In March 1994, Chris appeared at the Rex Foundation benefit concert at the Beacon Theater, with a busload of fellow musicians: Rob WassermanBruce HornsbyVictoria WilliamsChris WhitleyBob WeirJohn Wesley HardingMatt HaimovitzJimmy ScottDavid SanbornGeorge RessiliMichael BracklerLou Reed Although mostly unrelated to our man Chris, the Rex Foundation has an interesting story, as captured in these sentences from … Continue reading
This show includes a rare performance of Some Candy Talkin’:
So good, so raw, so explosive. Forever Young!
Thanks to Richard Jon Levy for sharing his photos of this show. I’ve “screen captured” a few of the photos as images, as shown below: Here are Richard’s PDFs. EI Kyocera06498920210119110150 EI Kyocera06498820210119110102 EI Kyocera06498720210119105954 EI Kyocera06498620210119105910 EI Kyocera06498520210119105829 EI Kyocera06498420210119105749 EI Kyocera06498320210119105637 EI Kyocera06498220210119105558 EI Kyocera06498120210119105515 EI Kyocera06498020210119105431
Just ran across this while rummaging down a rabbit hole. No better tribute from one friend to another, from one musician to another, from a fan to his idol …. Chris first came out to Australia in 1993. I went to his Tuesday night show at The Basement in Sydney on the recommendation of a … Continue reading
“He ventured new sonic territory with … the romantic/existential yearning of “Weightless” (Lonelier than God/Fallen from above/ Weightless as a child/Hopeless to your love).” [from the LWA CD liner] The version on Terra Incognita: The remix on Long Way Around:
One of the ATCW group’s favorites, Look What Love Has Done, as Manual Destanque put it, “… jerks a tear from my eye every time. The first time I listened to it I was thrilled, love that song, love the story and the images and metaphors… And then there’s the last bit of the song … Continue reading
It seems an odd pairing: Chris, a self-taught guitarist whose visceral lyrics were influenced by desert landscapes and an appreciation of French surrealist poets; Warren, a piano man (briefly mentored by Igor Stravinsky) whose lyrics often described viscera and whom Rolling Stone labeled “rock’s macabre jester.” Chris, the offspring of a Madison Avenue ad executive … Continue reading
Danny Kadar has shared the first known recording of Home (New Orleans 1991): Another 1991 recording of Home (courtesy of Danny Kadar): Here’s Chris playing Home with Bob Wasserman and Les Claypool on Wasserman’s CD Trios (1994): Chris plays LWTL and then Home (with Rob and Les) at the Trios concert … Continue reading
Chris Whitley cites many musicians as having influenced his music making, ranging from the Desert Blues of Mali and blues legends such as Howlin’ Wolf to contemporary legends such as Jimmy Page, David Bowie and Prince. Below, in his own words, are his comments about the music he liked and how it affected his songcraft. … Continue reading
