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Posts Tagged ‘Chris Whitley’

Remembering Chris Whitley

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the sublime singer-songwriter-neo bluesman Chris Whitley.

Whitley died of lung cancer in 2005, never having achieved the commercial success that he so richly deserved.

Here’s “Dust Radio” from his stunning 1991 debut album, “Livin’ With the Law”:

We’re also very excited that director Jonathan Mayor has been hard at work on a documentary film, “Dust Radio: A Film About Chris Whitley.” Here’s the trailer for the upcoming film, which is slated for release next year:

(more…)

Tags: birthdays, Chris Whitley
Posted in Film/TV/DVD, Music | 2 Comments »

Answers to Flashback/Pop Quiz: Who Played the First Rock Show at the Knickerbocker Arena

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Last Wednesday, on the 20th anniversary of the concert, our Pop Quiz asked two questions:

1. Who headlined the first rock show at the Knickerbocker Arena (now known as the Times Union Center)?
A: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cranked up their amps to inaugurate the new arena on February 3, 1990.

2. Who was the opening act?
A: That was the late, great, sadly under-rated neo-bluesman Chris Whitley.

Michael Hochanadel was the only person to correctly answer both questions of all the answers here on Nippertown.com and in the long-winded discussion on our Facebook page. Congratulations, Michael, you’ve won yourself a snappy set of Michael Jordan Valentines!!

Tags: Chris Whitley, Pop Quiz, Tom Petty
Posted in Flashback, Music | Comments Off

Song of the Week: Chris Whitley’s “Rocket House”

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Today marks the 49th anniversary of the birth of Chris Whitley, cult singer-songwriter and neo-bluesman.

Although he never achieved the mainstream success that he deserved, his 1991 album “Living With the Law” was one of the most remarkable debuts of the past two decades.

Chris Whitley died of lung cancer in 2005.

Right now, our fave Whitley album is 2001′s “Rocket House,” featuring a batch of unlikely special guests including Dave Matthews, DJ Logic, Blondie Chaplin and Bruce Hornsby.

Here’s a live version of the title track:

UPDATE: Bill Patterson sent along these photos, adding “the first two were from 6/10/2005 in Bellows Falls, Vt, the 3rd with Hayes Carll (and Darcy Yates then from the Fred Eaglesmith Band) is from 6/11/05 in Walpole, NH. Both were associated with the Roots on The River Festival. “

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