Keith Whitley
Keith Whitley (born July 1, 1955 in Ashland , Kentucky , † May 9, 1989 in Nashville , Tennessee ; actually Jackie Keith Whitley ) was an American country musician .
Career
After Whitley was discovered in a local talent show at the age of eight, he formed his first bluegrass band a few years later . This was discovered in 1970 by Ralph Stanley , whose concert tour was delayed.
Whitley then worked for Stanley until he tried an unsuccessful entry into the country music scene in 1984 with the album A Hard Fact To Follow .
Whitley's breakthrough came in 1986 with the album LA to Miami , which contained his first four hit singles Miami , My Amy , Ten Feet Away , Homecoming '63 and Hard Living . Two tracks on the album also became known through cover versions by George Strait and Randy Travis . These were Nobody In His Right Mind Would've Left Her (Strait) and On The Other Hand (Travis), each of which reached number 1 on the charts.
In 1988 Whitley got a bigger say in the production of his phonograms with his record company RCA . From his album Don't Close Your Eyes , which was then released , in addition to the title track, the singles When You Say Nothing at All and I'm No Stranger To The Rain reached number 1 in the American Billboard Country Charts . I'm No Stranger To The Rain also earned him his first and only CMA Award .
Whitley met up and coming country singer Lorrie Morgan while on the promotional tour for his LA to Miami album . They married in November 1986 and had a son, Jesse Keith Whitley (* 1987). Keith also adopted Morgan Whitley, Lorrie Morgan's daughter by first marriage.
Alcoholism and death
Whitley suffered from severe drinking problems since his youth . All attempts at therapy failed. Whitley had a habit of drinking alone, which made it very difficult to gauge his progress.
On the morning of May 9, 1989, Whitley was found motionless on his bed by his brother-in-law . He succumbed to alcohol poisoning .
The asteroid (4779) Whitley was named after him.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1985 | LA to Miami | - |
Country26 (57 weeks) Country |
|
| 1988 | Don't close your eyes |
US121  (14 weeks)US |
Country8 (119 weeks) Country |
|
| 1989 | I Wonder Do You Think of Me |
US115 (7 weeks)US |
Country2 (57 weeks) Country |
|
more publishments
- 1995: Wherever You Are Tonight
- 2000: Sad Songs & Waltzes
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1990 | Greatest hits |
US67  (45 weeks)US |
Country5 (111 weeks) Country |
|
| 1991 | Kentucky Bluebird | - |
Country45 (33 weeks) Country |
|
| 1996 | Great hits |
US- |
Country51 (8 weeks) Country |
|
| 2013 | Country | - |
Country49 (17 weeks) Country |
|
more publishments
- 1993: The Best of Keith Whitley
- 1996: The Essential Keith Whitley
- 1998: Keith Whitley Remembered: The Encore Collection
- 2002: RCA Country Legends
- 2003: Platinum and Gold Collection
- 2006: 16 biggest hits
EPs
- 1984: A Hard Act to Follow
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1984 | Turn Me to Love A Hard Act to Follow |
- |
Country51 (9 weeks) Country |
|
| 1985 | A Hard Act to Follow A Hard Act to Follow |
- |
Country76 (7 weeks) Country |
|
| I've Got the Heart for You L.A. to Miami |
- |
Country57 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| Miami, My Amy L.A. to Miami |
- |
Country14 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1986 | Ten Feet Away L.A. to Miami |
- |
Country9 (26 weeks) Country |
|
| Homecoming '63 L.A. to Miami |
- |
Country9 (23 weeks) Country |
||
| 1987 | Hard livin ' LA to Miami |
- |
Country10 (16 weeks) Country |
|
| Would These Arms Be in Your Way Don't Close Your Eyes |
- |
Country36 (17 weeks) Country |
||
| Some Old Side Road Don't Close Your Eyes |
- |
Country16 (21 weeks) Country |
||
| 1988 | Don't Close Your Eyes Don't Close Your Eyes |
- |
Country1 (23 weeks) Country |
|
| When You Say Nothing at All Don't Close Your Eyes |
- |
Country1 (22 weeks) Country |
||
| 1989 | I'm No Stranger to the Rain Don't Close Your Eyes |
- |
Country1 (22 weeks) Country |
|
| I Wonder Do You Think of Me I Wonder Do You Think of Me |
- |
Country1 (19 weeks) Country |
||
| It Ain't Nothin ' I Wonder Do You Think of Me |
- |
Country1 (26 weeks) Country |
||
| 1990 | Til a Tear Becomes a Rose Greatest Hits |
- |
Country13 (20 weeks) Country |
with Lorrie Morgan
|
| 1991 | Brotherly Love Kentucky Bluebird |
- |
Country2 (20 weeks) Country |
with Earl Thomas Conley
|
| Somebody's Doin 'Me Right Kentucky Bluebird |
- |
Country15 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1995 | Wherever You Are Tonight Wherever You Are Tonight |
- |
Country75 (1 week) Country |
|
more publishments
- 2000: Sad Songs and Waltzes
Video albums
-
I Wonder Do You Think Of Me (US:gold)
swell
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Whitley, Keith |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Whitley, Jackie Keith (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 1, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ashland , Kentucky |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 9, 1989 |
| Place of death | Nashville , Tennessee |