The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of Clint Black in a new exhibition, Clint Black: The Hard Way On Purpose. The exhibit will trace Black’s story, from a working-class upstart to topping the charts on his own terms. Black’s many talents and considerable versatility — as a singer, songwriter, player, actor, label head and more — have captivated the world of country music. The exhibit, which will be open from April 22, 2026, until August 2027, is included with museum admission.
“Black’s decades-long determination to write and perform his own songs, and to advocate for artists’ rights, marked him as a maverick and proved causes worth standing up for,” said Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His voice, words and melodies have added immeasurably to country music’s rich history — etched on the hearts of millions.”
“When I was told the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum wanted to create an exhibit about my life and career, I truly was surprised and moved,” said Clint Black. “I wouldn’t have expected it, and I feel so fortunate to have such an incredible team of talented people working so hard to bring my story to life in this exhibit. I wanted to do everything I could to support their efforts and share anything I could with the fans from my journey in music, movies and life in general. I’m very excited to be a part of the greatest museum in the world.”
The exhibit will include stage wear, instruments, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, videos and more. Examples of items to be displayed include:
The second-place trophy Black won for selling newspaper subscriptions to the Houston Post —one of his first jobs — in the paper’s annual Top Salesman contest in 1978.
One of three Martin guitars that Black purchased after receiving his first substantial paycheck from RCA Records in 1990.
Lyrics Black wrote on his summer 1991 tour itinerary when his musical hero Merle Haggard appeared as a special guest. Backstage one night, Black offered to help Haggard finish a song he was working on. “Untanglin’ My Mind” became a Top Five country hit for Black in 1994 and was recorded by Haggard two years later.
The desert camouflage fatigues Black wore during his 1993 USO tour of Somalia where he performed for American troops at base camps and other locations in the war-torn east African nation.
The playing cards Black used in his acting debut in a brief but memorable appearance as the “Sweet-faced Gambler” in the 1994 Hollywood film “Maverick.” Caught cheating at poker in a scene with the movie’s stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, his character’s stunt double is thrown overboard from a riverboat.
The director’s chair Black used while filming the video for his song “Summer’s Comin’,” a #1 hit in 1995.
A draft of handwritten lyrics by Black for his chart-topping 1996 single, “Like the Rain.” Using the working title “I Never Liked the Rain,” this manuscript includes some different lyrics to the version he recorded and was co-written with his friend and long-time bandmate, guitarist Hayden Nicholas.
A copy of the “Larry Sanders Show” script from the show’s final episode in 1998 — signed by the cast including Tom Petty. Comedian and actor Gary Shandling had invited his good friend Black to appear in the program and Black and Petty staged a fight scene in the episode, with Petty calling Black “Roy Rogers.”
Lisa Hartman Black’s Brides International dress — with floral embroidery and tulle skirt and shawl — and Black’s Versace jacket that the married couple wore in the music video for “When I Said I Do.” The duet topped Billboard’s country singles chart in 1999 and was named the Top Vocal Event of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.
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