. The Buffalo Club released a self-titled album on the Rising Tide Records label in 1997 and charted three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts that year, including "If She Don't Love You" at number nine. The album received generally positive reviews for the band's use of vocal harmony. After Dittrich quit in August 1997, Hemby and Kelley briefly continued as a duo before disbanding by year's end. Dittrich rejoined Restless Heart in 1998, while Kelley and Hemby started other projects.
Blackhawk is the debut studio album by the American country music group of the same name. Released in 1994 on Arista Nashville, it was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA for shipping two million copies. The album produced the singles "Goodbye Says It All", "Every Once in a While", "I Sure Can Smell the Rain", "Down in Flames", and "That's Just About Right".
Strong Enough is the second studio album by American country music band Blackhawk, released in 1995. It features the singles "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No", "Like There Ain't No Yesterday", "Almost a Memory Now", "Big Guitar", and "King of the World", which respectively reached numbers 2, 3, 11, 17, and 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts. The album itself earned RIAA gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies.
Hillbilly Deluxe is the ninth studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 2005 on Arista Nashville. Certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA, the album produced four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The duo produced the majority of the album with Tony Brown.
Robert Crosby, known professionally as Rob Crosby, is an American country music artist. Between 1990 and 1996, Rob charted eight singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. He has also recorded six studio albums, with his most recent, Catfish Day, being released in 2007. He also co-wrote Eric Paslay's 2014 single "Friday Night", The Common Linnets' 2014 single "Calm After the Storm", Martina McBride's 2003 single "Concrete Angel", Andy Griggs' 2000 single "She's More" and Lee Greenwood's 1990 single "Holdin' a Good Hand" and has written songs for Luke Combs, Lady Antebellum, Carl Perkins, Paul Simon, Brooks & Dunn, Restless Heart, Blackhawk, Darryl Worley, Boy Howdy, Ty Herndon, Don Williams, Ilse DeLange, Trace Adkins, Lee Brice and more.
Love & Gravity is the third studio album released by American country music group Blackhawk. It features the singles "Hole in My Heart" and "Postmarked Birmingham", which peaked at #31 and #37, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1997.
The Sky's the Limit is the fourth studio album released by American country music band BlackHawk. Their final studio album for Arista Nashville, it features the singles "There You Have It" and "Your Own Little Corner of My Heart", which respectively reached #4 and #27 on the Hot Country Songs charts. "There You Have It" was also a number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the last album to feature member Van Stephenson, who left the band in 2000 to focus on his battle with melanoma until his death from the disease in 2001.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American country music band Blackhawk. It includes hits from their first four studio albums, as well as the newly recorded "It Takes a Woman", "I Need You All the Time" and "Ships of Heaven". "I Need You All the Time" was released as a single from the album, peaking at #40 on the country charts in the US in 2000. "Ships of Heaven" was one of the last songs written by band member Van Stephenson before his death.
Spirit Dancer is the fifth studio album by American country music band Blackhawk. It was also their only album on the Columbia Records label, and the first recorded after the death of former member Van Stephenson. The tracks "Days of America" and "One Night in New Orleans" were released as singles. "Gloryland" was re-recorded by Keni Thomas on his 2005 album Flags of Our Fathers. "One Night in New Orleans" was released as a single by The Povertyneck Hillbillies from their self-titled album in 2006.
Van Wesley Stephenson was an American singer-songwriter. He scored three US Billboard Hot 100 hits in the 1980s as a solo artist, and later became tenor vocalist in the country music band BlackHawk in the 1990s. In addition, Van co-wrote several singles for other artists, such as Restless Heart. Stephenson died of melanoma in 2001.
Henry Paul is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who was an original recording member of the Southern rock band Outlaws. Paul left to form the Henry Paul Band but then returned to the Outlaws. He also is a founding member of the country band Blackhawk.
It's About Pride is the tenth album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released on September 25, 2012. .→"It's About Pride" was re-issued by Purple Pyramid Records in 2023 with an updated background to the Original Album Artwork, giving it a 'Desert Storm Vista' appearance. <The Rock 'N' Roll Soldier>.