Black's first single, "A Better Man", was a #1 hit, as was his debut album Killin' Time. Clint Black swept the Country Music Association's awards in 1989, winning in six different categories. Killin' Time spawned three hits besides "A Better Man": "Killin' Time", "Nobody's Home" and "Walkin' Away".
Black's second album, Put Yourself in My Shoes, was a critical failure but still included several hit singles, most notably "Loving Blind" and "Where Are You Now". He began touring with Alabama and soon married Lisa Hartman, a television actress. A royalty-lawsuit with Bill Ham was ongoing while Black recorded his third album, The Hard Way, which received mixed reviews and became almost as successful as the previous two. "We Tell Ourselves", the first single, was a #1 hit. His next albums, No Time to Kill, One Emotion and Nothin' But the Tailights were popular within the country music scene, but he has not been able to regain his stature in the mainstream market. He remains one of the best-selling country singers of the decade.