Keith Whitley

[g.c.mccoury]

I read in the paper yesterday(5/10/89) that Keith Whitley, country/bluegrass
singer/musician, died of an overdose of alcohol. Whitley was a recovering
alcoholic and his death was determined to be an accidental overdose. Keith
was 33 years old.

Whitley started his musical career playing/singing bluegrass music with
Ralph Stanley. He later played with the likes of Ricky Scaggs, J.D.Crowe
and Tony Rice. He was an accomplished guitar player and singer. Keith
had recently hit the top of the country charts following the release
of his solo album. It seemed that Keith had finally made it to the top
after "paying his dues." He will be missed...

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[Steve Carnes]

In article <51...@mtgzz.att.com> g...@mtgzz.att.com (g.c.mccoury) writes:
>I read in the paper yesterday(5/10/89) that Keith Whitley, country/bluegrass
>singer/musician, died of an overdose of alcohol.

>Whitley started his musical career playing/singing bluegrass music with
>Ralph Stanley. He later played with the likes of Ricky Scaggs, J.D.Crowe
>and Tony Rice.

To nitpick a bit, I thought it was the other way around. While both were
still high school kids, Keith and Ricky put together an album (Starday?) of
Stanley Bros. material, done in the SB style, sounding remarkably like the
SB, and Ralph subsequently brought them into his band. I saw them at
BeanBlossom in (I think) 1969. Ricky left for more creative pastures,
and Keith stayed with Ralph. Saw them in the late 70's at the Adams
County Dustbowl and Bluegrass Festival, and it was kind of sad to see
him stuck in the Ralph Stanley "old-man-band", wearing old-man pants
and having to put up with Curly Ray Cline.

There, have I offended enough traditional bluegrassers? Oh yeah, I
read in the paper about Bill Monroe beating up his mistress -- correction,
his *latest* mistress. The headline was "Woman Claims Bluegrass Star Hit
Her With A Bible." She's a dog trainer, divorced mother of two, and
was at his farm trying to get him to swear on a bible that he wasn't
seeing other women. Instead he whacked her with it, they scuffled, he
was arrested and released on $500 bond.

"Mother's not dead, she's only unconscious, just patiently waiting for
justice to come..." - Bill Monroe, (god)Father of Bluegrass.