It’s strange, but the most sentimentalists and wimps are in the country. Hard shell, soft core – no other genre fits this slogan better.
Keith Whitley has confirmed this in his unfortunately only very short career as outstandingly as tragically. An alcoholic since his earliest youth, he died in 1989. At a time when he could have been happy without any wishes: he had his number one hits, a CMA award, all of Nashville was at his feet and he was married to Lorry Morgan, with whom he had a small child. As perfect as his life was on the outside, it had to be so disordered inside for the incurable alcoholic. What a great voice the music world lost with him is illustrated by his musical legacy of only three studio albums. The tragic hero was always in top form – almost logically – when it came to ballads. You simply believe every word, every emotional nuance, every sad note. When he then goes on to sing such a great song as “Between An Old Memory And Me” written by Keith Stegall (see Songpearl “Hard Luck Cafe”) and Charlie Craig, the result is as inspiring as it is touching. You can hear a great singing. But also a deeply unhappy soul. Despite money, fame and family. In addition, two Californian astronomers made sure that in the future one will remember him: They named – in his honour – one of their discovered asteroids “(4779) Whitley”. How fitting, since he himself was a brightly shining shooting star.
