90s Country Band BlackHawk to Return with New/Old Album
If you’re caught up in the whole 90’s country craze, but are not quite sold on new artists trying to emulate that sound as opposed to the real deal, but still want to hear something you’ve never heard before, you happen to be in luck. The 90s country band BlackHawk has a new album on the way, but it’s an old one too.
Responsible for seven Top 10 hits throughout the 90s decade including “Every Once In a While” and “I’m Not Strong Enough To Say No,” the group was made up of vocalists and songwriters Henry Paul, Dave Robbins, and Van Stephenson—the latter whose death in 2001 due to Cancer resulted in the end of the original version of the group, but not before the release of five original records.
But lo and behold, there was a sixth record—or at least the bare bones of one—that was recorded in 1992 and would have comprised the band’s debut, but the songs were never finished, and it never saw the light of day. Called Blue Highway, all twelve songs were written by the BlackHawk members.
Now additional bass, drums, electric guitar, and mandolin has been added to the tracks, and the album will be released on June 24th via BFD/Audium Nashville. Henry Paul and Dave Robbins have carried on the BlackHawk name over the years to keep the memory of the band alive, including the memory of Van Stephenson.
“Without Van, BlackHawk would have never been, and his uniquely beautiful talent was at the heart of all we did,” explains Henry Paul. “Dave [Robbins] and I continue to honor our last promise made to him by keeping BlackHawk together and doing what we can do help find a cure for cancer.”
That includes establishing the Van Stephenson Cancer Research Fund which was founded in 2006, and has since generated over $400,000 for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
“Looking back on BlackHawk’s beginnings, I’m always reminded of the innocence and personal character of our songwriting, and both the fragile beauty and strength of our voices,” continues Paul. “For Van and Dave and I, it was magic watching this exciting chapter in our life’s musical journey unfold. This album once again brings the three of us together and sheds light on the dawn of our creation in those early days.”
Ahead of the album they’ve released the song “Baby, The Rain Must Fall,” which features the band’s distinctive three-part harmonies (listen below). Blue Highway will officially be released June 24th, and is now available for pre-save and pre-order.
Blue Highway Track Listing:
1. Don’t Put Yourself Down
2. Baby The Rain Must Fall
3. Southern Wind
4. I’m Gonna Find a Way
5. Where The Wild Roses Grow
6. Not By Chance
7. Heavy Hand
8. Heart With a View
9. Blue Highway
10. Breathe The Night
11. One Good Reason
12. Wide Open Spaces
April 30, 2022 @ 10:02 am
Very cool! This band had some absolute jams back in the 90s. Love the concept and how they are honoring their late band mate like that.
April 30, 2022 @ 11:54 am
Love everything Henry Paul does. Start with his old band The Outlaws, who made some fantastic Southern Rock back in the 70s. Check out the early Outlaws albums while he was a member. Gunsmoke is a great song he wrote on the Hurry Sundown album. He also made records with his own group The Henry Paul Band, and they are well worth discovering. (Feel The Heat is fantastic) Blackhawk is excellent Country-Rock. Love all those albums. Blackhawk were not Country purists , not even close, but they brought some nice sonic variety to the genre IMO. Recently Henry has been doing shows both with The Outlaws and Blackhawk, it appears hes not done with music yet. Hes an underrated talent but his name is an important part of Southern Rock history. This release will be a no-brainer for me.
April 30, 2022 @ 12:59 pm
Don’t really have to be country purists but if current mainstream sounded like them I wouldn’t have much of a issue.
May 2, 2022 @ 10:06 am
The Hurry Sundown album was my introduction to The Outlaws and yes, Gunsmoke is the great song that kicks it off. I feel like that albums gets overshadowed by the two great ones that precede it (The Outlaws and Lady in Waiting) and I’d say they are better, but I think it’s still very, very good. Those first three Outlaws albums and the the first three CDB albums (Fire on the Mountain, Nightrider and Saddle Tramp) were the countriest albums I was listening to in my late teens and early twenties.
I saw the Outlaws four times, with the last two being what Henry Paul came back to the band from ’83 to ’89. At one of those, he through a pick out into the audience and it stuck in my armpit! Had his name on it. I kept it for a long time, but lost it at some point.
April 1, 2023 @ 8:38 am
They traveled to a Meijers in Florence, Kentucky in the late 90’s for a grand opening.
I traveled there to get a signed autograph at which i still have.
Baby the rain must fall, in opinion should of never been a remake.
April 30, 2022 @ 12:45 pm
That’s awesome. Always thought they were one of the more undervalued groups from that era.
There’s never a time where “Goodbye Says It All” and “Just About Right” play on any speaker near me when I don’t about tear the dial off the volume and belt along.
April 30, 2022 @ 1:35 pm
They have been a 90’s band with a very 80’s country sound. 80’s country was phenomenal, and is sorely overlooked when people name drop “good country.”
April 30, 2022 @ 7:16 pm
OMG! Blackhawk was one of my favorite groups after they came onto the scene in 1994. Their harmony was unique and it was so sad that they broke up. I hope that they didn’t ruin the tracks with added ‘modern’ stuff.
May 1, 2022 @ 8:04 am
Blackhawk was and still is one of the best country bands ever. My wife , children and grandchildren know that when I die “ ships of heaven “ will be the last song played at my funeral. I would give anything to see them in concert again.
May 1, 2022 @ 12:53 pm
Loved these guys back in the day. I didn’t realize one of them died. I’m not a fan of the song there, hopefully some of the others are better
May 1, 2022 @ 4:56 pm
I remember this band!
May 1, 2022 @ 6:49 pm
Saw them last year at Southern Dollar City in Branson Missouri such an amazing show
May 1, 2022 @ 7:54 pm
I saw them in ’96 or so with Tim McGraw and Little Texas. A pretty solid show. They were pretty great live.
June 24, 2022 @ 5:28 pm
I just saw them last month, and besides the fact that they look older, their voices are still top notch. Henry Paul is out of this world energy wise for a 72 year old man.
He, Dave, and Randy Threet sang “Postmarked Birmingham” just piano vocal and I legit got Goosebumps.
May 3, 2022 @ 9:47 am
Blackhawk is my favorite band. Been listening to them for almost 3yrs. They still sound great in concert. This is good country music
May 4, 2022 @ 2:37 am
Henry Paul and Dave Robbins are total class acts in keeping Van Stephanson’s legacy with Blackhawk alive. There are only a few bands that i reviere and Blackhawk is Top3. Go get this record and play it till your ears bleed.
May 7, 2022 @ 6:38 am
Top shelf sound as usual. Glad to see an album released by them. I hope I hear them again on the radio.
June 30, 2022 @ 7:23 am
All you need to know is HENRY PAUL.