Today, (5/9), marks the twenty-ninth anniversary of the loss of one of country music’s greatest voices in Keith Whitley. I wrote a piece in 2017 specifically to make the case that Whitley deserves to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame despite his untimely and tragic death, and his music has meant a lot to me over the years. But even though Whitley’s music has been important to me, I’ve somehow not discussed any of it here, and this seems like a good opportunity to honor him in that way.
Release Date: 1988
Style: traditional country
People Who Might Like This Album: fans of Randy Travis, fans of William Michael Morgan, those who like their country to mix the more traditional and modern
Standout Tracks: “I’m no Stranger to the Rain,” “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “Some Old Side Road,” “Would These Arms Be in Your Way,” “When You Say Nothing at All”
Reflections: Well, we should all listen to some Keith Whitley today in honor of the one who gave us all of his pain in his music and then succumbed to it himself before he could reap the rewards of his career. There has been no one before or since Keith Whitley who has expressed that kind of pain in their songs, and not many who have left such a mark in so short a time. Because he released so little music before his death, much of it was released posthumously, and much of it was packaged into various compilations. I chose this because it’s the only original album of Whitley’s in wide circulation, the one he chose to take control of and turn toward a more traditional sound, and the one that would become his most successful. It was also the last album released before he was taken from this world in 1989.
I mentioned that Whitley took control of the creative direction for this record, and that makes Don’t Close Your Eyes the best representation of Keith himself, and what he might have become if he had lived longer. He represents part of the tide that included Randy Travis in the late 80’s, the tide that turned country back toward its traditional roots and ushered in the class of ’89. Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, Clint Black…all of them were influenced and affected by Keith Whitley and this album.
Whitley is known for the singular way he inflicted emotion into his every syllable. That’s best reflected in his pain, like on the timeless title track, as well as “I’m no Stranger to the Rain,” a song written for Keith about the public battle he was known to be facing with alcoholism, a battle he would lose just months later. But he could also express that emotion with incredibly moving love songs; he’s probably best known for “When You Say Nothing at All,” but “Would These Arms be in Your Way” is just as achingly beautiful. He could also lighten the mood for songs like “Flying Colors” and “Some Old Side road.” “Some Old Side Road” was one of his more modern-leaning songs, foreshadowing the class of ’89’s marriage of traditional and contemporary sensibilities.
I could talk all day about what a fan I am of Keith Whitley and what he did for our beloved country music in such a short time. He is still influencing artists twenty-nine years later, and I’d be hard-pressed to name a current artist in any genre who could make that kind of an impression with the same amount of time and material. Time will tell on that, of course, but the point is, Keith Whitley is a special artist. Honored to have this opportunity to write about someone who has so directly and personally influenced my love for country music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw89r3UzFY4