View source for Keith Whitley

{{Short description|American country singer (1954–1989)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = Keith Whitley
| image            = KeithWhitley.jpg
| caption          = Whitley performing in June 1988
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Jackie Keith Whitley<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2019/05/08/keith-whitley-country-music-hall-of-fame-exhibit-lorrie-morgan/1141495001/|title=Keith Whitley's family remembers their father, husband on 30th anniversary of his death|work=Tennessean|date=May 8, 2019}}</ref>
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1954|7|1|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Ashland, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1989|5|9|1954|7|1|mf=y}}
| death_place      = [[Goodlettsville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| origin           = [[Sandy Hook, Kentucky]], U.S.
| instrument       = Vocals, guitar
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Neotraditional country]]
* [[honky-tonk music|honky-tonk]]
* [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] (early work)
}}
| occupation       = Singer, songwriter
| years_active     = 1970–1989
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Lorrie Morgan]]|1986}}
| past_member_of = Clinch Mountain Boys, [[J.D. Crowe & The New South]]
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[RCA Records|RCA]]
* [[BNA Records|BNA]]
}}
}}

'''Jackie Keith Whitley''' (July 1, 1954 – May 9, 1989) was an American [[country music]] and [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] singer and songwriter. During his career, he released only two albums, but charted 12 singles on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' country charts, and seven more after his death.

Born in [[Ashland, Kentucky]], Whitley grew up in nearby [[Sandy Hook, Kentucky|Sandy Hook]]. He began his career there in 1970, performing in [[Ralph Stanley]]'s band. Establishing himself as a lead singer in bluegrass music, Whitley moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] in 1983 and began his recording career there. His first top-20 country hit single, "[[Miami, My Amy]]", was released in 1986. In 1988, his first three singles from his second studio album ''[[Don't Close Your Eyes (album)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]'', the [[Don't Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley song)|title song]], "[[When You Say Nothing at All]]", and "[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]" were number-one hits. During the final years of his life, Whitley struggled with a lifelong alcohol addiction. He completed his sessions for his follow-up album, ''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]'', before dying of acute alcohol poisoning in 1989 at his Goodlettsville home at age 34. The album's "[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me (song)|title song]]", along with "[[It Ain't Nothin']]" and "[[I'm Over You (Keith Whitley song)|I'm Over You]]", were released as singles after his death.

In 2022, Whitley was posthumously inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum|Country Music Hall of Fame]].<ref name="cmhof">{{cite web | url=https://eu.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2022/05/17/country-music-hall-fame-class-2022-inductees/9805843002/ | title=Keith Whitley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Joe Galante are headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame }}</ref>

==Early life==
Whitley was born to Faye Ferguson (editor of ''The Elliott County News'') and Elmer Whitley (an electrician) in [[Ashland, Kentucky]], but was raised 46 miles away in Sandy Hook, and attended Sandy Hook High School.<ref name=HicksJ-TKP-1991-09-25>Hicks, Jack. – "Singer Keith Whitley's Memory Alive Through Songs, Love in Home Town". – ''[[The Cincinnati Post|The Kentucky Post]]''. – September 25, 1991.</ref><ref name=LH-L-1989-05-10>"Country Music Star Keith Whitley Dead at 33". – ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]''. – May 10, 1989.</ref> He had two brothers, Randy and Dwight, and a sister, Mary.<ref name=LockwoodFE-LH-L-1998-06-27>Lockwood, Frank E. – "Bikers, Sandy Hook Pay Tribute to Favorite Son". – Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) – Saturday, June 27, 1998.</ref><ref name=LockwoodFE-LH-L-1999-06-28>Lockwood, Frank E. – "Singing in Rain". – Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) – Saturday, June 28, 1999.</ref> The Whitley family is of [[English Americans|English]] and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]] descent and has lived in the [[Elliott County, Kentucky|Elliott County]] area since the 1840s.

While Whitley was a teenager in Sandy Hook, his friends and he would pass the time drinking [[Rum-running|bootleg]] [[Bourbon whiskey|bourbon]] and racing their cars down mountain roads at dangerous speeds. Whitley was once in a car whose driver attempted to round a curve at {{convert|120|mph|kph}}. The car wrecked, killing his friend and almost breaking Whitley's neck. In another incident, he drove his car off a {{convert|120|ft|m|adj=on}} cliff into a frozen river, escaping with only a broken [[collar bone]].<ref name=AP>Associated Press – "Whitley Just Getting Started Despite 18-Year Music Career". – Salina Journal (KS) – Thursday, October 27, 1988.</ref>
Whitley's older brother Randy was killed in an October 1983 motorcycle accident.<ref name="HicksJ-TKP-1991-09-25" /><ref name="LockwoodFE-LH-L-1998-06-27" />

== Musical style and influences ==
Keith Whitley's musical style was rooted in Kentucky [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] in his early career as a member of Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys, but Whitley later shifted towards [[neotraditional country]] and [[honky-tonk music|honky-tonk]] during the peak and end of his career.<ref name="CMHoF">{{cite web |title=Keith Whitley |url=https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/keith-whitley |website=[[Country Music Hall of Fame]] |access-date=February 15, 2025}}</ref><ref name="AMG">{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=Keith Whitley - Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/keith-whitley-mn0000081561 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=February 15, 2025}}</ref> Whitley's influences ranged from [[Appalachia]]n bluegrass performers such as Ralph Stanley to traditional country and honky-tonk musicians such as [[Hank Williams]], [[George Jones]], [[Merle Haggard]], and [[Lefty Frizzell]].<ref name="CMHoF"/>

==Musical career==
In 1969, he performed in a musical contest in [[Ezel, Kentucky]], with brother Dwight on five-string banjo. [[Ricky Skaggs]] was also in the contest. Skaggs and Whitley instantly bonded and subsequently became close friends.<ref name=RoweN-RT-D-1986-04-20>Rowe, Norman. – Album Echoes Country Classics". – ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]''. – April 20, 1986</ref>

Whitley and Skaggs, both 16 years old, were discovered in Ft. Gay, West Virginia, by [[Ralph Stanley]], who was 45 minutes late for a gig due to a flat tire.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} Stanley opened the door of the club and heard what he thought was the [[Stanley Brothers]] playing on a jukebox. However, it was Whitley and Skaggs, who "sounded just like me and [[Carter Stanley|Carter]] in the early days".{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} The two soon joined Stanley's band. Whitley became lead singer for Stanley in 1974.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}  Whitley also played with [[J.D. Crowe & the New South|J.D. Crowe and the New South]] in the mid-1970s.<ref name=AP/> During this period, he established himself as one of the most versatile and talented lead singers in bluegrass. His singing was heavily influenced by Carter Stanley and Lefty Frizzell. He moved to Nashville in 1983 to pursue a country music career, and soon signed a record deal with [[RCA Records]].<ref name=AP/>

Whitley's first solo album, ''A Hard Act to Follow'', was released in 1984, and featured a more mainstream country style. While Whitley was working hard to achieve his own style, the songs he produced were inconsistent. Critics regarded the album as too erratic. Whitley honed his sound within the next few years for his next album, ''L.A. to Miami'', which, released in 1985, would give him his first top-20 country hit single, "Miami, My Amy". The song was followed by three more hit songs: "Ten Feet Away", "Homecoming '63", and "Hard Livin'", The album also included "[[On the Other Hand]]" and "[[Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her]]". "On the Other Hand" was pitched to Whitley before [[Randy Travis]] released the song as a single, and when Whitley's version was not released as a single, Travis released his version in 1986, as did [[George Strait]]. During his tour to promote ''L.A. to Miami'', he met and began a romantic relationship with country singer [[Lorrie Morgan]]. They were married in November 1986, and had their only child, a son, Jesse Keith Whitley, in June 1987. Whitley also adopted Lorrie's daughter, Morgan, from her first marriage.

During the new recording sessions in 1987, Whitley began feeling that the songs chosen were not up to his standards, so he approached RCA and asked if the project of 15 songs could be shelved. He also asked if he could take a major role in creating the songs and in production. The new album, titled ''[[Don't Close Your Eyes (album)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]'', was released in 1988, and the album sold extremely well. The album contained one of the many songs that Whitley had a hand in writing in his years at Tree Publishing, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". On the album was a remake of Lefty Frizzell's classic standard "I Never Go Around Mirrors", and the song became a huge hit at Whitley's concerts. The first three singles from the album—"When You Say Nothing at All", "I'm No Stranger to the Rain", and the title cut—all reached number one on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s country charts during the autumn of 1988 and the winter of 1989, with the title track "Don't Close Your Eyes" being ranked as ''Billboard''’s number-one country song of 1988. Shortly thereafter, "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" also earned Whitley his first and only [[Country Music Association]] award as a solo artist and a Grammy nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Country Vocal Performance, Male]].

In early 1989, Whitley approached RCA chairman [[Joe Galante]] with the intention of releasing "I Never Go Around Mirrors" as a single. Galante approved of the musical flexibility that Whitley achieved with the song; however, he suggested that Whitley record something new and more upbeat. The result was a song Whitley had optioned for his previous album called ''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]'', and was to result in his next album release.

Whitley was scheduled to be invited to join the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' in late May 1989. He was posthumously inducted as a former member on October 14, 2023, in a tribute concert held during that night's Opry broadcast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keith Whitley to be celebrated by Garth Brooks, more, at October Opry event |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/09/15/keith-whitley-to-be-celebrated-by-garth-brooks-more-at-october-opry-event/70863977007/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> His final concert was held in [[Brazoria, Texas]], at the Armadillo Ballroom on May 6, 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kboeradio.com/on-this-day-in-1989-keith-whitley-plays-his-final-concert/|title=On this day in 1989: Keith Whitley plays his final concert
|publisher=KBOE Radio|date=2020-05-06|access-date=2025-05-22}}</ref>

==Death==
On May 9, 1989, Whitley had a brief phone call with his mother, and was later visited by his brother-in-law, Lane Palmer.  The two had coffee and were planning a day of golf and lunch, after which Whitley planned to start writing songs to record with Lorrie Morgan when she returned from her concert tour. Palmer left around {{nowrap|8:30 am}},<ref name=JinkinsS-FWST-1997-10-14>Jinkins, Shirley. – "A country music love story of death, drinking and devotion". – ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]''. – October 14, 1997.</ref> asking Whitley to be ready to leave within an hour. Upon returning, Palmer found Whitley unresponsive on his bed and called an ambulance. Whitley was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead; he was 34.

The official cause of death was acute [[alcohol poisoning|ethanol poisoning]].<ref name=LH-L-1989-05-10 /> [[Davidson County, Tennessee|Davidson County]] Medical Examiner Charles Harlan stated that Whitley's blood alcohol level was 0.47 (the equivalent of 20 one-ounce shots of 100-[[proof (alcohol)|proof]] whiskey).<ref>"Alcohol Cuts Short a promising career". – [[Associated Press]]. – (c/o ''[[Salina Journal]]''). – August 10, 1989.</ref><ref>Edwards, Joe. – "Keith Whitley discovered dead – Alcohol overdose cause of death". – ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]''. – May 10, 1989.</ref><ref name=AP-CT-1989-05-10>"Country Singer Keith Whitley, 33". – [[Associated Press]]. – (c/o ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''). – May 10, 1989.</ref><ref>Hurst, Jack. – "Whitley's Last Days". – ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. – May 14, 1989.</ref><ref>Green, Barbara. – "Whitley Fans Hate 'To See a Good Man Go To Waste". – ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]''. – May 17, 1989.</ref> He was born in 1954 per his birth certificate and passport, but his [[Headstone|grave marker]] erroneously recorded his birth year as 1955.<ref name=WhitburnJ-TBBofT40CH-p382>Whitburn, Joel (2006). – ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits''. – Second Edition. – New York: Billboard Books. – p.382. – {{ISBN|978-0-8230-8291-9}}.</ref><ref name="Birth-Year">Stambler, Irwin, and Grelun Landon (2000). – ''Country Music: The Encyclopedia''. – New York: St. Martin's Press. – p.533. – {{ISBN|978-0-312-26487-1}}.<br />—Carlin, Richard (2003). – ''Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary''. – New York: Routledge – p.427. – {{ISBN|978-0-415-93802-0}}.<br />—Larkin, Colin (1995). – ''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. – New York: Stockton Press – P.4462. – {{ISBN|978-0-85112-662-3}}.<br />—Stanton, Scott (2003). – ''The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians''. – New York: Pocket Books. – p.395. – {{ISBN|978-0-7434-6330-0}}.<br />—Hicks, Jack. – "Singer Keith Whitley's Memory Alive Through Songs, Love in Home Town". – ''[[The Cincinnati Post|The Kentucky Post]]''. – September 25, 1991.<br />—"Country Music Star Keith Whitley Dead at 33". – ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]''. – May 10, 1989.<br />—Hurst, Jack. – "Whitley's Last Days". – ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. – May 14, 1989.<br />—"Alcohol Kills Country Singer Keith Whitley". – [[United Press International]]. – (c/o ''[[The San Francisco Chronicle]]''). – May 10, 1989.</ref>

The day after his death, [[Music Row]] was lined with black ribbons in memory of Whitley. He is buried in the [[Spring Hill Cemetery (Nashville)|Spring Hill Cemetery]] outside Nashville. His gravestone reads, "Forever yours faithfully" (part one) and "His being was my reason" (part two).

==Posthumous releases==
At the time of his death, Whitley had just finished work on his third and final studio album, ''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]''. The album was released three months after his death, on August 1, 1989. The album produced two more number-one hits, with the title track and "It Ain't Nothin'." "I'm Over You" also was in the top five in early 1990, reaching number three.

Two new songs were added to ''Greatest Hits'': The first, "Tell Lorrie I Love Her" was written and recorded at home by Whitley for Morgan, originally intended as a work tape for Whitley's friend Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young to sing at Whitley's wedding. The second was "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose", a 1987 demonstration recording taken from Tree that originally featured harmony vocals by childhood friend Ricky Skaggs. Lorrie Morgan, with creative control and license to Whitley's namesake, recorded her voice alongside Whitley's, and released it as a single, which rose to number 13 and won the 1990 CMA award for Best Vocal Collaboration, as well as a Grammy nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals|Best Country Vocal Collaboration]].

RCA also released a compilation of performance clips (from his days in the Ralph Stanley-fronted Clinch Mountain Boys), interviews, and some previously unreleased material under the title ''Kentucky Bluebird''. The album produced hits for Whitley, as well, including a duet with [[Earl Thomas Conley]], named "Brotherly Love", which peaked at number two in late 1991 and gave Whitley his second consecutive posthumous Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.

In 1994, Whitley's widow, Lorrie Morgan, organized several of Whitley's friends in bluegrass and some of the big names in country at the time to record a [[tribute]] album to Whitley.  ''[[Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album]]'' was released in September 1994 via BNA. It included covers of Whitley's songs from artists such as [[Alan Jackson]], [[Diamond Rio]], and Ricky Skaggs. The album also included four previously unreleased tracks recorded by Whitley in 1987, one of which had Morgan dubbed in as a duet partner. The album also included two original songs: "Little Boy Lost", co-written and sung by [[Daron Norwood]], and "A Voice Still Rings True", a multiple-artist song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/08/11/crowning-touch-3/|title=Crowning Touch 'Red Hot + Country' Album Delayed To Include Crosby, Stills And Nash|last=Hurst|first=Jack|date=August 11, 1994|work=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=February 17, 2014}}</ref> [[Alison Krauss]]'s rendition of "When You Say Nothing at All" was released as a single from the album, reaching number three on the country charts in 1995.

In 1995, the album ''Wherever You Are Tonight'' was released, produced by Lorrie Morgan, featuring restored demos of 1986–1988, with crisper 1990s recording techniques and a full orchestra. The album and single of the same name both did very well on the ''Billboard'' and R&R charts, and ''Super Hits'' and ''The Essential Keith Whitley'' followed in 1996. ''The Essential'' contained the remastered and long-since unavailable LP and Whitley's debut, the six-track "A Hard Act to Follow", and a scrapped song from 1986's ''L.A. to Miami'', "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight".

==Legacy==
Several film projects depicting Whitley's life were slated, but none has yet come to fruition. One idea was a film version of the George Vescey and Lorrie Morgan-penned ''Forever Yours, Faithfully''. While Morgan's book was a benchmark in piecing together Whitley's final moments, perhaps the most research went into a project titled ''Kentucky Bluebird'', which was to star writer/actor/director [[David L. Keith|David Keith]].

Despite his brief moment in the spotlight, Whitley's legacy remains.<ref name="Watts 2019 m180">{{cite web | last=Watts | first=Cindy | title=Keith Whitley's family remembers him on 30th anniversary of his death | website=The Tennessean | date=May 8, 2019 | url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2019/05/08/keith-whitley-country-music-hall-of-fame-exhibit-lorrie-morgan/1141495001/ | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Morris 2009 u881">{{cite web | last=Morris | first=<!-- -->Edward | title=Keith Whitley's Musical Legacy Endures Two Decades After His Death | website=CMT | date=May 8, 2009 | url=https://www.cmt.com/news/ijbw6b/keith-whitleys-musical-legacy-endures-two-decades-after-his-death | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206210924/https://www.cmt.com/news/ijbw6b/keith-whitleys-musical-legacy-endures-two-decades-after-his-death | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 6, 2022 | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum|Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 2022;<ref name="cmhof"/> prior to that, he was the subject of an exhibit detailing his life and legacy.<ref name="Hall 2019 z408">{{cite web | last=Hall | first=Kristin M. | title=New exhibit shows Keith Whitley's tragic, but lasting legacy | website=The Seattle Times | date=May 3, 2019 | url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/new-exhibit-shows-keith-whitleys-tragic-but-lasting-legacy/ | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> Whitley retains a persistent influence on country artists, including [[Tim McGraw]], [[Ronnie Dunn]], and [[Dierks Bentley]].<ref name="Roland Roland 2014 w795">{{cite magazine | last=Roland | first=Tom | title=How Keith Whitley's Conflicted Legacy Spawned an 'Authentic' Country Revival | magazine=Billboard | date=May 6, 2014 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/keith-whitley-jake-worthington-the-voice-country-authentic-6077549/ | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> He is also the progenitor of newer artists like [[Morgan Wallen]]; a song named after Whitley features on Wallen's 2023 double album, ''[[One Thing at a Time]]'',<ref name="Nicholson Nicholson 2023 p810">{{cite magazine | last=Nicholson | first=Jessica | title=Morgan Wallen Celebrates New Album 'One Thing at a Time' For a Packed House in Nashville | magazine=Billboard | date=March 4, 2023 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/morgan-wallen-one-thing-at-a-time-album-nashville-concert-review-1235279928/ | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> which won the approval of Whitley's widow and son.<ref name="Country Now 2023 r033">{{cite web | title=Lorrie Morgan and Jesse Keith Whitley React To Morgan Wallen's New Song That Tributes Keith Whitley | website=Country Now | date=January 12, 2023 | url=https://countrynow.com/lorrie-morgan-and-jesse-keith-whitley-react-to-morgan-wallens-new-song-that-tributes-keith-whitley/ | access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref>

Whitley is the only person to be posthumously recognized as a former member of the Grand Ole Opry, without ever being an active member. Management had scheduled Whitley for an appearance in late May 1989, where he was to be invited to join, but his death on May 9 interrupted those plans. As the Opry has a policy only inducting living artists as members, Whitley's induction was scrapped. During a Keith Whitley tribute show at the Opry on October 14, 2023, [[Garth Brooks]] and Lorrie Morgan announced that Whitley's name would be engraved on a plaque and included in the Opry's Member Gallery backstage, alongside every act who has held Opry membership at some point in the show's history, dating to 1925.

==Discography==
{{main|Keith Whitley discography}}
*1984: ''[[A Hard Act to Follow]]'' (EP)
*1985: ''[[L.A. to Miami]]''
*1988: ''[[Don't Close Your Eyes (album)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]''
*1989: ''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]''
*1991: ''[[Kentucky Bluebird]]''
*1995: ''[[Wherever You Are Tonight]]''
*2000: ''Sad Songs and Waltzes''

===''Billboard'' number-one hits===
*"[[Don't Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley song)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]" (1 week, 1988)
*"[[When You Say Nothing at All]]" (2 weeks, 1988)
*"[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]" (2 weeks, 1989)
*"[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me (song)|I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]" (1 week, 1989)
*"[[It Ain't Nothin']]" (1 week, 1990)

==Awards and nominations==
=== Grammy Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[32nd Grammy Awards|1990]]
|"[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Male Country Vocal Performance]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[33rd Grammy Awards|1991]]
|"[['Til a Tear Becomes a Rose]]"
|rowspan=2| [[Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals|Best Country Collaboration with Vocals]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[34th Grammy Awards|1992]]
|"[[Brotherly Love (Moe Bandy song)|Brotherly Love]]"
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Music City News Country Awards and TNN/Music City News Country Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[23rd Music City News Country Awards|1989]]
|Keith Whitley
|Star of Tomorrow
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[24th TNN/Music City News Country Awards|1990]]
|''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]''
|Album of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|"[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]"
|rowspan=2| Single of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[25th TNN/Music City News Country Awards|1991]]
|"[['Til a Tear Becomes a Rose]]"
|{{nom}}
|-
|[Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley
|rowspan=2| Vocal Collaboration of the Year
|{{won}}
|-
|[[28th TNN/Music City News Country Awards|1994]]
|[[Alan Jackson]] and Keith Whitley
|{{nom}}
|}

=== TNN Viewers' Choice Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1989 TNN Viewers' Choice Awards|1989]]
|Keith Whitley
|Favorite Newcomer of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|"[[Don't Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley song)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]"
|Favorite Song of the Year
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Academy of Country Music Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[21st Academy of Country Music Awards|1986]]
|Keith Whitley
|[[Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year|Top New Male Vocalist]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[24th Academy of Country Music Awards|1989]]
|rowspan=2| "[[Don't Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley song)|Don't Close Your Eyes]]"
|Song of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| Single Record of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3| [[25th Academy of Country Music Awards|1990]]
|"[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]"
|{{nom}}
|-
|"[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me (song)|I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]"
|Song of the Year
|{{shortlisted}}
|-
|Keith Whitley
|Top Male Vocalist of the Year
|{{shortlisted}}
|-
|[[27th Academy of Country Music Awards|1992]]
|"[[Brotherly Love (Moe Bandy song)|Brotherly Love]]"
|Video of the Year
|{{nom}}
|-
|2013
|Keith Whitley
|Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
|{{included|Awarded}}
|}

=== Country Music Association Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|rowspan=3| [[1989 Country Music Association Awards|1989]]
|"[[I'm No Stranger to the Rain]]"
|[[Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year|Single of the Year]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2| Keith Whitley
|[[Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year|Horizon Award]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Country Music Association Award for Male Vocalist of the Year|Male Vocalist of the Year]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1990 Country Music Association Awards|1990]]
|''[[I Wonder Do You Think of Me]]''
|[[Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|Keith Whitley and [[Lorrie Morgan]]
|rowspan=2| [[Country Music Association Award for Musical Event of the Year|Vocal Event of the Year]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[1992 Country Music Association Awards|1992]]
|Keith Whitley and [[Earl Thomas Conley]]
|{{nom}}
|}

==References==
*Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. – [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p30232/biography|pure_url=yes}} Keith Whitley: Biography]. – [[Allmusic]].
*Skinker, Chris (1998). – "Keith Whitley". – ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music''. – First Edition. – Paul Kingsbury, editor. – New York: Oxford University Press. – pp.&nbsp;583–584. {{ISBN|978-0-19-511671-7}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Keith Whitley}}
{{2020s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Billboard Year-End Hot Country Singles number one single of the year}}
{{Grand Ole Opry members}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitley, Keith}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in Tennessee]]
[[Category:American acoustic guitarists]]
[[Category:American country guitarists]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Burials at Spring Hill Cemetery (Nashville, Tennessee)]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Musicians from Appalachia]]
[[Category:Musicians from Ashland, Kentucky]]
[[Category:New South (band) members]]
[[Category:People from Elliott County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:RCA Records Nashville artists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Kentucky]]