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Chris Whitley

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Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley in concert in Belgium, 1998
Chris Whitley in concert in Belgium, 1998
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Becker Whitley
Born(1960-08-31)August 31, 1960
Houston, Texas
DiedNovember 20, 2005(2005-11-20) (aged 45)
Houston, Texas
GenresBlues rock, blues
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, resonator guitar, guitar, banjo, dobro, foot stomp
Years active1983–2005
LabelsColumbia, Work, Messenger, Valley Entertainment, ATO, Legacy, Sony
Websitewww.chriswhitley.com

Christopher Becker Whitley (August 31, 1960[1] – November 20, 2005)[2] was an American blues/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. Whitley's sound was drawn from the traditions of blues, jazz and rock and he recorded songs by artists from many genres. During his 25-year career, he released 17 albums. While two songs landed in the top 50 of the Billboard mainstream rock charts and he received two Independent Music Awards, he remained on the fringes of both the blues and alternative-rock worlds.

He died in 2005 of lung cancer at the age of 45.

Early life

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Whitley was born in Houston, Texas[3] to a father who was an art director in corporate advertising and a mother who was a sculptor and painter. He had a three years younger brother named Dan, and a sister named Bridget.[4]

His parents "grew up on race radio in the South" and their musical tastes—including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix—influenced Whitley.[5]{[dead link]

In 1971, his parents moved from Texas to Connecticut and later that year separated. The children continued to live with their mother, who had a hard time providing and was moving from place to place, including hippie communes in Mexico, Oklahoma and in a log cabin in Vermont.[6] At the age of fifteen Whitley taught himself to play guitar[3] by ear, inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival.[7] In 1977, he went to New York, working in a Greenwich Village deli.[4]

Career

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From 1977 until 1981, Whitley was busking on the streets of New York City and then collaborated with musicians Marc Miller, Arto Lindsay and Michael Beinhorn.[5][8]

In 1981, he was given a plane ticket to Ghent, Belgium, where he lived for six years. He formed a band named A Noh Rodeo with his girlfriend Helene Gevaert and her brother Alan.[4] He recorded several albums and played with the bands Kuruki, 2 Belgen, Nacht Und Nebel, Alan Fawn.[9]

Whitley with Alan Gevaert of Deus in the late 1990s in New York City

In 1988, Whitley moved back to New York. Producer Daniel Lanois heard Whitley perform at the Mondo Cane club in New York City and Lanois helped him obtain a recording contract with Columbia Records.[citation needed] In 1991, his debut album was released, and two of his songs charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts: "Big Sky Country" (number 36) and "Living with the Law" (number 28).[10] From 1997 until his death in 2005 he produced one album each year.

In 1998, he produced his 4th album Dirt Floor which was starkly different from his prior three albums in its acoustic simplicity. In 2000, Whitley recorded his album Perfect Day, an album of cover songs, with Chris Wood and Billy Martin and followed up with the album Rocket House in 2001. He created annual albums until his death; He collaborated with Jeff Lang on an album called Dislocation Blues in 2005.[11] His last album was Reiter In.

Style

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Whitley's style drew on an array of influences.[2] In 2001, The New York Times described him as "restless, moving into noise-rock and minimalist jazz evoking Chet Baker and Sonic Youth as much as Robert Johnson".[12] He recorded songs by Robert Johnson and Bob Dylan as well as Lou Reed, James Brown, J.J. Cale, The Clash, Nat King Cole, The Doors, Willie Dixon, The Flaming Lips, Jimi Hendrix, Howlin' Wolf, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, The Passions, Prince, The Stooges, and Sonny Boy Williamson II.[11]

Whitley used various alternate tunings and, among other musical instruments, often played slide guitar on a National Triolian resonator guitar nicknamed “Mustard”.[13]

Personal life and death

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In 1988, Whitley married the Belgian musician Helen Gevaert. They had a daughter, Trixie Whitley.[4] They divorced in 1995.[6]

In 2001, he moved to Dresden, Germany to live with Susan Buerger who was 17 years younger, and had managed gigs for him. She witnessed his alcoholism which worsened after his mother died in 2004.[4] In the documentary Dust Radio: A Film About Chris Whitley he admits having been through 4 rehabs.[14]

In the spring of 2005, Whitley returned to New York for a US club tour, which he accepted even though his health was declining.[4] In the fall 2005, Whitley canceled his last tour, as he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Five weeks later in November he was reported to be terminally ill and under the care of hospice. He died on November 20, 2005, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 45.[2][15][16]

At the time of his death Whitley was survived by his brother Dan and his musician daughter, Trixie Whitley,[16] as well as his father Jerry Whitley in Red Bank, NJ and sister Bridget Anderson in Saxtons River, VT.[7]

Awards

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Whitley's song "Breaking Your Fall" from the album Hotel Vast Horizon (2003) won the 3rd Annual Independent Music Awards for Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song.[17] In 2004 he won The 4th Annual Independent Music Award for Blues/R&B Song for his composition "Her Furious Angels" from the album War Crime Blues.[18]

Whitley was an inaugural member of The Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists[19]

Posthumous

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After his death, musician John Mayer said, "[Whitley's] somewhat prostrated place in pop culture earned him a sidebar of an obituary, but to those who knew his work, it registers as one of the most underappreciated losses in all of music."[20] In 2017, the documentary Dust Radio: A Film About Chris Whitley was released.[14]

Notable fans of Whitley's music include, ATO co-founder Dave Matthews,[15] blues guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr., Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Bruce Hornsby, Tom Petty, Jacob Golden, Myles Kennedy, Don Henley, Iggy Pop, Alanis Morissette, Sandi Thom, John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, Joey DeGraw, Johnny A., Joe Bonamassa, Keith Richards and Darling Burns.[20][21][22][23]

Discography

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References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Chris Whitley biography". Allmusic biography. 2010 Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Dansby, Andrew (Nov 23, 2005). "Singer-songwriter Chris Whitley dies at 45 Bluesman, rocker was always reinventing himself". Obituary for Chris Whitley. Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  3. ^ a b Irwin, Colin (29 November 2005). "Chris Whitley: Eclectic singer-songwriter". Comprehensive Obituary. The Independent. Retrieved 22 November 2010.[dead link]
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rees, Paul (2018-08-31). "Fallen Angel: The Life And Death Of Chris Whitley". louder sound. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  5. ^ a b "Chris Whitley 1960 - 2005". Biography, Soft Dangerous Shores press release. Messenger Records. 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  6. ^ a b Triplett, Gene. "Chris Whitley: unsettled and unbowed". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  7. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (2005-11-24). "Chris Whitley, 45, Songwriter Whose Music Blended Genres, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  8. ^ "A Noh Rodeo". The Belgian Pop and Rock Archive. SABAM. December 2001. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  9. ^ Biography, AllMusic
  10. ^ Billboard, AllMusic
  11. ^ a b "Chris Whitley Discography". Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. ^ Powers, Ann (July 12, 2001). "POP REVIEW; Blues With a Scratch". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  13. ^ Rodgers, Jeffrey Pepper (September 1998). "Gearbox Chris Whitley". Acoustic Guitar. String Letter Publishing, Inc. p. 48. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012.
  14. ^ a b JT's music & madness (2020-07-06). "Dust Radio: A Film About Chris Whitley (2017)". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  15. ^ a b "Singer/Songwriter Chris Whitley Dies". Billboard. Billboard Magazine news. 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  16. ^ a b Bambarger, Bradley (November 2005). "Chris Whitley (1960-2005)". Messenger Records. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  17. ^ "The Musician's Atlas - The Ultimate Music Industry Contact Database". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Independent Music Awards - 4th Annual Winners". Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Independent Music Awards - Past Judges". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  20. ^ a b Mayer, John (28 February 2006). "Notes from John Mayer". Esquire.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Messenger Records -". Messengerrecords.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  22. ^ "BruceHornsby.com, Newsletter - 2001 Recap". Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  23. ^ "GavinDeGraw.us, News, February 2009". Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
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