RIP Chris Whitley

Sad news. Chris Whitley has succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 45 [Yahoo News Story].

My brother and I went to see him over the summer here in Phoenix. It was the first show of his tour, he had just flown over from Germany, and what we witnessed was profoundly sad. The show cut off after around 5 songs after what we thought was substance related behavior (crying, falling off his stool, cursing, and basically saying he didn’t give a shit about anything). Whatever the reason, it was sad to see.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Chris’ work through the years, but I do love his debut album, ‘Living with the Law’ (1991). So in memory of Chris, here are a couple of my favorites.

Chris Whitley: Living with the Law (mp3)
Chris Whitley: I Forget You Every Day (mp3)

Chris Whitley Official Web Site.
Buy Chris’ music.