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Troubled country star left impression on fans

Web posted May. 07 at 05:56 PM

By Don Rhodes
Columnist

One of the most powerful influences on many of today's country stars is Keith Whitley, who died May 9, 1989, of an alcohol overdose just short of his 34th birthday.

The Nashville Network recently saluted his extraordinary musical contributions with its special The Life and Times of Keith Whitley.

Several people in the Augusta area knew Mr. Whitley well.

ED HURT, a fiddle player and master of ceremonies at bluegrass festivals, grew up in Harlan, Ky., 30 miles from Mr. Whitley's hometown of Sandy Hook.

``I knew Keith from the time of his first band, the East Kentucky Mountain Boys,'' Mr. Hurt recalled. ``He was a clean-cut boy and was an excellent musician. He played good guitar and also played some fiddle and some banjo.

``We crossed paths over the years at bluegrass festivals I hosted in Georgia at Lavonia, Dahlonega, Hiawassee and Ellijay and at Uncle Tom's Farm near Edgefield (S.C.). Our number one topic of conversation was fiddle playing, and we often showed each other licks on the instrument. He was always very nice to me.''

KITTY CRUMPTON, head teller at First Citizen's Bank in Johnston, S.C., remembers meeting Mr. Whitley in June 1985 at the International Country Music Fan Fair in Nashville.

By that time, RCA Records had released three singles (Turn Me To Love, Don't Our Love Look Natural and A Hard Act To Follow) off Mr. Whitley's debut album, Hard Act To Follow, with none having any success.

``I just came upon him signing autographs in the RCA booth,'' Mrs. Crumpton said. ``When I got back home, I looked for his RCA album in record stores, but I couldn't find it. I did find a Ralph Stanley bluegrass album that he played and sang on. . . . I later joined his fan club and started going to his fan club parties each June in Nashville.''

RCA released another Whitley single, I've Got The Heart For You, in August of 1985. It also bombed. The next February, however, RCA released Mr. Whitley's fifth single, Miami, My Amy, which shot his career into high gear.

He followed it with such classic recordings as Ten Feet Away, Don't Close Your Eyes, When You Say Nothing At All and I'm No Stranger to the Rain. Other big hits released after his death include It Ain't Nothin', I'm Over You and the duet with Earl Thomas Conley, Brotherly Love.

LUVIN McCOIG, a clinical assistant at Coordinated Health Services in Augusta and a cousin of Mrs. Crumpton, met Mr. Whitley backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House through Nashville promoter Dick Beacham. She was doing interviews at Fan Fair for an Augusta radio station.

``I had read a lot about him, and I knew he liked motorcycles,'' Mrs. McCoig said. ``His brother Randy had died, and when Randy's daughter got married, Keith and their other brother, Dwight, had fixed up Randy's motorcycle so that his daughter and her groom could leave the church on it. Keith was surprised I knew that story, and we became close because of my asking him about it.

``I got to interview Keith several times in years after that, and he always remembered me. But he didn't just remember the press people, he always remembered each of his fans.''

GAIL McCALL, a dental assistant in Greenwood, S.C., and a close friend of Mrs. Crumpton and Mrs. McCoig, recalls many special times with Mr. Whitley.

``I ran into him outside the press building at Fan Fair and asked to have my picture made with him. His manager said that he didn't have time because he had to do a radio interview. Keith told me, if I waited, he would see me after the interview. Sure enough, he came to me afterward, and I had a woman passing by take our picture. She said, `I'll take it, but I hate that it's you with him instead of me.' ''

In November of 1988, Mr. Whitley came to perform at Miss Kitty's nightclub (now Honky Tonk) on Gordon Highway.

Mr. Hurt was there. So was Mrs. McCoig, who brought a huge bouquet of balloons, and so were Mrs. McCall and Mrs. Crumpton.

``He recognized us during the show and dedicated Would These Arms Be in Your Way to me, Luvin and Gail,'' said Mrs. Crumpton. ``His show was fantastic. It was pure Keith. We talked with him afterward, and he was laughing a lot.''

For the next Fan Fair, in 1989, Mrs. Crumpton and Mrs. McCall planned their entire week around Mr. Whitley's activities.

``Gail and I had tickets for every show he was going to be on and for his fan club party, and we knew the times he would be signing autographs in different booths,'' Mrs. Crumpton said.

``A month before Fan Fair, I was driving home from work when I heard someone on the radio say that Nashville was saddened over the death of a bright star. I thought they were talking about Roy Acuff or Grandpa Jones.

``When the announcer said Keith Whitley, I pulled off the road and just stopped the car. I sat there an hour and cried. It totally crushed me.

``We still went up to Fan Fair, and I was determined that I wouldn't go home without visiting Keith's grave. The last day of that week, Gail and I and Irene Crumpton (Kitty's mother-in-law) checked out of our motel and headed for the cemetery in Spring Hill, outside Nashville. A caretaker pointed to the general area of the grave, and we found it. It was a very pretty morning. We placed flowers on his grave and said our goodbyes.''