Country music star Clint Black has revealed that a warning from musician Billy Joel about the perils of being an "Uncle Daddy" profoundly impacted his approach to fatherhood. Black, who welcomed his only child, Lily, with wife Lisa Hartman Black in 2001, made fatherhood his top priority to avoid the fate described by Joel.

In his new memoir, "Killin' Time," Black details how he encountered an interview with Joel where the "Piano Man" singer described coming home and being so disconnected from his child's life that he felt more like an "Uncle Daddy" than a father. This sentiment, Joel explained, stemmed from spending too much time away on the road.

Black, who has sold over 20 million records, stated that Joel's words stuck with him long before he and his wife decided to start a family. The anecdote reshaped his perspective on balancing a demanding music career with raising a child.

"I saw an interview with Billy Joel, and he was talking about being gone too much. He said he'd come home ... and he called it being 'Uncle Daddy,'" Black told Fox News Digital. "That was long before we knew we wanted a child, but I remember it sticking with me."

While Black did not cease performing entirely after Lily's birth, he significantly reduced his touring schedule. He explained that he performed about 15 shows a year to support his band and crew. Additionally, he read about the importance of secure attachment for children during their first three years of life, a period when a parent's presence is crucial for a child's sense of security.

"So that was the number," Black continued. "Three years of mostly being home, only going out and doing these small bits of work. I did some work at home, working on music ... but I was around to be a dad. It wasn't great for my career, but I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't trade a better career for that attachment or the closeness I have with my daughter."

Black's journey to fatherhood was not without its challenges. He and his wife experienced four pregnancy losses before Lily's birth. "Trying to have a baby was not something that we had set out to do," he said. "And then, at one point, we realized we had better talk about this and find out where we both stood. And once we decided we wanted to have a child, we really, really wanted to have a child. So when we ran into problems with the miscarriages, it started to hurt. But we kept our hopes up."

Despite the hardships, Lily Pearl Black was born on her due date. Black reflected that fatherhood taught him he was capable of more than he imagined, enabling him to manage a career, travel, and be actively involved in his daughter's life, attending basketball practices, volleyball games, and school events.

"I think the biggest lesson I've learned from fatherhood is — I'm tempted to say patience — but I don't think that's it," he explained. "I think it's that I can do a lot more than I thought I could. I could have a career, travel, do all of that, come home, be active as a dad, go to basketball practice, volleyball games and school events."

Black now tours extensively, often with Lily and Lisa accompanying him. He expressed his continued awe at watching his daughter perform alongside him on stage, noting that it took him time to adjust from being an adoring father to a fellow performer.

"Watching Lily perform right next to me on stage took me a while to adjust to," he admitted. "For a while, I was just the adoring father. I had to learn to be a guy in the band playing to an audience and enjoy what she’s doing and seeing her perform so well without having that be my focus on stage."

His memoir, "Killin' Time," named after his 1989 debut album, covers his upbringing, rise to fame, and career milestones.