16 Biggest Hits

by Keith Whitley

Overview

Keith Whitley's tragic bio easily transfers to TV dramas and celebrity gossip. During the '70s he gained a reputation as a skillful musician and singer working with top-notch bluegrass bands including Ralph Stanley and J.D. Crowe, but by the '80s, he made his play for fame and fortune with a traditional country sound. Whitley soon won fame and fortune, but by 1989, he was dead of alcohol poisoning. Incredibly, the songs represented by 16 Biggest Hits all reached the charts between 1984 and 1991, showing just what a moving force Whitley's music was during these years. Five, including "When You Say Nothing at All" in 1988 and "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" in 1989, reached number one. In a way then, 16 Biggest Hits not only represents a nice sampling of Whitley's most popular singles, but also something of a country music time capsule of the era. The material also offers a snapshot of new and neo-traditionalist music from the era, a style that partially returned to country music's roots. What really stands out on this collection, though, is Whitley's vocal treatment of ballads like "I Wonder Do You Think of Me" and "Would These Arms Be in Your Way." His soulful, gritty delivery adds authenticity to these numbers, leaving the listener to understand that he, unlike a lot of country singers to follow, was actually born in the South (Kentucky). For anyone looking for a one-stop collection of Whitley's best-remembered songs, 16 Hits more than fits the bill.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/11/2006
Label:	Rca
UPC:	0828767824727
catalogNumber:	78247
Rank:	2414

Tracks

1. Don't Close Your Eyes
2. When You Say Nothing at All
3. I'm No Stranger to the Rain
4. Miami, My Amy
5. Brotherly Love
6. Some Old Side Road
7. I Wonder Do You Think of Me
8. 'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose
9. Ten Feet Away
10. It Ain't Nothin'
11. Homecoming '63
12. Hard Livin'
13. I'm Over You
14. Somebody's Doin' Me Right
15. Turn Me to Love
16. Would These Arms Be in Your Way

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Keith Whitley   Primary Artist,Vocals
Sam Bush   Mandolin
Vern Gosdin   Vocal Harmony
Emmylou Harris   Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Reba McEntire   Vocals
Lorrie Morgan   Vocals
Matt Rollings   Piano
Carol Chase   Background Vocals
Gary Prim   Keyboards
Don Potter   Rhythm Guitar
Eddie Bayers   Drums
Harold Bradley   Guitar
Chip Young   Guitar,Rhythm Guitar
Earl Thomas Conley   Vocals
Garth Fundis   Background Vocals
Paul Franklin   Steel Guitar,pedabro
Sonny Garrish   Dobro,Steel Guitar
Emory Gordy   Bass
Rob Hajacos   Fiddle
Mitch Humphries   Keyboards
David Hungate   Bass
Jerry Kroon   Drums
Red Lane   Acoustic Guitar
Mike Lawler   Keyboards
Mac McAnally   Acoustic Guitar
Brent Mason   Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar
Larry Paxton   Bass
Dave Pomeroy   Bass
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Piano
Brent Rowan   Dobro,Guitar
Billy Sanford   Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar,Gut String Guitar
Bobby Thompson   Guitar,Rhythm Guitar
Pete Wade   Guitar
Biff Watson   Keyboards
Curtis Young   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
James R. Horn   Saxophone
Dennis Wilson Quintet   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Dennis Sollee   Saxophone

Technical Credits

Vern Gosdin   Composer
Paul Overstreet   Composer
Max D. Barnes   Composer
Sonny Curtis   Composer
David Halley   Composer
Keith Whitley   Producer
Troy Seals   Composer
Hank Cochran   Composer
Dean Dillon   Composer
Garth Fundis   Producer
Tony Haselden   Composer
Wayland Holyfield   Composer
Red Lane   Composer
Bob McDill   Composer
Blake Mevis   Producer
Tim Nichols   Composer
Bill Rice   Composer
Mary Sharon Rice   Composer
Billy Sanford   Tic Tac
Zack Turner   Composer
Norro Wilson   Composer,Producer
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Don Schlitz   Composer
Mark Unterberger   Packaging Manager
Royce Porter   Composer
Ron Hellard   Composer
Roger D. Ferris   Composer