Blackhawk

Blackhawk

Blackhawk is an American country music group founded in 1992 by Henry Paul (lead vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar), Van Stephenson (background vocals, electric guitar), and Dave Robbins (background vocals, keyboards).[1] Several backing musicians also performed with the trio; however, these backing musicians were not officially part of Blackhawk until 2008.

Prior to the group's formation, Robbins and Stephenson had co-written several Number One singles for the country pop band Restless Heart, and Stephenson had also charted two pop hits in the early 1980s.[2] Paul was previously a member of the Southern rock band Outlaws as well.

In 1993, Blackhawk was signed to a record deal with Arista Nashville. Their debut single, "Goodbye Says It All", was released that year, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and their first album (1994's BlackHawk) was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. Throughout the rest of the 1990s, the band continued to chart several singles, in addition to releasing three more albums and a Greatest Hits package.

Van Stephenson departed the group in 2000 due to complications from skin cancer. He was replaced with Randy Threet (also a former member of the Outlaws), who made his first appearance on Spirit Dancer, the band's fifth studio album. After Threet's departure in 2003, Anthony Crawford took over as tenor vocalist and lead guitarist; Crawford was, in turn, succeeded by Michael Randall four years later. From early 2008 until he re-joined in 2010, Robbins left the group to resume his songwriting career, and Threet re-joined. Since then, BlackHawk's backing band has been subsumed into the main group, which comprises Paul (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin), Randall (acoustic guitar, background vocals), Threet (bass guitar, background vocals), Chris Anderson (lead guitar, background vocals), Dave Robbins (keyboards, background vocals), and Monte Yoho (drums, percussion).

The group's name was derived from the Stutz Blackhawk, a model of car. All three members had experience with other musicians prior to the formation; Stephenson, a former solo artist who charted two hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the mid-1980s, had written several songs for the country pop band Restless Heart, frequently collaborating with Robbins. In addition, Henry Paul was formerly a member of Outlaws, a Southern rock band.

Henry Paul

Henry Paul

Henry Paul (born August 25, 1949 in Kingston, New York) is an American southern rock and country singer/songwriter who was a founding member of the Southern rock band Outlaws, the front man and founder of the Henry Paul Band and the lead singer for the country band BlackHawk.In 1972 the group Sienna disbanded and Paul joined the group "The Outlaws" which had been formed in 1967. They started playing clubs around the Tampa area and added Billy Jones. By 1974 they were on the road opening shows for several established Southern rock groups including Lynyrd Skynyrd. Clive Davis of Arista Records discovered them and signed the group to their first record deal; they became the fledgling label's first rock band. Their self-titled debut album quickly went gold on the success of hits like "Green Grass and High Tides," and "There Goes Another Love Song." In 1977, after recording two more albums with the Outlaws, Henry left to pursue a solo career. After several short lived "reunions" and the death of Hughie Thomasson, the Outlaws 2008 came to fruition due to the efforts of Henry Paul and Monte Yoho.Within a year after leaving The Outlaws Henry founded the Henry Paul Band, debuting in 1979 with the album Grey Ghost. It included songs such as "So Long" and "Grey Ghost", which was dedicated to the memory of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant. Henry Paul told Songfacts that he wrote "Lonely Dreamer" while visualizing a painting of a girl with the words "Lonely Dreamer" underneath.[1] The band recorded three more albums including Feel The Heat, which had more of a rock edge and included the title track as well as "Whiskey Talkin'." Their third album, Anytime, included the top-40 hit "Living Without Your Love" and live show highlight "Crazy Eyes." Henry's last, self-titled album with the Henry Paul Band featured the haunting song "Tragedy."

In 1983 the Henry Paul Band disbanded as Henry reunited with Hughie Thomasson of The Outlaws. Their collaboration led to the 1986 release of The Outlaws' Soldiers of Fortune. He remained with the band until 1989, when he left again to start a new career in country music, founding BlackHawk in 1991. Van Stephenson and Dave Robbins joined Henry in BlackHawk to create a new blend of country music, using three-part harmonies and introspective songs.