NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of Clint Black in a new exhibition, Clint Black: The Hard Way On Purpose. The exhibit will trace Black’s story, from a working-class upstart to topping the charts on his own terms. Black’s many talents and considerable versatility — as a singer, songwriter, player, actor, label head and more — have captivated the world of country music. The exhibit, which will be open from April 22, 2026, until August 2027, is included with museum admission.
“Black’s decades-long determination to write and perform his own songs, and to advocate for artists’ rights, marked him as a maverick and proved causes worth standing up for,” said Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His voice, words and melodies have added immeasurably to country music’s rich history — etched on the hearts of millions.”
“When I was told the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum wanted to create an exhibit about my life and career, I truly was surprised and moved,” said Clint Black. “I wouldn’t have expected it, and I feel so fortunate to have such an incredible team of talented people working so hard to bring my story to life in this exhibit. I wanted to do everything I could to support their efforts and share anything I could with the fans from my journey in music, movies and life in general. I’m very excited to be a part of the greatest museum in the world.”
The exhibit will include stage wear, instruments, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, videos and more. Examples of items to be displayed include:
- The second-place trophy Black won for selling newspaper subscriptions to the Houston Post —one of his first jobs — in the paper’s annual Top Salesman contest in 1978.
- One of three Martin guitars that Black purchased after receiving his first substantial paycheck from RCA Records in 1990.
- Lyrics Black wrote on his summer 1991 tour itinerary when his musical hero Merle Haggard appeared as a special guest. Backstage one night, Black offered to help Haggard finish a song he was working on. “Untanglin’ My Mind” became a Top Five country hit for Black in 1994 and was recorded by Haggard two years later.
- The desert camouflage fatigues Black wore during his 1993 USO tour of Somalia where he performed for American troops at base camps and other locations in the war-torn east African nation.
- The playing cards Black used in his acting debut in a brief but memorable appearance as the “Sweet-faced Gambler” in the 1994 Hollywood film “Maverick.” Caught cheating at poker in a scene with the movie’s stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, his character’s stunt double is thrown overboard from a riverboat.
- The director’s chair Black used while filming the video for his song “Summer’s Comin’,” a #1 hit in 1995.
- A draft of handwritten lyrics by Black for his chart-topping 1996 single, “Like the Rain.” Using the working title “I Never Liked the Rain,” this manuscript includes some different lyrics to the version he recorded and was co-written with his friend and long-time bandmate, guitarist Hayden Nicholas.
- A copy of the “Larry Sanders Show” script from the show’s final episode in 1998 — signed by the cast including Tom Petty. Comedian and actor Gary Shandling had invited his good friend Black to appear in the program and Black and Petty staged a fight scene in the episode, with Petty calling Black “Roy Rogers.”
- Lisa Hartman Black’s Brides International dress — with floral embroidery and tulle skirt and shawl — and Black’s Versace jacket that the married couple wore in the music video for “When I Said I Do.” The duet topped Billboard’s country singles chart in 1999 and was named the Top Vocal Event of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.
The official exhibit playlist is now available here.
About Clint Black
The youngest of four brothers, Black was raised in a working-class family in Houston, Texas. A family friend gave him a Hohner Marine Band harmonica when he was 13 years old, and a musician was born. Teaching himself the harmonica by listening to blues recordings and other albums, Black then became proficient on the guitar, bass and drums. His parents gave him his first quality guitar, a Gibson J-40 acoustic, when he was around 15. He joined his brother Kevin’s band on the bass at the age of 16 and was performing in clubs by age 18.
After a stint as an ironworker alongside his brothers, Black began working the Houston club circuit as a solo act in 1982 — performing in a variety of settings including hotel bars, restaurants, pubs, billiard halls and even by the pool at a surf-themed bar in Galveston. In early 1987, Black met guitarist and songwriter Hayden Nicholas who became his friend, co-writer and bandmate. Black also encountered singer-songwriter and Houston area-favorite Shake Russell at a local music store who helped Black get better gigs and encouraged his songwriting.
After five years of sometimes playing two clubs a day, ZZ Top’s manager Bill Ham of Lone Wolf Management signed Black as his first country act in October 1987. Black then signed a record deal with RCA in March 1988, and his debut album Killin’ Time set new precedents for success in the industry. In 1990, Black received four Academy of Country Music Awards for the album which he wrote or co-wrote in its entirety and recorded with his road band and rookie producer James Stroud in Houston. Six months later, Black won Male Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. He also became the first new artist to generate four consecutive #1s on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
He went on to write or co-write 29 Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart over the next decade and has racked up sales of more than 20 million records.
At the height of his fame, Black rejected many of fame’s cliches, including his status as one of America’s most desirable bachelors. He married actress Lisa Hartman in 1991. They are approaching their 35th wedding anniversary.
Black continued to write or co-write his platinum-selling albums throughout most of the 1990s, despite urging from his label to cut songs by other hitmakers. Throughout the decade, he remained steadfast in his singer-songwriter identity and began directing his music videos. During this period, Black was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1991, continued winning awards and selling out arenas including his hometown stadium, the Houston Astrodome; he also played the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 1994 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Black remained a fiercely independent artist amid his blockbuster run, but also collaborated and recorded with others, including Jimmy Buffett, Lisa Hartman Black, Michael McDonald, Hayden Nicholas, Steve Wariner and Country Music Hall of Fame members Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Wynonna Judd, Roy Rogers and more.
Never intending to be an actor, Black couldn’t refuse his first role in 1994 playing a card cheat in the film “Maverick,” leading to many appearances in film and scripted and reality television throughout his career.
Leaving RCA Records in 2001, instead of joining other major labels courting him, Black decided to start his own record company — founding Equity Music Group in 2003 with the aim of creating a fairer relationship between record label and artist. The company’s first release was Black’s 2004 album Spend My Time, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The label also broke future stars Little Big Town with over a million copies sold of their second album The Road to Here.
Black’s vision for artists’ rights solidified in the wake of a few public stands. Along with Eagle’s Don Henley and others, Black was a member of the Recording Artists Coalition, which advocated on behalf of musicians, and he testified in 2002 at a hearing of the California senate’s judiciary committee regarding proposed legislation that would penalize labels that under-reported artist royalties. Black also worked with the federal Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus as concerns about file-sharing websites such as Napster took hold.
About 50 years after he received his first harmonica, Black was officially named an icon. In November 2025, Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) bestowed its prestigious Icon Award on Black in recognition of his “unique and indelible influence on music makers across generations.”
About the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibitions, publications, digital media and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. Among the most-visited history museums in the United States, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was awarded the country’s highest honor in the arts, the National Medal of Arts, in 2024. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B®, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, Haley Gallery, CMA Theater, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive and CMF Press.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.
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