Early life
Whitley learned to play a guitar at a very young age, and became involved with a regional television show when he was eight years old. He and his friend, Ricky Skaggs, formed a bluegrass band, which landed both of them their first break in 1970, when they joined Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys. Whitley was singing lead for the band by 1974 at the age of 20.
In 1978, he joined J. D. Crowe and the New South as lead vocalist and guitarist. Critics were by then praising his vocals, and these reviews eventually caught the attention of RCA Records, who would sign him to a contract in 1984.
Solo years
Whitley's first solo album, ''A Hard Act to Follow,'' was released in 1984. However, the songs off of the album didn't get much airplay. Critics regarded the album as too erratic; while Whitley was working hard to achieve his own style, the songs he produced were inconsistent, and because of this, the follow up album would be more with pop sounds and a new producer as well who had been in the music buisness for sometime and had several hit records under his belt with other artists Blake Mevis.
L.A. to Miami, released in 1986. This album would give him his first Top 20 country hit single, "Miami, My Amy." The song was followed by three more hit songs, "Ten Feet Away," "Homecoming '63," and "Hard Livin." The album also had included "On The Other Hand" and "Nobody In His Right Mind Would've Left Her." Both George Strait and Randy Travis waited to see if Whitley would release these two songs as singles; when he didn't, Strait grabbed "Nobody in his Right Mind Would've Left Her", and Travis did the same with "On the Other Hand." Both Strait and Travis scored big on both songs, landing both at number one on the country charts.
During his tour to promote ''L.A. to Miami'', he met and started dating Lorrie Morgan, a fellow country singer. The pair were married in November, 1986, and they had their only son, Jesse Keith Whitley, in 1987. Keith also adopted Lorrie's daughter Morgan from her first marriage.
During the new recording sessions in 1987, Whitley started feeling that the songs he was doing were not up to the way he wanted them,nal studio album, ''I Wonder Do You Think of Me''. The album was released three months after his death, on August 1, 1989. The album produced two more #1 hits, with the title track and "It Ain't Nothin'." "I'm Over You" also saw the top ten in the spring of 1990, reaching No. 3.
In 1990, a collection of Keith's greatest hits was released. It has gone on to sell more than three million copies over the years for RCA.
On the greatest hits collection was a demo record that Whitley made in 1987, called "Tell Lorrie I Love Her," and also a new song to which Lorrie Morgan added her vocals to and created a duet called "Til A Tear Becomes A Rose". The song rose to No. 13 and won them 1991's CMA award for Best Vocal Collaboration.
RCA also released a compilation of old performance clips (from his days in the Clinch Mountain Boys and the New South), interviews, and some previously unreleased material under the title "Kentucky Bluebird", a moniker that became Whitley's nickname. The CD has become a huge collector's item among fans over the years due to it being out of print.and is currently in production.
Almost twenty years after Keith's passing fans and fellow singers still wonder what would have happened if Keith had lived, some say Garth Brooks would have taken a back seat to Keith in the 1990's , Tim McGraw and many singers today still are influenced by the man who just wanted to be remembered.
In 2007, long time fan Kindall Wann will be launching an all Keith Whitley radio station on the internet site Live365.com, the station will contain every known public release of Keith's and also the live concerts, demos, and more that fans have has among them for years.
In the summer of 2007, Austin City Limits will be releasing like in past years, several DVDs of their concerts over the years, and Keith's "FULL" concert is one that will be released. The concert filmed is an hour long, but the television version is only 30 minutes long.
Keith's music video's and many rare performances have recently been showing up on the website YouTube.com, one of the performances is from Hee Haw in 1985, Keith singing "Miami, My Amy".
Homecoming
Keith Whitley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was so proud you went with me
Everyone turned their head when we walked in
They said look at that perfect pair
As you blushed from all their stares
And my chest swelled up with pride
Grinning from ear to ear inside
An hour full of dance and fun
My '57 off to heaven
Backseat lovin', girl, you were somethin'
Homecoming '63
You hit home with the love you gave to me
You turned me on to ecstasy
Homecoming '63
What a night that was for us
I remember plain as day, the touch
I felt when I felt your love melt in my arms
And that old and pleated backseat bed
I pleaded with you and instead
Of the usual no, you said yes, you let go
Homecoming '63
You hit home with the love you gave to me
You turned me on to ecstasy
Homecoming '63
Homecoming '63
Keith Whitley's song Homecoming '63 is a beautiful ode to a special night in the past when he and someone he loved attended homecoming together. Keith reminisces about the admiration they received when they walked in, as everyone noticed what a perfect pair they were. The lyrics convey that Keith was immensely proud of his companion, and his chest swelled with pride. The night was filled with dance and fun, and they both enjoyed each other's presence. The song takes a romantic turn when Keith reminisces about the time he spent with his beloved in his car's back seat. Keith remembers the moment when his companion gave into him and made their night even more special. The song is about the pleasant memories Keith shared with the love of his life, and how he never forgot a single detail about that particular homecoming.
Line by Line Meaning
I was so proud you went with me
I felt proud and happy that you came with me to the homecoming.
Everyone turned their head when we walked in
People were looking at us when we entered the homecoming dance.
They said look at that perfect pair
People were admiring us as a perfect couple.
As you blushed from all their stares
You were blushing from all the attention we were getting.
And my chest swelled up with pride
I felt very proud and confident about us as a couple.
Grinning from ear to ear inside
I was very happy inside and couldn't stop smiling.
An hour full of dance and fun
We enjoyed an hour full of dancing and having a good time.
An hour later and I gunned
An hour later, I started my car and took off quickly.
My '57 off to heaven
I drove my 1957 car quickly out of the homecoming dance floor and out of the sight of people.
Backseat lovin', girl, you were somethin'
We had some fun and intimacy on the backseat of my car that night and you were amazing.
You hit home with the love you gave to me
You made me feel at home with the love you gave me.
You turned me on to ecstasy
You made me very happy and excited.
What a night that was for us
It was an unforgettable and amazing night for us.
I remember plain as day, the touch
I remember clearly the feeling of your touch.
I felt when I felt your love melt in my arms
I felt your love for me melting in my arms and it was a wonderful feeling.
And that old and pleated backseat bed
We had our intimacy on the old and pleated backseat of the car.
I pleaded with you and instead
I asked you and pleaded for intimacy in the car.
Of the usual no, you said yes, you let go
Unlike usual, you agreed to get intimate in the car and let go of your inhibitions.
Homecoming '63
The song is about the memories of a special homecoming dance that took place in 1963.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dean Dillon, Royce Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MJE
Homecoming 63
I was so proud you went with me
Everyone turned their head when we walked in
They said "look at that perfect pair"
As you blushed from all their stares
And my chest swelled up with pride
Grinning from ear to ear inside
An hour full of dance and fun
An hour later and I got my 57
Off to heaven
Backseat loving
Girl you were something
Homecoming 63
You went home with the love you gave to me
Turned me on to ecstasy
Homecoming 63
What a night that was for us
I remember plain as day the touch
I felt when I felt your love melt in my arms
And that old pleated backseat bed
I pleaded with you and instead of the usual "no"
You said "yes" you let go
Homecoming 63
You went home with the love you gave to me
Turned me on to ecstasy
Homecoming 63
Homecoming 63
Troy Daigle
Anyone listening in 2020 ?????? I think everyone can relate to this HEART warming song....miss you KEITH
tabitha manning
Always will till my time is over
Darrin Izell
Me love it
jeremy ducey
Ya dude what a banger. Check out the song somebody doing me right by keith.
Chris Crawford
21 still listening
Randy Porter
Thank you for sharing this. My dad wrote this and “Miami My Amy”, along with another legendary writer. Keith was one of the nicest, most genuine artists I met and such a sad loss. But his music lives on through videos like this and the amazing fans who still appreciate true country music. My dad would be honored with the continued support so thank you to you all.
Ashton Humphrey
Randy Porter Oh man, i’d love to learn more! i’m a 16 year old who cannot listen to anything except Keith and george jones etc!
7yearache
@Randy Porter man, that's cool as hell. thanks for sharing!
Randy Porter
7yearache It's my honor to share any small piece of my dad's passion, with fans of his music. Thank you for the nice comment, it makes me miss him a little less and think of him a lot more.
Dixie Doo
Thanks for sharing this about your dad. This is my favorite song that Keith Whitley sang. Your dad was a talented man. I know several of the songs you mentioned that he wrote.