Keith Whitley Memorial Concert to Feature Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood + More
Keith Whitley's music and legacy will be honored with a tribute concert, to be held 30 years after his death in 1989. Whitley's widow, country singer Lorrie Morgan, and their son, Jesse Whitley, will host the event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's CMA Theater.
The Keith Whitley 30th Anniversary Memorial Tribute Concert is set for May 9 -- the 30th anniversary of the country star's death -- at 7PM. The event aims to both honor Whitley's memory and pay tribute to his contributions to country and bluegrass music, a press release reports. Set to perform at the event are Garth Brooks, Tom Buller, Mark Chesnutt, Larry Cordle, Caleb Daugherty, Kevin Denney, Wesley Dennis, Joe Diffie, Corey Farlow, Carl Jackson, Cory and Dustin Keefe, Tracy Lawrence, Jesse Whitley, Mark Wills, Darryl Worley and Trisha Yearwood.
Whitley died on May 9, 1989, at the age of 34, of alcohol poisoning. His career was soaring at the time: The Kentucky native, who released three albums and one EP, scored a number of Top 40 country hits, including five No. 1 singles. His last single before he passed away, "I'm No Stranger to the Rain," was the third of those five, and hit No. 1 only one month before he died.
Despite his relatively small creative output, Whitley's legacy is great: Perhaps his most famous song, "When You Say Nothing at All," remains a perennial favorite, and has been covered by many artists. Additionally, Whitley's death spurred his friend Vince Gill. to begin writing the song "Go Rest High on That Mountain;" Gill would finish the tune years later, after his brother passed away from a heart attack.
Tickets for the Keith Whitley 30th Anniversary Memorial Tribute Concert will go on sale on March 29 at 10AM CT. More information is available at CMATheater.com.
Country Singers We Lost Too Soon