Going Home To Texas
(Clay Blaker)

biography Clay Blaker
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Born: 27 June 1950, Houston, Texas, USA. Blaker's father, a former racing driver, had a shop in Almeda selling surfing equipment, and Blaker spent much of his early life on the beach. In 1974 he formed the Texas Honky-Tonk Band in California and took to wearing cowboy hats and boots in Los Angeles clubs. The band built up a following but settled in Houston after a successful week in 1976. They opened for visiting country stars and became regulars at the oldest existing dancehall in Texas, Gruene Hall in New Braunfels. Blaker now lives close to Gruene Hall and it has become his home venue. He cut his first single, "Goin' Home To Texas", in 1978 and he was part of a live album, Texas Country Roadshow, issued by Bear Family Records in 1979. Blaker did not record his first album until 1981 by which time his friend and fishing partner, George Strait, was recording his songs. Strait has recorded several Blaker songs, having a US country hit with "I'm Never Gonna Let You Go". Barbra Streisand heard Strait sing "We Must Be Loving Right' and recorded it herself on 1999"s A Love Like Ours. Many musicians have played in the Texas Honky-Tonk Band including the veteran steel player, Jimmy Day. Blaker writes with Roger Brown and Jim Lauderdale and his compositions have been recorded by LeAnn Rimes ("The Rest Is History"), Mark Chesnutt ("I May Be A Fool"), Ram Herrara ("My Way Or The Highway") and Ty England ("Too Many Highways"). Blaker produced and wrote several songs for Jennifer Weatherly's 1995 collection, Lucky Day. His Rumor Town album was closer to rock than country, but that has become de rigueur for country artists.
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