Singer-songwriter Chris Whitley dies at age 45
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer-songwriter Chris Whitley, who emerged from obscurity in 1991 with his debut album "Living with the Law," has died of lung cancer, his label said on Tuesday. He was 45.
Whitley was diagnosed with the disease just five weeks ago and died on Sunday in Houston, said Brandon Kessler, owner of independent label Messenger Records.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a major musician who wasn't blown away by his talents, his guitar-playing and his singing," said Kessler, citing Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and Keith Richards as admirers.
With his high, lonesome voice and ghostly guitar, Whitley earned critical and commercial success for the blues-drenched album, "Living with the Law." The title track was a minor hit, and Tom Petty and Bob Dylan hired him to open their tours.
By then, the Houston native had spent more than a decade playing music, starting out in New York when punk and New Wave were the dominant styles.
"I was definitely a sort of a misfit," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1991. "I mean, that was a funny time to be trying to get a gig at (punk club) CBGB, playing a Dobro."
At one point he moved to Belgium and much to his surprise, developed a strong local following.
He got his big break from New Orleans-based producer Daniel Lanois, who spread the word about his talents, resulting in nine labels vying to sign him. Whitley chose Columbia, which released "Living with the Law," its 1995 follow-up, "Din of Ecstasy," and 1997's "Terra Incognita."
As his career progressed, Whitley ventured away from blues and toward more mainstream rock. Some music industry observers have credited him with pioneering the "alt-country" movement, in which roots-based music was infused with punk and rock stylings.
"Every album he did was completely different from the one he did before," Kessler said.
After Columbia, he recorded for Dave Matthews' ATO label and for New York-based Messenger, which released his last album, "Soft Dangerous Shores," in July. Whitley recorded a follow-up, "Reiter In," which has not yet been released.
Whitley is survived by his 18-year-old daughter, Trixie, a brother, Dan, and his father, Jerry.
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