|
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). 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. Paul was previously a member of the Southern rock band Outlaws as well.
In 1994, BlackHawk was signed to a record deal with Arista Nashville. Their debut single, "Goodbye Says It All", was released that year, peaking at #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. In early 2008, 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), Jon Coleman (keyboards, background vocals), and Monte Yoho (drums, percussion).
BlackHawk was founded in 1992 by lead vocalist/guitarist Henry Paul, vocalist/guitarist Van Stephenson, and keyboardist/vocalist Dave Robbins. 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.
In 2005, Blackhawk sang background vocals on Keni Thomas' single "Gloryland", which was originally recorded by the band themselves on Spirit Dancer. A year later, the band signed to Rust Records, releasing two singles but no album, due in part to the label's closure. Crawford also left in 2006, with Michael Randall succeeding him. Robbins left in 2008 and was replaced with John Coleman. That same year, the group's backing band — which by then comprised Chris Anderson (lead guitar, background vocals), Randy Threet (bass guitar, background vocals), and Monte Yoho (drums, percussion) — was assumed into the official lineup of BlackHawk. A live album was released in September 2008 on Airline Records.
On February 9, 2010 Blackhawk announced they were returning to the studio to work on a new album. The band hopes to have the new album completed by May 2010 and have announced several tour dates.
In July 2010, it was announced that Jon Coleman left the band to play for Trace Adkins. Founding member and keyboardist/vocalist Dave Robbins has agreed to tour with Blackhawk, although it is unknown if his schedule will allow him to join the band on a permanent basis. Taken from the official Blackhawk website and according to Henry Paul, "We are all are glad to have Dave back in the band and hope he decides to stay for the long haul."
|
