Critical Reviews In Cleveland last fall, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held a tribute to blues guitarist Robert Johnson. Of the renowned blues, pop, folk and jazz performers at two concerts that weekend, Chris Whitley was the only discernible musical and spiritual link to the fabled bluesman. The powers that be could have … Continue reading “Hellhound on My Trail”: Chris at the Robert Johnson Tribute
Category: Audio/Video
Chris and the Vast Combo at the Go! Room (Carrboro, NC 2003/04/15)
This is the second set only: Taped by Joel Keller.
Chris Covers Jimi
"Since Hendrix, there's not a lot that blows me away,'' Whitley said.* We're all familiar with Chris's cover of Hendrix's Drifting on the Perfect Day CD. But did you know that he covered other Hendrix songs? That one of the first albums he bought (with money his grandmother had given him for his 11th birthday) … Continue reading Chris Covers Jimi
Chris and Trixie sing “Alien”
FWIW: Just made the connection re this photo and the rare bootleg of Chris and Trixie singing "Alien" at Brownie's, NYC, 1996-07-16. from Cree McCree-House of Boo (at a now-defunct website TheGig.com) Best Father/Daughter Act: Chris & Trixie Whitley (Brownie's NYC 1996-07-16) Chris Whitley is the real deal, and the chance to see him make … Continue reading Chris and Trixie sing “Alien”
Guns & Dolls
When I first tried to listen to the Din of Ecstasy CD, Guns & Dolls was about the only track I liked. [Don't hate on me! I've since found religion and appreciate the full CD.] I can remember thinking that the pairing of "guns" and "dolls" was a creative-Chris appropriation of the hit-musical title, Guys … Continue reading Guns & Dolls
The Evolution of “New Machine”
Very few articles, interviews, or reviews of the Din of Ecstasy album mention New Machine - a song that many Whitley fans count among his best. Geoffrey Himes in The Washington Post gets the title wrong and misses the point: "'The New Machine' is a nightmarish vision of Orwellian technology." A review of the Din … Continue reading The Evolution of “New Machine”
Terra Incognita Media
Articles You can access a few dozen articles here. You can also learn more about Clear Blue Sky and its many iterations here. Bootlegs and Other Audio 1997 bootlegs on the Live Music Archive Radio Show at Studio Brussel (Belgium) 1997-03-13: Radio Show at River Music Hall (Boston) 1997-03-19 - includes a rare performance … Continue reading Terra Incognita Media
Liberation or Death Bootlegs
Just because a great song is worth listening to in its many versions! Save
Hotel Vast Horizon Media
As Heiko "Hesh" Schramm recalls, "The whole HVH record is played live at Helicopter Tonstudio in Dresden together at the same time, including Chris's vocals. Nothing added, no overdubs and no pre-recordings. In a way it's a live album. On Insurrection M* (Matthias Macht) played a cymbal ON his snare - how hurried Chris was, … Continue reading Hotel Vast Horizon Media
Dirt Floor Media
"Seeing somebody like Chris Whitley sitting in a tool shed in the back of his father's house, just possessed, and you realize that you are in the presence of nature at its purest, you're in the presence of the divine." ~ Craig Street, as quoted in Producing Hit Records by DJ Farinella Craig Street, who … Continue reading Dirt Floor Media
All Things Chris Whitley 