#2 - Keith Whitley - I'm No Stranger To The Rain - 1989
Keith Whitley deserves a lot of credit for a lot of good things. He debuted in 1985 and Country didn't know it yet, but it was looking for a few heroes to show up and change the path of country. Whitley, Randy Travis and others all hit about the same time to set the stage for the Neo-Traditionalists movement. Fans loved Whitley for every reason there is to love a new superstar. This was the last single released during his lifetime, as he died suddenly at 34. This song was a #1, and was the CMA Single Of The Year for 1989. This song is the perfect country song about tough times and overcoming them. It struck a nerve with many battling demons as Whitley quietly was. It's a song of strength, resolve and the ongoing battle that simmers slightly below the surface for many. His delivery on this is perfect, the song is beautiful and the message is clear. Songs this honest, relatable and good is the reason why millions of us love country music. It speaks for many, and makes others feel empathy for many and it is a testimony for good. This was in the middle of an incredible run of #1 songs he had going, as he was just starting to sing along side the new superstars he paved the way for before his very sad and untimely death. This song is better than most songs of any kind, it's fantastic and so was he. Keith Whitley with his relatively short run, is in the Country Music Hall Of Fame. This is a country music masterpiece.
The ONLY reason this isn't my #1 - Because #1 is one of the most played songs of any kind of the 20th century on radio and was a #1 song in virtually every country on earth at one time or another over the course of many years.
My Full Profile On Keith Whitley
