Country great singer/songwriter Clint Black performs at The Ridgefield Playhouse

Country great singer/songwriter Clint Black stars at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Friday, March 8

                        Country Music Association and American Music Awards winner singer/songwriter Clint Black will return to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Friday, March 8, at 8 p.m. One of country music’s brightest stars and all-around versatile musician, Black has had many successes including Put Yourself in My Shoes and Spend My Time.  His Killin’ Time album went Triple Platinum. The Ancient Mariner (451 Main St., Ridgefield) will pour a free glass of house wine or draft beer the night of the show when tickets/stubs are presented.  Jennifer Grace, winner of the Texaco Country Showdown in Connecticut, will open for Clint Black. This event is part of the Doyle Coffin Architecture Singer/Songwriter Series.

                          During Clint Black’s performance at the Playhouse fall Gala a few years back, he surprised the audience by playing drums to some rock/pop/jazz songs as a testament to this man’s many talents. Black has written, recorded and released more than 100 songs, a benchmark in any artist’s career, one-third of which achieved hit status at Country radio with album sales upwards of 20 million worldwide. 

                     The 1989 debut of his critically acclaimed fan favorite, the Triple Platinum Killin’ Time, marked a shift in the industry, with a return to the more traditional sounds of the genre. CMT lists this album as one of the 100 Greatest Albums in Country Music. Released while Black was still an unknown Texas-based artist and writer, Killin’ Time boasted five #1 hits – unprecedented for a debut album in any genre – andwon Black a collection of awards that included: Country Music Association Horizon Award and Male Vocalist of the Year, American MusicAwards Favorite New Male Country Artist, Academy of CountryMusic Album of the Year, and Academy of Country Music Single of the Year (“A Better Man”).

                         His Put Yourself in My Shoes (1990) reached Triple Platinum status. Since then, Black has had nearly two dozen #1 hit singles and almost as many Top 5/Top 10 hits, all of them his original compositions. The overall number of his awards, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, surpasses the number of his hit records.  In 2003, Black founded Equity Music Group which launched the label’s highly anticipated debut album Spend My Time, which earned several awards including Billboard’s #2 Independent Imprint of the Year.

                     Musician Black is also an actor:  Maverick (alongside Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster) in 1994 and the starring role in 1998’s Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack and Flicka 2 in 2010. Black branched out even further when he appeared on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

                     For tickets ($75), call or visit the box office (203) 438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT; ridgefieldplayhouse.org.