I think I can speak for everybody when I say that Keith Whitley would be on the Mount Rushmore of country music if he didn’t pass away at such a young age.
Hell, for some of us, he still is.
But to put out iconic songs such as “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “When You Say Nothing at All,” “I’m No Stranger to the Rain,” “Miami, My Amy,” and a ton more in such a short amount of time is pretty incredible.
Keith only put out two full studio albums during his lifetime, as well as one EP, and a few posthumously-released albums, but on the day he died, Waylon Jennings said to his keys player Barry Walsh:
“Hoss, that was the greatest country singer ever.”
With that being said, I thought it might be a good idea to pay a little tribute to Mr. Whitley today, throwing it back to his last appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
The performance occurred back in 1989, and he played his 1988 hit “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” along with the Lefty Frizzell/Whitey Shafer tune, “I Never Go Around Mirrors.”
Although he’s no longer with us, it’s great to know we still have his music, and videos like these to continue his iconic legacy.
And I’d also like to take this time to acknowledge that the dude had one of baddest “permed-mullets” in the game… just glorious that thing.
