Written by Cami Cox
Country great Clint Black will perform in St. George on Feb. 12, and the artist said this tour will feature new material from his forthcoming CDs – the first he’s released since 2007.
“It’s been a while since I put out anything new, so I’m anxious to get it out there,” Black told The Independent. “I have accumulated about four or five albums worth of new songs and I’m thinking of releasing them all at once along with a DVD and some live music, as well.”
Black, who will perform in Dixie State University’s Cox Performing Arts Center, said he’d “have to go a long way back to check,” but he thinks this show will be his first in St. George. His current tour is a stripped-down affair featuring primarily acoustic music with some humor mixed in, he said.
“We still have drums and bass to support the songs, and my lead guitarist and I stay mainly on acoustic guitars,” he said. “We may be adding one other musician to the show this year and also bring along our electric guitars for a small part of the show, but mainly it’s an acoustic evening.”
Black said his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, who has collaborated with him vocally in the past, won’t be joining him on this tour – it will just be him and his musicians.
“She stays close to home with our daughter, Lily,” he said. “Every now and then I’m able to get them to meet up with me somewhere, but she’s too smart to travel as much as I travel!”
In addition to country music, Black said he has been branching out into other arenas in recent years, including writing songs for television. He said he’s enjoyed writing songs for toy company Hasbro’s television shows “Chuck the Truck” and “Transformers Rescue Bots.”
“That has been a rare treat for me,” he said. “I like to get a script and try to write for a specific scene or theme.”
Black has also been serving as chairman of the “Research to Reality” campaign for the International RETT Syndrome Foundation. RETT, a neurological disorder that mainly affects girls, took the life of his 16-year-old niece. Since her death, Black has worked to raise money for the foundation, performing concerts and even appearing on “The Apprentice,” as well as serving as the face of the organization’s campaign.
“Researchers believe they are very close to achieving that goal [of eradicating RETT], so any help with donations are most appreciated,” he said. The foundation’s Web site can be accessed at www.rettsyndrome.org.
Black’s St. George concert will take place on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and tickets range from $40-$85. The Cox Performing Arts Center is located at 325 S. 700 East in St. George, on the Dixie State University Campus. For tickets, call (435) 652-7800 or visit www.dsutix.com.
