Author: Katie
Heatseekers Part 2: What Chris Achieved (DRAFT)
Note: I've been working on this one forever; still very much a work in progress, but I'm sharing it anyway because LOVE + FAITH. It falls apart toward the end, reflecting my inability to capture why Chris is sui generis imo and why his music should live forever! In Part 1, I analyzed … Continue reading Heatseekers Part 2: What Chris Achieved (DRAFT)
Dirt Floor Tunes at KFOG 1998-03-26
Whoever captured this FM broadcast must have been late to the party. As you listen, you'll hear something I'd forgotten was common 25 years ago: The sound resulting from turning the tuner dial to find a radio station! Unfortunately, the taper may have missed the first part of the broadcast; Metter Booze's tour guide indicates … Continue reading Dirt Floor Tunes at KFOG 1998-03-26
On Air Media
This is my 'desert island' CD. It appeared as if a missive from 'the other side of the world' one month short of 3 years after Chris's passing. And it contains the Chris Whitley track I've probably played most often over the more than a decade since I first purchased it: Chris's cover of JJ … Continue reading On Air Media
The Life and Music of Chris Whitley: A Timeline
In honor of Chris's birthday this year - and in gratitude for the unforgettable music and the prescient insights he gave us, I've compiled this timeline of his truncated but productive life. I 'snagged' the timeline that used to appear at chriswhitley.com and then expanded it with many more moments and a lot of photos … Continue reading The Life and Music of Chris Whitley: A Timeline
Weed & War Crime Blues Media
Because "straight from the horse's mouth" is my preferred way of understanding Chris and his music, I've gathered some of Chris's musings about each of these albums below. I've also included excerpts from some of my favorite reviews. To read the full articles, reviews, and interviews from which these excerpts were taken, go here. War … Continue reading Weed & War Crime Blues Media
Dislocation Blues Media
I've written a separate post examining the songs Chris and Jeff Lang covered on Dislocation Blues. Here, I've compiled the articles, photos, etc. that I've collected over the years. Read over a dozen articles/reviews. Listen to an interview Chris gave while in Australia recording the album. Listen to a podcast from Jeff Lang about the … Continue reading Dislocation Blues Media
White Rider
It's an oversimplification to describe War Crime Blues as Chris's "Make Love, Not War" album. But, originally inspired as a reaction to 9/11, the album does point in that direction. In a NY Times interview, Chris said “There are things on that record that are trying to respond to war or that kind of … Continue reading White Rider
How Bruce Hornsby Came to Play on Rocket House
Chris Whitley made music with a wide variety of musicians; his side work was extensive, ranging from Chocolate Genius to Cassandra Wilson, as shown in this playlist. One musician I was surprised to discover that Chris sometimes jammed with is Bruce Hornsby. Yet, as a review of Chris's gig at Kahootz in Richmond, VA notes, … Continue reading How Bruce Hornsby Came to Play on Rocket House
Chris’s Guest Appearances with Bob Weir
Photo credit: CW by Peter Lorré at Parkpop The Hague in 1992; BW unknown In an interview about Note of Hope. an album that Rob Wasserman produced based on Woody Guthrie writings set to music, Rob briefly discussed Chris's involvement: [W]e had just been playing with Bob Weir back in the day. I introduced … Continue reading Chris’s Guest Appearances with Bob Weir
All Things Chris Whitley 