It was announced that Blackhawk is coming to the Dusty Armadillo and that’s gonna be a whole lot of fun. Blackhawk does have an interesting story. I played all of their songs of course during their run and when I think back on them, one thing sticks out to me – their fans passion for them was and is huge.
Goodbye Says It All – Debut Single
They recorded some really good songs, and had success for a few years as a chart regular. But one thing about Blackhawk that is absolute. The fans that discovered them, and liked them, were HUGE fans and remain so today. For what I would call a solid mid-level act in their prime, they had a fierce following.
#2 Hit – Big Song!
The then three-member band broke through in 1993, and came out of the gate hot with their debut single, Goodbye Says It All. It stalled at #11 on the country chart, but it may be the biggest #11 hit ever. People LOVE that song, and how it wasn’t a #1 is still a mystery to me. It’s beloved.
I Loved This Song!
Their debut album, Blackhawk had 5 singles, all hits, and it went multi-platinum, and that is no small feat in any era. Two million sold and not what would be considered a major hit on it. That in itself is unheard of, but a testament to the loyalty of their fans, and also sometimes the total inaccuracy of the charts. The next few albums had again, had commercial success on the charts. They never had a #1 song, but were always right there.
#2 Song – A Fan Favorite Too!
They even survived a death of one of the founding members, Van Stephenson (formerly of Restless Heart) he died in 2001. There have been a few members come and go over the years, and they are still making music today, although not a charted act. They were slick, and new and had a sound that was absolutely unique. They possessed a trait that is extremely difficult to achieve, that you KNEW it was them on the radio. Strong harmonies, and a great image for young fans in that era when we were getting younger all the time.
Terrific Harmonies
In another decade they may have been a bigger player. But the 1990’s were simply packed with gigantic superstars and the new traditionalists were dominating. The competition was brutal, but Blackhawk held their own.
They found a fan base and kept them, and keep them still.
