Blackhawk (band)

Blackhawk (sometimes stylized as BlackHawk) is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of founding members Henry Paul (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Dave Robbins (keyboards, vocals), along with a backing band consisting of Randy Threet (bass guitar, vocals), Jeff Aulich (guitar), Jimmy Dormire (guitar), and Mike Bailey (drums). Paul, a then-former member of Southern rock band Outlaws, founded Blackhawk in 1992 with Robbins and Van Stephenson (vocals, guitar). Stephenson had previously been a solo rock singer, while both he and Robbins also had success as songwriters for other acts such as Restless Heart. Stephenson left shortly before his death from melanoma in 2001 and was replaced by Threet, then Anthony Crawford and Michael Randall; however, Threet has remained in the touring band. Robbins left in 2008 and was replaced with Jon Coleman before rejoining in 2010. After Paul re-established Outlaws in 2005, he began performing simultaneously in both Blackhawk and Outlaws, to the point that the two bands' memberships converged.

Blackhawk was signed to Arista Nashville in 1993 and released their self-titled debut album in 1994. The project certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). They also released Strong Enough (1995), Love & Gravity (1997), and The Sky's the Limit (1998), and Greatest Hits before leaving Arista in 2001. Their last major-label album was 2002's Spirit Dancer on Columbia Records, and all subsequent releases have been independent. Their albums accounted for several singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now called Hot Country Songs) charts, including the top-ten hits "Every Once in a While", "I Sure Can Smell the Rain", "Down in Flames", "That's Just About Right", "I'm Not Strong Enough to Say No", "Like There Ain't No Yesterday", and "There You Have It" between 1994 and 1999. Blackhawk's music combines influences of Southern rock with country. Characteristics of their sound include Paul's distinctive singing voice, as well as prominent vocal harmony and use of mandolin.