Chris Whitley, R.I.P.

Um, wow. I know I have been slacking on this here blog, and I hate to come back with bad news, but them the breaks.

Ladies and gentlemen, please take moment of silence for an amazing singer-songwriter, Chris Whitley. He died of lung cancer this Sunday at the age of 45.

Let me just break this down now. When I was 15 years old he had a song out called "Big Sky Country" that I adored, and I still do, I put it on every 1st time mix to the people that roll into my life. Cutting to the chase...so at 15 I would never hear it on the radio so one day, while watching MTV, they announced that they were going to show the video and I ran into my room, grabbed my tape recorder, and stood in front of the TV to record the song when it came on. Why, I didn't just have my moms to take me to the mall to buy the cassingle (yes, I'm old school) I will never know. Regardless, that is a testament to my dedication to the Whitley.

Since moving to NYC in 93 I saw him in concert three times and each time was a pleasure. Now yes, the brother had drug problems and I heard was difficult and could just trip in the middle of his sets but each time I saw him I was enraptured. Mr. Whitley had a worn, weathered and sexy kinda voice and it's a shame it's been shut down.

That being said, do yourself a favor and pick up his greatest hits album, Long Way Around: An Anthology 1991-2001. "Big Sky Country", "Bordertown" and "Can't Get Off" kill it everytime.

Work it in that big sky my brother.