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".
Talk To Me Texas
Keith Whitley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well it's lonely out tonight down here in Georgia
And the oldest friend I've got I met today
The woman that I love just up and left me
And the place I love's a thousand miles away.
Operator hook me up to Houston
Get me anybody on the phone
Look there in your book and pick a number
[Chorus:]
Won't you talk to me Texas?
Let me hear that drawl
I spent my last five dollars on this one long distance call
won't you talk to me Texas
I've got these homesick blues
Tell me I can come on home to you
I've got this faded number in my wallet
It's been here a dozen years I know
I used to call it up when I was lonely
Oh that woman sure could love me so
I know by now she's probably changed her number
And with my luck she's probably changed her name
If there's a chance in hell ill think ill take it
Cause Id love to hear that woman's voice again
[Chorus x2]
Hey tell me I can come on home to you!
Keith Whitley's "Talk to Me Texas" is a heartfelt country ballad about the feeling of despair and loneliness that comes with a love lost. The song tells the story of a man who is down on his luck after his love left him and the place he loves is miles away. He is so desperate to find some comfort and connection that he calls a phone operator to connect him to Houston, Texas, with the hope of talking to anyone from there. He even spends his last five dollars on this long-distance call.
The lyrics of the song express the feeling of the singer that he has nowhere to go, nobody to talk to, and a vague hope that someone, somewhere might just connect with him. The chorus is an appeal to Texas, personified as a place, to give him some solace and comfort at a time when he is experiencing homesickness and heartbreak. He seeks refuge in a memory, and he has hope that by some chance, he might be able to reconnect with a woman who once loved him.
The song's emotional power comes from its use of language that captures the essence of being alone with one's thoughts and memories. The lyrics are cleverly designed to tug at one's heartstrings, and Whitley's poignant rendition of the song captures the sense of yearning and hopelessness that it conveys.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's lonely out tonight down here in Georgia
The singer feels alone and isolated in Georgia at present.
And the oldest friend I've got I met today
Despite feeling lonely, the singer did have a new opportunity to meet and connect with someone today.
The woman that I love just up and left me
The person he loved suddenly left him, leaving him feeling sad and lost.
And the place I love's a thousand miles away.
The singer is far away from the location he loves, which likely adds to his sadness.
Operator hook me up to Houston
The singer wishes to connect with someone in Houston, likely hoping to find comfort in conversation.
Get me anybody on the phone
The singer is feeling so lonely and desperate that he would be willing to talk to anyone who would pick up the phone.
Look there in your book and pick a number
The operator is being asked to select a number from their book of Houston contacts for the singer to speak with.
Cause you can't be choosy when you're this alone
The lyricist implies that being lonely can cause a person to become less discerning about who they talk to.
Won't you talk to me Texas?
Addressing the state of Texas, the singer is pleading with anyone there to speak with him.
Let me hear that drawl
The singer wishes to hear the Southern accent associated with Texas native speakers– something that would bring him comfort and make him feel closer to home.
I spent my last five dollars on this one long distance call
The singer is so desperate to connect with someone that he spent his last five dollars on a long-distance call.
I've got these homesick blues
The singer is longing for home, feeling homesick and sad.
Tell me I can come on home to you
The singer is asking Texas to provide the comfort and love he desperately needs.
I've got this faded number in my wallet
The singer still has a phone number from his past in his wallet, though he's not sure if it will still lead to the person he's hoping to speak with.
It's been here a dozen years I know
He has carried this number with him for a long time, to suggest his attachment and longing to connect with the person on the other end.
I used to call it up when I was lonely
In the past, the singer has relied on this phone number for comfort when he was feeling lonely.
Oh that woman sure could love me so
The person he wishes to contact had once loved him deeply and he longs for that love once more.
I know by now she's probably changed her number
The singer believes it's likely that the number no longer belongs to the person he knew before.
And with my luck she's probably changed her name
He suspects that a string of unfortunate events could have happened that would make the person on the other end even more difficult to find.
If there's a chance in hell ill think ill take it
Despite these obstacles, he's willing to take whatever small chance he has to connect with the person he once loved so deeply.
Cause Id love to hear that woman's voice again
The artist's yearning to connect with the one he loves is very clear with this line.
Hey tell me I can come on home to you!
The singer is pleading with Texas once more, asking it to provide him with the warmth and love of home, like a listening ear or even its unique southern drawl.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: COOK, JONES, PUTMAN JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind