Remembering Chris Whitley
This is now old news, but one of the best musicians on the planet died on November 20th. I haven't posted about it because it really bothered me and I wanted to digest the news. I found out about it in late December, which is weird because I had recently re-discovered Chris' music and had been watching his website for local tour dates. I even exchanged e-mails with the owner of his record label (super nice guy) to get his new record on eMusic.com (which he did).
I discovered Chris Whitley when his first major record, Living With The Law was released in the early 90's. I was totally blown away. He was coming from a blues base, but was much further out there. Way more poetic and nowhere near the cliched sound of a lot of modern blues. He played scary slide guitar and sang like a troubled angel. His sound was always totally authentic. His follow up albums were even further out there and that made me like him (and his music) even more. He took the blues base and went way out into heavy (and scary) rock territory. Dark, loud, raw and totally amazing.
I met Chris briefly at Albums On The Hill in Boulder during his Dirt Floor tour (a stripped down acoustic, huge "comeback" album as good or better than Living With The Law). The owner Andy (one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet) introduced us at an in-store performance. He was really soft spoken and nice. We chatted for a while and he signed a CD for me ("Hey Paul, thanks for all -- Chris Whitley"). That was also the first time that I had seen Chris live and I was in awe. Just a guy and a beat up steel body National acoustic guitar making huge noise.
I went to the show at the Fox Theater that night and was surprised to find that he was touring alone. Dirt Floor was a solo acoustic record, but I just assumed he would be travelling with a band. Well, he didn't need a band. It was just him and an amplified board that he stomped on and it was some of the biggest music that I've heard come out of the Fox Theatre (and I've heard a lot there).
I continued to follow Chris' career (though not as closely) up until last year. The description of his new CD Soft Dangerous Shores sounded really cool on the website, so I checked it out as soon as it came out. It was as incredible as anything Chris had ever done. More gentle, but still visceral -- evidently it was his take on love and relationships.
Around the time the CD was released, I read in the forums on his website that he had a trainwreck of a show. Couldn't play, was angry -- just out of control. I had always heard rumors that Chris had his share of demons, so I assumed (probably like everyone else) that he was fighting some kind of addiction. That's where I left it until I read that in Guitar Player magazine that he died (the article didn't mention the cause of death). The news hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like I had lost a friend (though I didn't even know him).
I read the next day that he died of lung cancer. His website has an excellent eulogy from his daughter and his younger brother. The website somehow made me feel better. I'm sure the botched show was just a natural reaction to getting the news that he was extremely ill. I just can't believe how fast he died. I guess it's better that way. All I know is that I'm really going to miss him. I want to be able to see him tear it up at the Bluebird Theater (down the street from my house), tellin' it like it is.
Luckily, he recorded a ton in the last few years, so there is a lot to listen to. I recommend everything that he ever recorded. It's all amazing. His music is difficult, but worth the extra effort required to "get" it. Here are some recordings available on the web:
Chris Whitley Songs
Check out "Hellhound On My Trail" -- talk about someone that really gets Robert Johnson...
"Blues is a mean thing and when it gets to rocking in a fun kind of way, I don't really care for it. Actually, I don't think of the stuff that I really love -- early Muddy Waters, early Howlin' Wolf -- as 'blues;' I almost think of those guys as not playing in a particular style. They're more like dangerously pure expression. I like things real stripped direct. Except lyrics." -- Chris Whitley, 1991
I discovered Chris Whitley when his first major record, Living With The Law was released in the early 90's. I was totally blown away. He was coming from a blues base, but was much further out there. Way more poetic and nowhere near the cliched sound of a lot of modern blues. He played scary slide guitar and sang like a troubled angel. His sound was always totally authentic. His follow up albums were even further out there and that made me like him (and his music) even more. He took the blues base and went way out into heavy (and scary) rock territory. Dark, loud, raw and totally amazing.
I met Chris briefly at Albums On The Hill in Boulder during his Dirt Floor tour (a stripped down acoustic, huge "comeback" album as good or better than Living With The Law). The owner Andy (one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet) introduced us at an in-store performance. He was really soft spoken and nice. We chatted for a while and he signed a CD for me ("Hey Paul, thanks for all -- Chris Whitley"). That was also the first time that I had seen Chris live and I was in awe. Just a guy and a beat up steel body National acoustic guitar making huge noise.
I went to the show at the Fox Theater that night and was surprised to find that he was touring alone. Dirt Floor was a solo acoustic record, but I just assumed he would be travelling with a band. Well, he didn't need a band. It was just him and an amplified board that he stomped on and it was some of the biggest music that I've heard come out of the Fox Theatre (and I've heard a lot there).
I continued to follow Chris' career (though not as closely) up until last year. The description of his new CD Soft Dangerous Shores sounded really cool on the website, so I checked it out as soon as it came out. It was as incredible as anything Chris had ever done. More gentle, but still visceral -- evidently it was his take on love and relationships.
Around the time the CD was released, I read in the forums on his website that he had a trainwreck of a show. Couldn't play, was angry -- just out of control. I had always heard rumors that Chris had his share of demons, so I assumed (probably like everyone else) that he was fighting some kind of addiction. That's where I left it until I read that in Guitar Player magazine that he died (the article didn't mention the cause of death). The news hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like I had lost a friend (though I didn't even know him).
I read the next day that he died of lung cancer. His website has an excellent eulogy from his daughter and his younger brother. The website somehow made me feel better. I'm sure the botched show was just a natural reaction to getting the news that he was extremely ill. I just can't believe how fast he died. I guess it's better that way. All I know is that I'm really going to miss him. I want to be able to see him tear it up at the Bluebird Theater (down the street from my house), tellin' it like it is.
Luckily, he recorded a ton in the last few years, so there is a lot to listen to. I recommend everything that he ever recorded. It's all amazing. His music is difficult, but worth the extra effort required to "get" it. Here are some recordings available on the web:
Chris Whitley Songs
Check out "Hellhound On My Trail" -- talk about someone that really gets Robert Johnson...
"Blues is a mean thing and when it gets to rocking in a fun kind of way, I don't really care for it. Actually, I don't think of the stuff that I really love -- early Muddy Waters, early Howlin' Wolf -- as 'blues;' I almost think of those guys as not playing in a particular style. They're more like dangerously pure expression. I like things real stripped direct. Except lyrics." -- Chris Whitley, 1991
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