It’s Keith Whitley on repeat all day today.
Although if I’m being honest, Keith Whitley is on repeat most of the time around my house. The Kentucky native is on my Mount Rushmore of greatest country artists of all time. The way that he could capture the pain and emotion in his music during his short career is an art that most country singers work their whole lives towards and still fall short. But with Keith, you could feel it in every word.
The country music legend tragically passed away 35 years ago today, on May 9, 1989, after a well-documented struggle with alcohol. But even though his career was all too short, Keith Whitley became, and remains to this day, one of the most influential country artists of all time.
But while most of us honor Keith Whitley the country music legend, Jesse Keith Whitley took some time today to honor Keith Whitley the father – and dropped a new song that pays tribute to his dad.
In a post on Facebook, Jesse reflected on the anniversary of his dad’s passing:
“Day never gets any easier we somehow learn to deal with it in a different way. If you could only see the amount of people you continue to touch and influence. The love so many devoted fans still have for you, you wouldn’t believe it’s true. Because that’s the type of person you were.
To say your missed is an understatement and when I say we are so incredible proud of your accomplishments I speak for everyone whose ever came in contact with your music in some way shape form or fashion. 35 years later this one is for you, I love you pop. Until we meet again.”
And he released a new song alongside Eric Lee Beddingfield, a country southern rocker who has even stepped in as the frontman for The Charlie Daniels Band for some shows after the legendary Charlie Daniels passed away.
The collaboration with Jesse Keith Whitley is a southern rock-infused tribute to some of the country greats called “Taste the Whiskey” – and of the many legends that it mentions, of course it honors the man himself:
“Playin’ Waymore and Waylon on those grooved out 45s
Feel the chill of Hank Williams on that cold December night
Something that sounds as lonesome as Chiseled in Stone
Yeah I want to taste the whiskey on an old Keith Whitley song”
Yeah, I dig the hell out of this one.
Crank it up in honor of Keith today:
