Clint Black Week: Black Looks Back on Tough Days Before ‘Killin’ Time’ [Watch]

Clint Black shot to fame after the release of his debut album, Killin' Time, but prior to that, he went through some seriously tough times.

Black is taking over Taste of Country this week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Killin' Time, and in the video exclusive above, he gathers together his most important collaborators to look back on the hard times they were going through before and during the making of the iconic album, which was a career-launching endeavor for all involved.

Producer James Stroud recalls calling Black on the phone and voicing his concern for the singer, who seemed concerned and said he had been sick. When Stroud pressed, Black confessed he hadn't been eating.

"I said, 'I don't have any money, I'm stuck up here in a hotel, I've got no transportation, I've got no money for food,'" Black recalls. "And I said, 'I know that my manager got the advance from RCA, but I can't get him to give me any money. I can't get him to answer the phone, and I don't have anything to eat, and I really just don't know what to do.'"

Stroud told the singer to meet him at a pizza place across the street from his hotel, where he bought him a meal and gave him fifty dollars to tide him over.

"I said, 'Don't go hungry,'" the producer recalls. "He said, 'That is really nice of you,' and I said, 'No, I just don't want you weak when you're doing your vocals,'" Stroud adds, as the entire group bursts out laughing.

Stroud recounts another moment during the project when Black's father proudly told him that his son was destined to save country music, which had gone through a period of pop crossover.

"Those two moments, those two times were pretty emotional for me, because I felt so bad about you not being able to eat, and I felt so emotional about your father being such an awesome man," he tells the singer.

Black's father's words proved prophetic, as Killin' Time became a runaway hit and helped usher in a new era of more traditional country music. Visit Taste of Country every day this week for more exclusive content about the album as Black celebrates 25 years of Killin' Time.

Backstage at the 2015 ACM Awards With Clint Black