Song:That's Just About Right
Album:Greatest Hits
BlackHawk had seven top ten country music hits including That's Just About Right in 1995. Their debut CD BlackHawk was certified 2XPlatinum. So they were doing well until guitarist Van Stephenson was diagnosed with skin cancer and died in 2001. He was replaced but of course it's not the same. The three founding members are all music industry veterans. Lead singer and mandolinist Henry Paul was a founding member of the 70s band Outlaws. He left in 1977 to go solo. After three Henry Paul Band albums, he returned to Outlaws in 1986. He left in 1989 and formed BlackHawk in 1991. Guitarist Van Stephenson recorded solo in the 80s. But he had most of his success as a songwriter. He wrote several hits for Restless Heart with keyboard player Dave Robbins. They hired musicians for tours but these three were the core members of BlackHawk. They signed with Arista in 1993 and worked with producer Mark Bright. Paul had a publishing deal with Bright and BlackHawk was Bright's first major production. BlackHawk's debut single Goodbye Says It All reached #11 on the Country Singles chart. And then the next four singles were all top ten hits including That's Just About Right which reached #7. The song was the biggest hit for songwriter Jeff Black who went on to record his own music in the 00s. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Their second album Strong Enough charted higher but didn't sell as well. The singles I'm Not Strong Enough To Say No and Like There Ain't No Yeaterday were top five country hits but then they started to fade. They recorded two more albums for Arista and There You Have It was their final top ten hit in 1998. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Stephenson was diagnosed with melanoma and left BlackHawk. He died Apr. 8, 2001 at age 47. He was replaced by former Outlaws member Randy Threet. It was a big loss because Stephenson wrote a lot of BlackHawk's songs. They left Arista for Columbia and their 2002 CD Spirit Dancer was their last for a major label. Paul and Robbins continue to lead BlackHawk. They are currently on tour and have a new CD coming out in the spring. Here's the video for That's Just About Right by BlackHawk. The artist in the video is Reverend Howard Finster.
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