Keith Whitley

Keith Whitley (b. July 1, 1955 in Sandy Hook, Kentucky - d. May 9, 1989 near Nashville, Tennessee) was an American country music singer.

Posthumous career

Although Whitley's voice was silenced, his influence on country music has persisted long after his death. At the time of his death, he had just finished making his fourth and final studio album, I Wonder Do You Think of Me. That album was released three months after his death, on August 1, 1989. The album produced two more Number 1 hits and helped cement his legend in both his fans and his friends in country music.

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In 1991 RCA released a compilation of old performance clips (from his days in the Clinch Mountain Boys and the New South), interviews, and some previously unreleased material under the title Kentucky Bluebird, a moniker that became Whitley's nickname.

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In 1994, Whitley's widow, Lorrie Morgan, organized several of Whitley's friends in bluegrass and some of the big names in country at the time to record a tribute album to Whitley. The album, which included covers of Whitley's songs from artists such as Alan Jackson, Diamond Rio, and childhood friend Ricky Skaggs, also included several previously unreleased tracks recorded by Whitley, as well as a duet with Morgan which was recorded using splicing technology similar to other "across-time" duets such as Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.'s "Tear in My Beer" and Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole's rendition of "Unforgettable". However, the hit single to come from the tribute album was Alison Krauss & Union Station's rendition of "When You Say Nothing at All", which rose to #3 on the Billboard country charts.

Related Topics:
1994 - Alan Jackson - Diamond Rio - Hank Williams - Hank Williams Jr - Nat King Cole - Natalie Cole - Alison Krauss

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A song tribute to Whitley written by Vince Gill, "Go Rest High on that Mountain", won two Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in 1996.

Related Topics:
Vince Gill - Grammy Awards - Best Male Country Vocal Performance - Best Country Song - 1996

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