A substantive, thorough conversation about country music just wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Keith Whitley. Before his struggle with alcoholism tragically cut his young life short at the age of 34, Whitley put up some historic numbers in country music from his debut single in 1984 to his death in 1989. With such a legendary career cut short, it’s impossible not to wonder what could have been had he had more time on this earth.
In just five years, Keith Whitley produced 19 hit singles, five of which went #1. His first song to enter the top 20 was “Miami, My Amy” back in 1986, it was just two years later that the all-time country classic “Don’t Close Your Eyes” became Keith’s first of five number ones. Other chart-topping cuts included “When You Say Nothing at All” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.” Keith’s final album, “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” was released just a couple of months after his passing and featured his final two #1 songs.
34 years after Whitley’s untimely passing shocked the music world, we find ourselves reminiscing on what was well on its way to being one of the greatest careers country music had ever seen. Had Whitley not passed when he did, there is no question that he would today be considered an inarguable top-three country artist of all time. Indeed, if he had the opportunity to release decades of music like George Strait, the title of “the king of country music” could very well be in question today. With the momentum that Keith Whitley was riding on at the time of his death, it’s hard to fathom that anything could’ve slowed him down. Whatever the future may have held for the Kentucky native, one thing was for certain: he was destined for greatness.
In recent years, we have seen how Keith Whitley’s memory has lived on in country music. Had he lived longer, his influence may have helped build a stronger front for traditionalists in the early 2010s. Not to say that bro-country would’ve been avoided entirely, but if Whitley had a longer career, it may had an impact on the permeance of deep, meaningful songwriting that was missing in that era. Bro-country may not have been avoided entirely, but with more living legends to aspire to, young songwriters may have had higher standards for their craft. Maybe an older Whitley could’ve knocked some sense into the Florida Georgia Lines and Luke Bryan’s of the world, and challenged them to think deeper. This isn’t even a knock-on bro-country; bro-country is a canon event for the genre. But the 2010s were largely robbed of real, heartfelt story-songs, and that could have been avoided if Whitley was still with us at the time. Since Keith Whitley’s songwriting and timeless vocals have been engraved in country music on the strength of a mere five-year career, it’s almost unfathomable what decades of greatness may have yielded for the format.
Thankfully, country music seems to be heading in the right direction today, and we are seeing artists like Cody Johnson and Luke Combs turning mainstream back onto meaningful music. A rising tide lifts all ships, and it’s cool to think that if Whitley had been around, there may have been mainstream interest in CoJo’s twangy sensibilities sooner, which could’ve led to other up-and-comers like Randall King having a better shot to make it at country radio.
Most significantly of all, Keith’s legacy today is just not what an artist of his caliber deserves. This past week, a fan posted that they only know Keith Whitley from the eponymous Morgan Wallen song on Country Central’s Hot Take Tuesday. While more than half of the people disagreed with that statement, there were still a whopping 4,765 people who agreed with the statement. It is a normal thing for an artist’s popularity to decline over time, but the idea that so many only know him because of Morgan Wallen would never have happened had we been fortunate enough to have Keith on this earth a little while longer.
While it seems crazy that people learned about Whitley through Wallen, Morgan has definitely brought some mainstream interest to the legendary singer’s career. “Don’t Close Your Eyes” received an RIAA platinum certification on September 13th, 2023. It’s so cool to see his music still getting played and achieving these accomplishments, but the song has already been out for 35 years before reaching platinum status. Had Keith not passed away this, accomplishment would’ve happened long ago. “Don’t Close Your Eyes” is one of the best country songs ever written and deserves to be regarded as such. Likewise, if he had enjoyed a longer career, Keith Whitley’s 2022 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame would’ve surely happened years earlier as well.
If things had turned out differently, there would undoubtedly be a serious debate about who the “King” of country music is today. While Keith only had a five-year career, he left a lasting impact on country music fans all around the world. It is a complete shame that such a beautiful life and such a beautiful voice were taken from us too soon, leaving us now to only wonder what could’ve been.
