Clay Blaker

Randall Clay Blaker (born June 27, 1950) is an American country musician, singer-songwriter,^[1] and producer based in Texas for most of his career. His songs have been recorded by many other artists, including George Strait, Tim McGraw, The Derailers, LeAnn Rimes, Doug Sahm, Johnny Mathis and Barbra Streisand.^[2][3] Blaker has also been a popular regional entertainer and has released several albums of his own material with his band, the Texas Honky-Tonk Band.^[4]

After growing up in Texas, Blaker spent time in Hawaii and California before returning to Texas in the 1970s. In San Marcos, Texas he got to know the members of the Ace in the Hole Band, including their front-man George Strait. Blaker's Texas Honky Tonk Band played with the Ace in the Hole Band at a number of venues in Houston and Central Texas.^[2]

In 1982, Strait included Blaker's song "The Only Thing I Have Left" on his second album, Strait from the Heart.^[2]Tim McGraw later covered the song.^[5] Strait has since recorded six more songs by Blaker, including "She Lays It All on the Line" for the soundtrack to Strait's 1992 film Pure Country.^[2][6]

In 1999, Barbra Streisand recorded his song "We Must Be Loving Right", co-written with Roger Brown, after hearing Strait's version of it.^[2] According to Blaker, Streisand's husband James Brolin had been playing Strait's album, and Streisand "heard the song and liked it enough to put it on her next album. That album was all love songs, so it fit right in."^[5] He has also written songs with Jim Lauderdale and others.^[5]

También en 1999, Blaker participó en el último proyecto de grabación de Doug Sahm, "Doug Sahm – The Return of Wayne Douglas ", que resultó ser el último álbum de Sahm, ya que falleció ese mismo año. El Austin Chronicle lo describió como "... música country pura al estilo de Texas...". ^{[ 7 ]} Blaker fue el guitarrista acústico y asistente de ingeniería en el álbum y coescribió una de las canciones con Sahm que grabaron a dúo, "I Don't Trust No One When it Comes to My Heart".

Blaker ha producido discos, principalmente para sí mismo y otros artistas regionales de Texas, incluyendo la canción de Ed Burleson "My Perfect World". ^{[ 5 ]}

En 2002, Blaker anunció que se retiraba y se mudaba a una isla frente a la costa de Panamá. ^{[ 8 ]} Aunque retirado de las giras, Blaker sigue componiendo canciones y en 2015 lanzó una trilogía de EP con música completamente nueva titulada "Still Swingin'", "Still Rockin'" y "Still Country". ^{[ 9 ]}

En 2017, se publicó un álbum doble en directo de Blaker y su Texas Honky-Tonk Band titulado "Live-Through the Years 1979–2002". ^{[ 10 ]} También en 2017, un artículo del Houston Chronicle nombró al álbum de Blaker de 1998, "Rumor Town", como uno de los mejores álbumes de cantautores tejanos de todos los tiempos. ^{[ 11 ]}

Blaker grabó los siguientes álbumes: ^{[ 12 ]}

• Qué manera de vivir – Texas Musik Records (1982)
• Tarde o temprano – Texas Musik Records (1986)
• Layin' it All on the Line – Neobilly Records (1993)
• Rumor Town – Neobilly Records (1998)
• Bienvenidos al páramo – Neobilly Records (2000)
• Still Rockin' – Neobilly Records (2015)
• Still Swingin' – Neobilly Records (2015)
• Still Country' – Neobilly Records (2015)
• Los primeros sencillos: 1978–1987 – Neobilly Records (2016)
• Qué manera de vivir – Edición reeditada – Neobilly Records (2016)
• Through the Years 1979–2002, Vol. 1 (Live) – Neobilly Records (2017)
• Through the Years 1979–2002, Vol. 2 (Live) – Neobilly Records (2017)
• La sesión perdida de Nashville – Neobilly Records (2019)