Randall Clay Blaker (born June 27, 1950) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

musician, singer-songwriter, and producer based in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

for most of his career. His songs have been recorded by many other artists, including George Strait,

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, LeAnn Rimes,

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...

, Johnny Mathis and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

. 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.

Biography

After growing up in

, 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. In 1982, Strait included Blaker's song "The Only Thing I Have Left" on his second album, '' Strait from the Heart''.

later covered the song. 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 ''Pure Country'' is a 1992 American drama musical western film directed by Christopher Cain and starring George Strait in his acting debut, with Lesley Ann Warren, Isabel Glasser and Kyle Chandler. The film, while profitable with box office rece ...

''. In 1999,

recorded his song "We Must Be Loving Right", co-written with Roger Brown, after hearing Strait's version of it. According to Blaker, Streisand's husband

James Brolin James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin. He ...

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." He has also written songs with

Jim Lauderdale James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...

and others. Blaker has produced records, mostly for himself and other regional Texas artists, including the Ed Burleson song "My Perfect World". In 2002, Blaker announced that he was retiring and moving to an island off the coast of Panama. Although retired from touring, Blaker is still writing songs and in 2015 released a trilogy of EP's of all new music called "Still Swingin'", "Still Rockin'", and "Still Country". In 2017, a double live album was released of Blaker and his Texas Honky-Tonk Band called "Live-Through the Years 1979–2002". Also in 2017, an article in the Houston Chronicle named Blaker's 1998 album "Rumor Town" one of the best Texas singer-songwriter albums of all-time.

Discography

Blaker recorded the following albums: * ''What a Way to Live'' – Texas Musik Records (1982) * ''Sooner or Later'' – Texas Musik Records (1986) * ''Layin' it All on the Line'' – Neobilly Records (1993) * ''Rumor Town'' – Neobilly Records (1998) * ''Welcome to the Wasteland'' – Neobilly Records (2000) * ''Still Rockin – Neobilly Records (2015) * ''Still Swingin – Neobilly Records (2015) * ''Still Country – Neobilly Records (2015) * ''The Early Singles: 1978–1987 – Neobilly Records (2016) * ''What a Way To Live – Re-release Edition – 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) * ''The Lost Nashville Session – Neobilly Records (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaker, Clay 1950 births Living people American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Texas American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas