Chris Young is not the kind of guy to make extravagant purchases, but 10 years ago, an item came up for sale that he couldnât resist.
Keith Whitley was one of Chrisâ musical heroes â Keith tragically died in 1989 â so, in 2011 when one of Whitleyâs guitars came up for sale, Chris knew he had to have it.
Chris shares, âThey found this guitar that Keith actually owned and played, and it was one of the three guitars that he used on the road between â84 and â89, right before he died, when he was really, you know, having number-ones and having hits. And itâs so cool. Itâs still got the original luggage tag on it with his signature. I donât buy much stuff, but when that came by, I was like, âThatâs one of a kind. I gotta have that.â SoâŠand Iâm a huge Keith Whitley fan anyway, so for me, it means a lot to have it.â
Itâs all the imperfections in the guitar that makes it perfect for Chris, âItâs got all the dings and the scratches, but itâs in really, really great shape for being as old as it is. I mean, you think about I thinkâŠIâm not exactly sure what year, but I think itâs early â80s, so, I mean, just the fact that the guitar has held up this well and the case is in such great shape, and itâs actually the original case. And yeah, I geeked-out a little bit over that.â
The first time Chris played the guitar in a public setting was an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, where he performed Keith Whitleyâs classic âDonât Close Your Eyesâ â ten years ago today, October 11th 2011
Chris has not played it in public since, and he jokes that he may never write a song with itâŠwhy? âYou donât want to come out of the gate and the first song you write on Keith Whitleyâs old guitar is terrible. (laugh)â
We think heâd be OK with writing a song on it â Chris is doing pretty good in that department.
The title track to his album Famous Friends topped the country music song chart earlier this year, and now Chrisâ current single, with Mitchell Tenpenny, âAt The End Of A Barâ is starting itâs climbâŠ
Photo Credit: Joel Dennis & Grand Ole Opry
