BlackHawk were reliable country music hitmakers in the 1990s, reaching the Billboard Country Top Ten six times between 1994 and 1999 with such singles as "Every Once in a While," "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No" and "Like There Ain't No Yesterday." Such steady success reflects how the trio of Henry Paul, Van Stephenson, and David Robbins were seasoned pros by the time they joined forces in 1992. Paul was a veteran of the Southern rock outfit the Outlaws, while his two bandmates were professional songwriters with Restless Heart's "All My Life" to their credit. 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. Once that decade came to a close, the group continued -- Stephenson left the band in 2000 -- balancing concerts with the occasional new studio set, such as 2014's Brothers of the Southland or 2022's Blue Highway. Prior to the formation of BlackHawk, all three original members had experience in various parts of the music business. Lead singer Henry Paul spent some time in the Outlaws during the mid-'70s, leading his own Henry Paul Band after he left that Southern rock group. Van Stephenson had a brief glimpse at album rock success in 1984 when "Modern Day Delilah" peaked at 22 on the Billboard charts, while its successor "What the Big Girls Do" went to 45. Once his subsequent records didn't replicate these heights, Stephenson teamed with keyboardist David Robbins and the pair penned several singles for Restless Heart. Paul became friendly with the duo. First, the trio were writing partners, but they quickly decided to form their own band, taking the name BlackHawk from the Stutz Blackhawk, an American prewar sports car. BlackHawk signed to Arista Nashville in 1993, and the label quickly released their debut single, "Goodbye Says It All," which went to 11. "Every Once in a While," the next single pulled from their eponymous 1994 debut, went all the way to number two, opening the door for "I Sure Can Smell the Rain," "Down in Flames," and "That's Just About Right" to all crack Billboard's Country Top Ten. Strong Enough, the group's second album, kept BlackHawk in the charts through 1996, with "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No" reaching two and "Like There Ain't No Yesterday" reaching three; "Almost a Memory Now" peaked at 11. After stumbling with 1997's Love & Gravity -- a record whose two singles just barely cracked the Top 40 -- BlackHawk bounced back with The Sky's the Limit, which produced the number four Billboard Country hit "There You Have It" and "Your Own Little Corner of My Heart," which peaked at 27. Arista Nashville released Greatest Hits in May 2000, around the same time Stephenson left the group due to complications from melanoma; he would die on April 8, 2001. The group hired Randy Threet, another veteran from the Outlaws, as a replacement, but he stayed with them for just one album: Spirit Dancer, a 2002 set that was their only record for Columbia. Shortly after its release, Threet was replaced by Anthony Crawford. BlackHawk signed with Rust Records in 2006, releasing a pair of singles -- "Better at Hello" and "Who's Gonna Rock Ya" -- before the label folded. Michael Randall replaced Crawford in 2006, but the big departure was founding member Robbins leaving in 2008. Jon Coleman took his spot that year, and Randy Threet returned, with guitarist Chris Anderson and drummer Monte Yoho filling out the lineup that supported Paul on Greatest Hits Live, an album knocked out for Airline in 2008. By 2010, Robbins returned, leaving the group a duo of him and Paul. This reunited BlackHawk delivered Down from the Mountain in 2011. Brothers of the Southland followed three years later. The band released the seasonal set Spirit of Christmas in 2019. Blue Highway, the first album of original material from BlackHawk in eight years, arrived in July 2022. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Hamler Country Fest 2023

Eric Paslay

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