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Jeff Zito
hey, hey, it's Jeff Zito and thanks for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. We're streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart. Anywhere you listen to podcasts, we're on there. So thank you very much for checking us out. Don't forget, subscribe. Need you to hit that subscribe button. A 5 star rating would be great. Leave a comment about the show, give us a review. That would be excellent. If you want to go back and check out past guests and episodes, you can do so by checking out celebrity jobber.com like 190 something episodes. Can you believe that? Almost four years of doing this. Again, I can't thank you enough for making this successful. The Celebrity Jobber Podcast takes a look at celebrities before they were famous and we kind of look at their path to fame and you know, sometimes it was an overnight success story and then a lot of other times was a
Podcast Announcer
lot of hard work.
Guest Interviewer
It was a grind.
Jeff Zito
And for my guest today, Clint Black, legendary country artist, this guy, not an overnight success. It was a long grind. You know, he talks about a lot of hard work which got him to where he is today. He's been married to actress Lisa Hartman from Knott's landing for about 35 years. And before he was a big country star, he hustled not only in the bars and clubs, but Clint Black had a lot of other regular jobs before he became a big star. We'll talk about his parents a little bit, his family, the youngest of four boys, his parents, jobs and some of Clint's earlier jobs and his first job plus his big break. The moment that really changed everything. He's promoting his autobiography, Killing Time. My life and music. And there's a lot of stuff that you would never ever guess would have happened to Clint Black. But you're gonna hear about some of it right now. He is a legend in the world of country music. His name is Clint Black and he's my guest this week on Celebrity Jobber,
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the Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, give a five star rating and leave a review. Check out all our past episodes on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you pod. What if these celebrities weren't fam? What would they have become? What was their first job? We're about to find out.
Clint Black
Jeff.
Jeff Zito
Hello, Clint.
Guest Interviewer
How are you?
Clint Black
Good. How are you doing?
Guest Interviewer
I'm doing fantastic.
Jeff Zito
It's great talking to you today.
Guest Interviewer
And I was listening to a podcast that you were on last weekend. It was taking a walk with Buzz Knight, one of my mentors. Great, great interview.
Clint Black
Love that.
Guest Interviewer
And I learned so much. And I wanted to read something that, that you wrote about your new autobiography, which is titled Killing Time.
Jeff Zito
My life and music says this is
Guest Interviewer
a story of a dreamer with a persistent soul. After 10 years of playing clubs in Texas, I never knew if I'd get a chance to record my music in Nashville. And then in one year, my life changed forever. If my story, this crazy 40 year roller coaster ride, can inspire that young singer songwriter, rinsing and repeating every day will reinforce the person struggling through a seemingly endless grind in the pursuit of a dream, well, then I'll know my
Jeff Zito
life has made a difference.
Guest Interviewer
I was like, wow. All right. So it seems like that. I think so,
Jeff Zito
man.
Clint Black
Why didn't I put that in the book?
Guest Interviewer
It got me, man. So, like I, so I'm reading this and I'm like, you know, for some people, you know, this stuff, stardom happens, you know, overnight. It happens by accident. This was no accident. This, this was not an overnight success. This was a grind. And I'd like to talk a little bit about that grind. And, and your family, first of all, born in New Jersey and your maternal great grandfather was of Italian descent. When I look at Clint Black, I don't think of an Italian from New Jersey.
Clint Black
If you had my pasta, you would start to believe.
Guest Interviewer
Make a good sauce.
Clint Black
Yeah, yeah. My family goes back to Palermo on my mother's side, and her father's. The, the, the New Jersey thing was just because her mom was in Red bank, so she would go up there during her last trimesters and be with her mom. I was the last. So we were back in Texas when I was about six months old. And I never made it back to New Jersey again until killing time came out in 89.
Guest Interviewer
Right man. So tell me a little bit about, about your dad, your mom and dad. First of all, youngest of four boys, your father G.A. black. What kind of business was was he in? So he was in New Jersey and then he moved back to Katy, Texas.
Clint Black
Yeah, he was in. He was in Texas. He's from east Texas. So he stayed behind. My mom went up there and. And had me and, and we came back to Houston. My dad was a heavy equipment operator. So those tower cranes you see jutting out of the top of skyscraper in progress, that was my dad up in the little cab. Oh wow, they're doing that. And you know, his four boys followed him into construction. My brother Mark was an iron worker, became foreman. I was an iron worker. Kevin was an iron worker, Brian was a carpenter. So we all worked in construction. I dropped out after about a year and just did music full time.
Guest Interviewer
So where did this all come from? I mean I heard the. The house was musical. You guys would have backyard barbecues. You guys were very musical. Family, your brothers.
Jeff Zito
So where did it all come from?
Guest Interviewer
Was there a band or a song?
Clint Black
It. Well, first of all, it came from through my mom's dad. His dad was a violinist. His dad was a violinist and his dad was a violinist and his dad was a shoemaker. But that one violinist kicked it all off.
Guest Interviewer
Right on, right on.
Clint Black
So we love music in the house. My dad loved country music. My mom too, she loved all music. And so we always listened to it growing up and. And then my brother Brian started playing harmonica. I picked that up. Kevin started playing guitar and I picked that up and we played around the house. Backyard barbecues. Kevin. I eventually joined his band that became bass player and we did that for a while and then it was from then it was just solo me alone in the bars.
Guest Interviewer
And that was for. For a while it was a grind.
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The celebrity jobber podcast with Jeff Szeto
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The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito.
Guest Interviewer
I understand that you supported yourself not only as a construction worker, like you said, with your family, but also a bait cutter, a fishing guide.
Clint Black
Yeah, that's not true.
Guest Interviewer
That's not true.
Jeff Zito
Okay.
Clint Black
My first manager is. Is putting together a bio to put out on me, and he asked me if I ever worked as a fishing guide, and I said no. And he goes, I'm going to put that in there, fishing guy. And we just, same as you, we laughed, but he put it in there. So, you know, for the rest of my life, I'll be. Maybe I can get a job doing that now.
Guest Interviewer
But what was. What were your.
Jeff Zito
Your first jobs?
Guest Interviewer
What were you doing when you were playing the clubs to support yourself?
Clint Black
My. My first job, I was 14, six days a week for four years, selling newspaper subscriptions door to door. And then I did construction for a year. I was an iron worker. And then I worked in private security for a while as a consultant, selling services, investigative patrol, stationary guards, alarm systems and all that. Terrible at that. And. And so music. Was it full time? From about the time I was 20, 19. 20. That's all I did. I just got by playing music.
Jeff Zito
Did you. Did you ever think, though, Clint, back
Guest Interviewer
then, and I know you were young and when you're young, you're usually all in on dreams and stuff like that, but, you know, it's like a big dream for this to. To happen, to make. To make a living the way you did. Was mom and dad ever. I mean, it seems like they were very supportive, but were they ever pushing you?
Jeff Zito
Because I. I know that you did
Guest Interviewer
drop out of high school.
Jeff Zito
Did they ever push you to, you
Guest Interviewer
know, maybe go in another direction, backup plan, study something?
Clint Black
Or.
Guest Interviewer
Or. No.
Clint Black
They. They. My mom always said you can do anything you put. You put your mind to. My dad believed, you know, that I had a really good voice. And the only thing he ever said was, you might want to learn to back up. Repairing air conditioners in case this doesn't work out. Because, you know, there'll always be need for an air conditioning guy in Houston.
Guest Interviewer
He was.
Jeff Zito
He's right.
Guest Interviewer
Yeah, he's right. Here I am in Florida. I just wanted a $49 checkup, and my something or other trans something or other went bad. 500 bucks. So you're right. It's always a need in the south for. For air conditioned.
Jeff Zito
So.
Guest Interviewer
So tell me, Clint, there was that one thing that we were. That I was reading that apparently wrote in the beginning that said this like one year, like your life changed forever. Can, can you tell me about that moment?
Clint Black
Yeah. It was 1987. I met Hayden Nicholas, my lead guitar player. We started making demos. The first one we finished was Nobody's Home and I was looking for a manager and this record promoter I had met years earlier introduced me to ZZ Topps manager. And that led to going to Nashville, rca, finding a producer and making that first album. From the time I got that demo, found that manager and that first album came out. It was two years. It was two long years of still working in the bars, making nothing, worrying about whether this break actually happened even after the album was finished, wasn't hearing anything, didn't know when it was coming out. Waiting and worrying that something's wrong, this isn't actually happening.
Guest Interviewer
But you know, in retrospect, right, two years is not a lot of time, right? I mean from where you were to where you, what you became. I mean, two years, what, because you came in and you never left.
Clint Black
That first song, A Better man came out. Things really, it took a while for that to get to number one. But the music video was, was clearing the, the path and, and things happened quickly that year. That year, 1989, the year is the year you're talking about. And that single came out in February and by the end of that year I had the number one and two single of the year. I was booked to be the special guest direct support for Alabama on their big tour. It happens, it happens so quickly once it started. But all those, you know, like 10 years or so in the bars created so much stress and worry and doubt. I never doubted that I could make it, but I sure questioned my tactics.
Guest Interviewer
Sure, yeah, sure. And, and I remember listening to you and in that interview that I was just listening to, talking about what, what the old days taught you. And you said get your money up front when you're playing those, those clubs, I mean the grind and the owners of these clubs, I mean it's a, it's a, it's a real brutal business, isn't it?
Clint Black
Yeah. And, and save your money. I got my first check in 1990. It was a hundred and thirty thousand dollars. And I thought, I'm Elvis, I did
Guest Interviewer
it, I made it.
Clint Black
And I would later learn that you need to save some of that for attorneys.
Guest Interviewer
Right.
Clint Black
A lawsuit with my first manager lasted two years and RCA sued me at the same time to make me stay with him, which was weird. But you know, I learned a good lesson that there are going to be a few attorneys in my life and I better give up for them.
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The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Szeto
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C store online for details Celebrity Jobber
Guest Interviewer
can you remember when you're telling me about that two year period and then when it happened, was there? Do you remember the day where you like, I don't know, looked at yourself in the mirror, called, called your brothers or your dad and said, man, you know what? I think my life is going to be different. This moving forward was. What was it? Was it hearing your song on the radio? What was that thing that happened to you in that time to where you thought things are going to be different for Clint Black?
Clint Black
Yeah, the first thing was meeting ZZ Top's manager. ZZ Top to us was huge, absolutely Houston and Billy Gibbons was our hometown guitar hero. Meeting him and him saying he wanted to manage me, I really believe that was the key. He will know all the record company people. He will give me a record deal. I believe that country fans like me will, will like my songs. And I'm on my way and I came out of there and, and called my mom and dad, of course, would tell my brothers when I saw them that I've gotten my break, you know, again. Two long years later, I still, I don't have an album in my hands. And in the book I tell the story of when the box arrived at my house, rented a room at a house, three of us living in it, and I was the only one home. No sleep, been out playing a gig the night before, early morning UPS knocking at my door. Here's a box. It's from the parent company of RCA Records. I take it into my little room, close the door and I sit down on the floor and open that box up. And that was the moment when I really believed that this was actually happening. This was not a dream. This was a dream come true. And I can believe it now. I can let go of all the years of stress and worry and this big bag of emotions that I'VE been dragging around, pushing down, all came pouring out. And I hate to admit it, but I sat there on the floor and sobbed.
Guest Interviewer
Well, sure.
Clint Black
Yeah.
Guest Interviewer
Absolutely.
Jeff Zito
Yeah.
Clint Black
I mean, crossing of a line that I've been trying to cross for all those years and started believing that I hadn't even crossed it and that the box of albums. Wow.
Guest Interviewer
You know, and the, the memoir, Killing Time. My life and music. I became familiar with Clint Black, I think it was the hard way. And when my ship Comes in, that was, that was my. That was my jam. So that, that's when I knew of you Tell me the book, did I hear correctly? Is being made into Is it a Lifetime movie?
Clint Black
No, actually, that's my duet with my wife Lisa. When I said I do. Lifetime approached us to develop a story out of that song, and it's not our story. Sarah Drew and Eric Johnson play the leads, and we have a small but pivotal role in the movie playing ourselves and kind of become a little helper and them dealing with their issues. We actually, we have a podcast and a radio show in the movie. And so That's. That's on May 23rd on Lifetime.
Jeff Zito
Excellent.
Guest Interviewer
Well, Clint, I know we gotta run, and I'm just a big fan. Killing Time, my life and music, it's
Jeff Zito
not all rosy either.
Guest Interviewer
In the book. There's, you know, some, some touch and go stuff with the, you know, record labels and, you know, lot. A lot of it didn't just, you know, you didn't get that $130,000 and then all of a sudden, boom, your life is. Is complete. There's. There's a lot of big stuff. Right?
Clint Black
Yeah. Don't forget my jail time when I was 18.
Guest Interviewer
You know, jail time at 18 years old, nearly drowned.
Clint Black
Start the book off with came really close to losing my life and a little stupid thing we did, jumping into a raging torrent of water. But yeah, it's. It's there lots. It's like everybody's life. Lots of drama. 20 years of spine surgery just about every year at the end of the tour, trying to correct from a bicycling accident.
Guest Interviewer
Wow. Killing Time. My life and music. Clint Black, what a pleasure. Thank you so much.
Clint Black
Thanks, Jeff.
Jeff Zito
So, yeah, don't want to give it all away, but Clint says he, quote, unquote, accidentally got arrested and spent nine days in jail when he was 18 years old. The time he almost lost his life and drowned. Suing his manager, getting sued by his record label. There's a lot of stuff we didn't cover, but again, I, I Would have never guessed that Clint Black is an Italian guy from New Jersey. Just doesn't make sense to me. But he. He is born in New Jersey, left at 6 months old, went back to Texas, where his dad is from, who's in the construction business. And, you know, if Clint didn't make it as a famous country singer, probably would have fallen back on construction, even though his D to him, hey, man, this country thing doesn't work out, maybe you want to learn how to fix air conditioners, because living in Houston, everybody needs air conditioning. And his dad was right. As I just mentioned, the story about my $49 checkup for my AC turned into a $500 bill real quick. So again, Clint could have probably fallen into the construction business with his dad, but his dad believed in Clint. He said his dad believed that he had a really good voice. So I think it was the support of his mom and dad. It was a family. And then just started writing songs, dropped out of high school, and, you know, kind of went straight into it, busting his ass in the clubs.
Guest Interviewer
Ten years.
Jeff Zito
This took two, by the way. And then when he met that manager, it was two years before anything happened. He met the manager of ZZ Top, who ended up becoming his manager. And, you know, he thought that took forever. In retrospect, two years, not a lot of time, but it felt like it was forever. But when it happened, it happened, and it happened right away.
Guest Interviewer
Boom.
Jeff Zito
Some of those early jobs, by the way, that Clint was talking about, not a fishing guide and a bait cutter, but sold newspapers for a while, sold newspaper subscriptions door to door, starting when he was just a kid, and then later got into construction, did some iron working, and then entered the world of private security, which he says he wasn't very good at selling security services, alarm systems, etc. But he said really, when, you know, music started going for him a little bit, it was. That was it.
Guest Interviewer
So.
Jeff Zito
And he's talking about meeting ZZ Top's manager. He said that was a big life changer for him because this guy managed ZZ Top, who is just a huge band in the Houston area, and figured that this guy could open up all kinds of doors for him. So mentioned that as being a big break for him professionally, not to mention where he really thought his life was going to change forever. And that was a really great story. He talked about getting a package delivered at his house. It was his album, and he was opening the box, and he's sitting there on the floor opening the box. His brand new albums coming out and he sat there in the middle of his living room and cried. I thought that was really cool. That was like he did it. It was a dream. It was a dream come true. It was finally happening. And he said his first check, 130 grand. He had to learn how to save that money because he'd have to end up paying a lot of lawyers in his life. Yeah, the music biz, it could be ugly. So, really looking forward to checking out Clint's book. It's called Killing Time. My life and music. 35 years married to his wife Lisa Hartman. They talked about the new Lifetime movie, which was inspired by the song that Clint did with his wife Lisa. When I said I do. And that was turned into a Lifetime movie and should be on relatively soon. So keep an eye out for that. And thank you so much for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber Podcast, one of the top podcasts on the Apple Podcast music interviews chart. So thank you so much for listening. I would love if you could hit that subscribe button. Wherever you listen to podcasts, whether it's Apple, Spotify, I heart just hit that subscribe button.
Guest Interviewer
Would love it.
Jeff Zito
If you could give us a five star rating and leave a review or a comment you can follow on Instagram celebrity_jobberpodcast. Also YouTube.com the celebrity jobber and bonus content like video and just unreleased stuff from some of my interviews. Some uncut portions of the interviews and video. Like I said, bonus content on Substack. So go to substack.com/celebrity jobber and subscribe to our substack. Thank you again so much. You never know these celebrities if they didn't hit their big break. Not only would I probably not be talking to Clint Black, but I don't know, maybe he would have been the guy coming over fixing my AC the other day. But I don't know with a voice like that. His dad knew when he was a young man that this kid was something special.
Guest Interviewer
Special.
Jeff Zito
And he was right. So thanks again everybody for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and until next week. I'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito.
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This episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast dives into the journey of Clint Black, acclaimed country music star, exploring not only his path to fame but also his working-class roots and early jobs. Host Jeff Zito unpacks what Clint might have become had he not found success, delving into family history, work ethic, and the pivotal moments that redefined his trajectory. Clint discusses his autobiography, Killing Time: My Life and Music, and shares candid stories from his formative years, offering listeners an engaging look at the realities behind the stardom.
Italian and Texan Roots
Father’s Profession
Musical Upbringing
Fiction vs. Fact: The ‘Fishing Guide’ Myth
Clint clears up a longstanding myth from his official bio.
True Early Jobs
The Decade-Long Grind
The Big Break
Waiting for Success
First Single and Album Release
Notable Emotional Moment
Financial Wisdom
Early Music Biz Experiences
The episode maintains a warm, candid, and sometimes humorous tone, reflecting both the struggles and triumphs of Clint Black’s journey. Black’s humility and resilience shine through, with Jeff Zito playing a supportive and genuinely curious host.
This episode goes beyond the surface of celebrity success stories, revealing the perseverance, setbacks, and vivid real-life moments that shaped Clint Black’s life and career. It’s a compelling listen for anyone interested in the realities behind the music and the winding roads to stardom.