When you’re a country music icon like Clint Black, it’s easy to get artists to come sing on one of your songs, especially one like his latest “This Old House,” which is a tribute to the Grand Ole Opry. Black wrote the song with his longtime band member, Hayden Nicholas, originally intending for the song to be about a childhood home, before he realized the potential for it to be much, much more. Instead of making it a solo song, Black invited country music stars like Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Sara Evans and more to sing on the song with him, which is when Black fully realized what a masterpiece “This Old House” had become.
“I really liked the song myself, but when everyone else started to sing on it, I fell in love with it,” Black told PopCulture.com. “It started out as just a song about the house that you grew up in that had been in your life for generations, and it’s turned into something so much more once everyone else started singing on it, And, a lot of them, fellow Opry members. I decided that this needs to be an homage to that old house, which led to the shooting of the video and so much more.”
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The song’s accompanying video was shot at the Grand Ole Opry, giving viewers a glimpse into a world not often seen, at least to those outside of country music.
“I had access to all the Opry archives. I got to go shoot backstage, which I heard was a first, and go around all the dressing rooms and just shoot whatever I wanted to incorporate into the video,” Black recalled. “And so, what was a special song to me, all my songs are special, but was just one of my songs has now just brought this great experience to me that I hadn’t even imagined.”
Black got numerous artists, from rising stars to veterans, to join him on “This Old House,” including Michael Ray, Travis Tritt, Steve Wariner, Trace Adkins and more, spanning a wide range of experiences, which is just what Black wanted.
“What I found once I got into it is that my list was huge,” said the singer. “I’m really lucky it worked out the way it did because, as it is now, it’s divided up amongst us all just perfectly, I think. And, any more or any less and it would’ve felt imbalanced.”
A portion of the proceeds from “This Old House” will benefit the Opry Trust Fund, a cause that Black is proud to support.
“I had been passionate about the Opry Trust when I thought it did one-hundredth of what it actually does,” Black acknowledged. “The Opry Trust [is] looking after the Opry members if they get in some sort of a bind or need help financially. And, what I found out once I got into this is that it’s not just the Opry members. It’s the lighting technician or the bus driver.
“Anyone in our industry who’s played any kind of a supporting role,” he added. “It’ll be verified. ‘Yeah, he drove a truck for me and now he needs some help.’ So, it’s really a top down, inside out effort the Opry Trust does.”
“This Old House” is from Black’s latest album, Still Killin’ Time. The record, his 22nd, features eight live recordings as well as two new songs, “This Old House” and “No One Here For Me.” Find more information by visiting Black’s website.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of TRUE Public Relations / Kevin Mazur
