Career Cut Short: The Life of Keith Whitely

Today's episode take you on a journey into the life and musical career of country music legend, Keith Whitley. I'll also talk about two of his most poplar songs, "Don't Close Your Eyes" and "When You Say Nothing At All". I'll perform both of those songs on my YouTube channel and please consider checking out my website at 2ndRoundMusic.com for more information about me as an artist and many other features.

Link to my performance of these two songs on my YouTube channel: 

https://youtu.be/T7T-2DWGe38

Transcript

The Life and Legacy of Keith Whitley

Introduction
Hello friends and music lovers and welcome to today’s episode of the Two for Tuesday Podcast, where we’ll take a deep dive into the stories behind the songs and artists that have shaped the music that we love. Genres like traditional country, classic rock, Southern rock and a little R & B. I’m your host, Michael Pezent of 2nd Round Music 

And today, we’re going to talk about the life of country music legend Keith Whitley and the creation of two of his most beloved songs: "Don't Close Your Eyes" and "When You Say Nothing At All."

Segment 1: Keith Whitley - A Brief Biography 

Jackie Keith Whitley was born on July 1, 1955, in Ashland, Ky but was raised in Sandy Hook, Kentucky. Where he grew up in a musical family. He was influenced by the sounds of Kentucky bluegrass  like Ralph Stanley and traditional country music like Hank Williams, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell. These are all artists that will be topics of later podcasts. 

And from an early age Keith had a bit of a wild side. He and his friends would often drink bootlegged bourbon and race cars. He once was in an accident where they attempted to make a curve at 120 mph. The wreck killed his friend and almost broke Keith’s neck. In another accident, he drove a car off of an 120 ft cliff into a frozen river and broke his collarbone.

Now back in 1969, Keith performed at a music contest where Ricky Skaggs was also one of the contestants. The two of them struck an immediate friendship. They would both later be hired by Ralph Stanley to play in his band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. The story goes that Ralph was about 45 minutes late for a show in West Virginia due to a flat tire. When arrived at the club he heard what he thought was his music playing on a jukebox. However, it was NOT a jukebox, it was Keith and Ricky playing the Stanley Brothers music. 
Keith would also later join the band J.D. Crowe and the New South in the mid 70’s.

In 1983, Whitley moved to Nashville to pursue a country music career, where he initially found work as a demo singer. .

Whitley's first solo album, A Hard Act to Follow, was released in 1984, but it wasn't until his second album, L.A. to Miami which released 1985, that he began to see commercial success. This album gave him his first top-20 hit with ‘Miami My Amy’ (#14) and he also had three more hits with ‘Ten Feet Away’(#9), ‘Homecoming ‘63’(#9) and ‘Hard Livin’(#10). Interestly enough, this album also has two more popular songs. But they were popular by two other artists. The songs were ‘On the Other Hand’ by Randy Travis and ‘Nobody In His Right Mind’by George Strait. They both recorded and released these songs AFTER they had been pitched to Keith and he had originally turned them down. Obviously, they both had major hits with these songs. 
During the promotion tour for this album, Keith met, began a romantic relationship and eventually married Lorrie Morgan, a country music star in her own right.

Keith’s second album, which includes two songs I’ll get to later in this episode, 
was titled Don’t Close Your Eyes and it sold extremely well becoming Keith’s only platinum selling record during his lifetime. They released five songs off this album, the first not gaining much traction, but the next would start a streak of number 1 hits, that included the title cut song, ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ and ‘I’m No Stranger to the Rain.’ 

Keith’s third album, I Wonder Do You Think of Me, would be released posthumously in August 1990. Keith had actually completed the album and it was awaiting release when he passed. It would only be a certified Gold record but it was reach #2 on the Country Album charts and that was his highest chart album. He continued his string of number 1 hits with the title cut song and ‘It Ain’t Nothing’. They also released ‘I’m Over You (#3).

RCA also released a Greatest Hits album in 1990 that reached #5 on the album charts and also Keith’s only other Platinum selling album. They released “‘Til a Tear Becomes a Rose”, a cover song recorded and released by Leon Everette in 1985. Now Keith originally recorded this song as a duet with Ricky Skaggs, but now that Lorrie Morgan had all creative rights to Keith’s music so she went into the studio, removed Ricky’s track and recorded her own. The song not only made it to #13 on the charts, but also won Best Vocal Collaboration at the 1990 CMA Awards show and received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. This album also included a non-released song by the name of Tell Lorrie I Love Her.  Keith actually wrote this song and recorded it at his home to be working demo for a friend of his so that he could learn the song and sing at his and Lorrie’s wedding. 

Now unfortunately, despite Keith’s talent and success with his string of #1 hits, secretly he struggled with personal demons, including alcoholism.

Tragically, Keith Whitley’s life was cut short when he passed away on May 9, 1989, at the young age of 34. Earlier that day he had a brief phone conversation with his mother and was later visited by his brother-in-law, Lane Palmer. The two had coffee and were planning to play golf and have lunch later in the day. According to news articles, Palmer left around 8:30 am, asking Keith to be ready to leave within an hour. Upon returning, Lane found Keith unresponsive on his bed and called an ambulance. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The official cause of death was acute ethanol poisoning. The Davidson County Medical Examiner stated that Whitley's blood alcohol level was 0.47 (the equivalent of 20 one-ounce shots of 100-proof whiskey).  Keith’s death was no doubt a significant loss to the country music community, but his legacy continues to influence artists today. Despite his brief moment in the spotlight, Keith was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022 and  is the only person to be posthumously recognized as a former member of the Grand Ole Opry, without ever being an active member.

Segment 2: "Don't Close Your Eyes" (6 minutes)
Now, the music. One of Keith Whitley’s most iconic songs, "Don't Close Your Eyes," was released in 1988 as part of his album Don’t Close Your Eyes. The song was written by Bob McDill, a prolific songwriter who has penned hits for many country artists.

The song speaks to the pain of lost love and the struggle to let go. Keith’s emotional delivery captures the essence of heartbreak, making it resonate with listeners.

They say that the recording process was intense because Keith was known for his dedication to his craft, often recording multiple takes to get the perfect sound. Producer Garth Fundis noted that Keith had a unique ability to convey emotion through his voice, which was crucial for this ballad.

"Don't Close Your Eyes" became a massive hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and solidified Keith’s status as a leading figure in country music at that time. The song also showcased his traditional style which helped bring the genre out of the “Urban Cowboy”/Pop Country days.

Segment 3: "When You Say Nothing At All" (6 minutes)

Another hallmark of Keith’s career and most likely his most well known song is "When You Say Nothing At All." This song was originally written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz and was featured on his 1988 album, Don't Close Your Eyes. Now remember, I talked about Keith missing out on the Randy Travis hit, “On the Other Hand”. A song also written by Overstreet and Schlitz. The story goes that Keith felt he missed out by passing on the first Overstreet/Schlitz song, and he didn’t want to make that mistake again. Neither of the writers really didn’t care for the song that much, but Keith loved it and took it as his own. Schlitz was later quoted as saying, “He truly sang it from the heart.” The song's origin is an interesting story in itself. The songwriters were supposedly at the end of what they called an unproductive day. Overstreet was quoted as saying, “...we tried to find another way to say nothing, we came up with the song".

This song beautifully captures the idea that sometimes words aren’t necessary in a relationship. Keith’s rendition of the song became a defining moment in his career, illustrating his ability to connect with listeners on a deeper level.

The recording of "When You Say Nothing At All" was notable for its simplicity. Whitley’s vocal performance is backed by a gentle arrangement that allows the lyrics to shine. The song, as I mentioned earlier, became another number one hit for Whitley and has been covered by various artists, including Alison Krauss, who also had a hit (#3) with this song which exploded her career and further cementing this song and Keith’s status in country music history.

Segment 4: The Legacy of Keith Whitley (2 minutes)

So the life and legacy of Keith Whitley and his impact on country music is certainly undeniable. His unique voice and emotional depth have inspired countless artists, from Garth Brooks to Brad Paisley.

Despite his short career, he left behind a catalog of music that continues to resonate with fans. His songs often explore themes of love, loss, and heartache, making them timeless classics.

Transition Music 

Conclusion (1 minute)
Thank you for joining me today on Two for Tuesday with 2nd Round Music. I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the life and music of Keith Whitley. Let me know your thoughts on this episode. I’d love to hear from you. Just type your comments below if you’re listening on YouTube or drop me an email. You can also click the link in the description to hear me perform these two incredible songs. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow this podcast, click the ‘like’ button and share this with all your music loving friends. So just remember we love you and we need you and tune in next time as we continue to explore the stories behind the music we love. God bless you!

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