Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album

Last updated
Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album
Keith whitley tribute.jpg
Studio album by
Various artists
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1994 (1994-09-27)
Genre Country
Length48:36
Label BNA
Producer

Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album is a tribute album to American country music singer Keith Whitley. It was released in 1994 via BNA Records.

Contents

Content

The album includes renditions of Keith Whitley's songs by various country music artists, as well as the original tune "Little Boy Lost", co-written and sung by Daron Norwood, and four previously unreleased songs from Whitley himself: "I'm Gonna Hurt Her on the Radio", "Charlotte's in North Carolina", "The Comeback Kid", and "I Just Want You", on which his widow, Lorrie Morgan, was dubbed in as a duet partner. The final track, "A Voice Still Rings True", is an original composition as well, credited to the "All-Star Band". It features John Anderson, Steve Wariner, Sawyer Brown, Joe Diffie, and Ricky Skaggs on lead vocals, with backing vocals including Tanya Tucker, Mark Collie, T. Graham Brown, Deborah Allen, Rhonda Vincent, Dean Dillon, Turner Nichols, Earl Thomas Conley, Larry Cordle, and Ken Mellons. [1]

Alison Krauss's rendition of "When You Say Nothing at All" was released as a single from the album in 1995.

Critical reception

An uncredited review in Allmusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, praising the performances of Alan Jackson, Diamond Rio, Alison Krauss, and Joe Diffie in particular. [2] People also reviewed the album favorably, with an also uncredited review saying that "But while the artists paying their respects do their best to capture the spirit of Whitley's originals, it is the four previously unreleased cuts sung by the man himself…that ultimately prove to be the most satisfying." [3] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly was less favorable, saying that "only Morgan and [Mark] Chesnutt match Whitley's pained intensity" and giving the album a "C+". [4]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Don't Close Your Eyes" Bob McDill Alan Jackson 4:14
2."Ten Feet Away" Billy Sherrill, Max D. Barnes, Troy Seals Diamond Rio 3:28
3."I'm Gonna Hurt Her on the Radio" Mac McAnally, Tom BrasfieldKeith Whitley2:58
4."I'm Over You" Tim Nichols, Zack Turner Tracy Lawrence 3:09
5."When You Say Nothing at All" Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz Alison Krauss and Union Station 4:21
6."Charlotte's in North Carolina" Dean Dillon, Blake Mevis, Kent Robbins, David Wills Keith Whitley2:59
7."I Just Want You"Barnes, SealsKeith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan 3:31
8."Little Boy Lost" Daron Norwood, Wayne PerryDaron Norwood4:44
9."All I Ever Loved Was You"Dorothy Skaggs Shenandoah and Ricky Skaggs 3:52
10."I'm No Stranger to the Rain" Sonny Curtis, Ron Hellard Joe Diffie 3:33
11."I Never Go Around Mirrors (I've Got a Heartache to Hide)" Lefty Frizzell, Sanger D. Shafer Mark Chesnutt 4:22
12."The Comeback Kid" Hank Cochran, DillonKeith Whitley3:33
13."A Voice Still Rings True" Larry Cordle, Randy Scruggs All-Star Band3:52

Chart performance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Whitley</span> American singer-songwriter

Jackie Keith Whitley was an American country music singer and songwriter. During his career, Whitley released only two albums but charted 12 singles on the Billboard country charts, and 7 more after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Krauss</span> American musician

Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in 1987. She was invited to join the band with which she still performs, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and later released her first album with them as a group in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Lawrence</span> American musician

Tracy Lee Lawrence is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990 to begin his country music career. He signed to Atlantic Records Nashville in 1991 and made his debut late that year with the album Sticks and Stones. Five more studio albums, as well as a live album and a compilation album, followed throughout the 1990s and into 2000 on Atlantic before the label's country division was closed in 2001. Afterward, he recorded for Warner Bros. Records, DreamWorks Records, Mercury Records Nashville, and his own labels, Rocky Comfort Records and Lawrence Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooks & Dunn</span> American country music duo

Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists. Both members charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s, with Brooks also releasing an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and writing hit singles for other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Stuart</span> American musician

John Marty Stuart is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a solo artist in the early 1980s. His greatest commercial success came in the first half of the 1990s on MCA Records Nashville. Stuart has recorded over 20 studio albums, and has charted over 30 times on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest chart entry is "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", a duet with Travis Tritt. Stuart has also won five Grammy Awards out of 16 nominations. He is known for his combination of rockabilly, country rock, and bluegrass music influences, his frequent collaborations and cover songs, and his distinctive stage dress. Stuart is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Diffie</span> American country music singer (1958-2020)

Joe Logan Diffie was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at number one: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles". In addition to these singles, he had 12 others reach the top 10 and ten more reach the top 40 on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Loveless</span> American country music singer (born 1957)

Patty Loveless is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pam Tillis</span> American country music singer-songwriter

Pamela Yvonne Tillis is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful pop material for Elektra and Warner Records in the 1980s before shifting to country music. In 1989, she had signed to Arista Nashville, entering Top 40 on Hot Country Songs for the first time with "Don't Tell Me What to Do" in 1990. This was the first of five singles from her breakthrough album Put Yourself in My Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorrie Morgan</span> American musician (born 1959)

Loretta Lynn Morgan is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. Morgan has been active as a singer since the age of 13, and charted her first single in 1979. She achieved her greatest success between 1988 and 1999, recording for RCA Records and the defunct BNA Records. Her first two RCA albums and her BNA album Watch Me are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The 1995 compilation Reflections: Greatest Hits is her best-selling album with a double-platinum certification; War Paint, Greater Need, and Shakin' Things Up, also on BNA, are certified gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shenandoah (band)</span> American country music group

Shenandoah is an American country music band founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1984 by Marty Raybon, Ralph Ezell, Stan Thorn, Jim Seales, and Mike McGuire. Thorn and Ezell left the band in the mid-1990s, with Rocky Thacker taking over on bass guitar; Keyboardist Stan Munsey joined the line up in 1995, until his departure in 2018. The band split up in 1997 after Raybon left. Seales and McGuire reformed the band in 2000 with lead singer Brent Lamb, who was in turn replaced by Curtis Wright and then by Jimmy Yeary. Ezell rejoined in the early 2000s, and after his 2007 death, he was replaced by Mike Folsom. Raybon returned to the band in 2014. That same year, Jamie Michael replaced the retiring Jim Seales on lead guitar.

<i>War Paint</i> (Lorrie Morgan album) 1994 studio album by Lorrie Morgan

War Paint is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Lorrie Morgan. The album was released via BNA Records in 1994. It contains the singles "My Night to Howl," "If You Came Back from Heaven," and "Heart Over Mind." Also included are covers of George Jones' "A Good Year for the Roses", recorded here as a duet with Sammy Kershaw, and Jeannie Seely's "Don't Touch Me." The cassette version of the album omits the track "Exit 99."

<i>Greater Need</i> 1996 studio album by Lorrie Morgan

Greater Need is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Lorrie Morgan, released in 1996. It included three singles, all of which entered the Billboard country singles charts: "By My Side", "I Just Might Be" and "Good as I Was to You."

<i>Now That Ive Found You: A Collection</i> 1995 compilation album by Alison Krauss

Now That I've Found You: A Collection is an album by Alison Krauss, released in 1995. It is a retrospective of the early part of Krauss' recording career. It includes songs that appeared on her solo albums, albums by Alison Krauss & Union Station, and some that appeared on an album by Alison Krauss & the Cox Family. It also contains some new material, including a cover version of "Oh, Atlanta," originally recorded by Bad Company in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When You Say Nothing at All</span> 1988 single by Keith Whitley

"When You Say Nothing at All" is a country song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. It was a hit song for four different performers: Keith Whitley, who took it to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on December 24, 1988; Alison Krauss, whose version was her first solo top-10 country hit in 1995; Irish singer Frances Black, whose 1996 version became her third Irish Top 10 single and brought the song to the attention of Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, whose 1999 version was his first solo single and a number-one hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Chesnutt</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1963)

Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of eight albums between those two labels. During this timespan, Chesnutt also charted twenty top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eight reached number one: "Brother Jukebox", "I'll Think of Something", "It Sure Is Monday", "Almost Goodbye", "I Just Wanted You to Know", "Gonna Get a Life", "It's a Little Too Late", and a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". His first three albums for MCA along with a 1996 Greatest Hits package issued on Decca are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); 1994's What a Way to Live, also issued on Decca, is certified gold. After a self-titled album in 2002 on Columbia Records, Chesnutt has continued to record predominantly on independent labels.

<i>In My Wildest Dreams</i> 1994 studio album by Kenny Chesney

In My Wildest Dreams is the debut studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on April 19, 1994 as the only album for the Capricorn Records label. The title track was previously recorded by Aaron Tippin on his 1991 debut album You've Got to Stand for Something, while "I Want My Rib Back" was originally recorded by Keith Whitley on his album Kentucky Bluebird.

Robert Andrykowski is an American country music artist who records under the name Davis Daniel. Between 1991 and 1996, he recorded three studio albums on various divisions of Mercury Records: 1991's Fighting Fire with Fire, 1994's Davis Daniel, and 1995's I Know a Place. In that same time span, seven of his singles entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, including the Top 40 hits "Picture Me", "For Crying Out Loud" and "Fighting Fire with Fire."

<i>Kentucky Bluebird</i> 1991 compilation album by Keith Whitley

Kentucky Bluebird is the second compilation album by American country music singer Keith Whitley. His first posthumous album, it was released by RCA Records in September 1991. The album consists of four previously released songs, re-orchestrated demos, and other previously unreleased songs, as well as snippets from live performances that predate his professional music career.

<i>Mamas Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard</i> 1994 studio album by Various Artists

Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard is a tribute album to American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released in 1994 via Arista Nashville. The album peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Proceeds from the album go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff White (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Jeff White is American bluegrass guitarist/mandolinist, songwriter, record producer and sound mixer. Jeff White has performed and produced albums with many artists including: Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett, Tim O'Brien, The Travelin' McCourys, Michael Cleveland and The Earls Of Leicester. White won the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, for Best Bluegrass Album with The Earls of Leicester. One of Jeff's key mentors is award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland. Jeff and Michael have earned four International Bluegrass Music Awards for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year. Jeff produced several of Michael Cleveland's albums. Jeff has toured with banjo picking Earl Scruggs and Louise Scruggs. Jeff White has produced and released four solo albums: in 1996 The White Album, in 1999 The Broken Road, in 2013 Renegade Revelations and in 2016 Right Beside You.

References

  1. Hurst, Jack (August 11, 1994). "Crowning Touch 'Red Hot + Country' Album Delayed To Include Crosby, Stills And Nash". The Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  2. "Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album review". Allmusic . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. "Picks and Pans Review: Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album". People . October 24, 1994. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  4. Nash, Alanna (18 November 1994). "Music Review: 'Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  5. "Various Artists Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  6. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.