WHITLEY, KEITH
(1955–1989)
WHITLEY, KEITH (b. Sandy Hook, Ky., July 1, 1955–May 9, 1989) One of the finer new-country performers, Whitley had his career cut short when he died of alcohol poisoning at age thirty-three. Whitley began performing at a young age, working on local radio by the time he was nine. Along with high-school buddy RICKY SKAGGS, he developed a love of the traditional music of THE STANLEY BROTHERS ; the two formed a duo that so impressed Ralph Stanley that he asked them to join his band in 1971. Whitley…