Heartthrob Clay Walker Has Made The Most Of It

------------------------------- Concert preview

Clay Walker, Diamond Rio and Daryle Singletary, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, Tacoma Dome; $23; 206-628-0888. -------------------------------

Clay Walker is a country-music heartthrob.

The handsome Texan, 28, is in the honky-tonk tradition and does plenty of chip-kicking country dance numbers. But what makes him stand out from the bumper crop of young country singers is the way he bares his soul in aching love ballads such as "Where Do I Fit in the Picture," in which his voice cracks as though he's about to cry.

That 1993 hit has special significance in the Northwest because the popular video for it was shot in Pioneer Square, the Pike Place Market, the Moore Theatre and other Seattle sites.

The song was on his debut "Clay Walker" album, which went platinum after scoring such hits as his breakthrough mid-tempo dance song, "What's It To You," and the fiddle-powered, nostalgic "Live Until I Die."

Walker has been on a roll ever since, with hits such as "Hypnotize the Moon" (the title cut from his second album), "My Heart Will Never Know" and "This Woman and This Man" (both from his third "If I Could Make a Living" album). His second and third albums also went platinum.

Walker's career was at its height in 1996, when a dark cloud moved in. After some frightening episodes affecting his speech, balance and coordination, it was discovered that he was in the early stages of multiple sclerosis. He was candid with fans about the chronic, debilitating disease of the central nervous system, explaining that it will eventually cripple him. But he has vowed to continue to perform as long as he is able.

So far, there are few noticeable signs of his condition, although he has cut back on his activities, both to safeguard his health and spend more time with his wife and young daughter.

Walker's current hit is the lively, Jamaican-flavored "Then What?" The song is spiced by the pinging sound of steel drums, which makes it stand out on country radio. The single is from his "Rumor Has It" album, released last year.

Walker's songs have always had a strong pop element, because that's what he grew up on. His father loved country music and played guitar, but young Clay was more interested in rock and R&B.

Growing up in a mostly African-American section of Beaumont, Texas, he was influenced by black artists, most notably Lionel Richie. He was also a fan of James Taylor and Bob Seger.

He learned to play guitar at 9 and started writing songs at 15. A high school talent contest, in which he was the only white contestant, was a turning point. Singing a country song to a mostly black audience, he got a standing ovation and won first prize. He has said that he realized at that moment, as the applause washed over him, that he would be a singer-songwriter. As he got older, he drew closer to country music, inspired by the songwriting in new country as well as his family background.

While playing clubs at night, he worked by day in a Goodyear rubber plant. He treasures the hard hat and boots he wore on that job. He takes them along on tour and props them up in a prominent place in his dressing room. If he should get nervous around show time, which he sometimes does, they remind him of his dream and how far he has come.