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\n\tThe late country artist and Country Music Hall of Fame member Keith Whitley<\/a> will be the focus of an upcoming documentary film, thanks in part to his fellow country artist Blake Shelton<\/a>. The Whitley-centered documentary will begin filming in January 2025.<\/p>\n \n\tShelton is co-producing the documentary with Lee Metzger of Lucky Horseshoe Productions. Also leading the project are Anomaly Content & Entertainment (ACE) partner and producer Evan Hayes (Free Solo<\/em>), with ACE partner and CEO Justin Barocas serving as executive producer and Zach Heinzerling (Cutie and the Boxer<\/em>, McCartney 3, 2, 1<\/em>) serving as director.<\/p>\n \n\tWhitley died in May 1989 at age 34, with only two full-length studio country albums having been released by the time of his passing (1985\u2019s L.A. to Miami <\/em>and 1988\u2019s Don\u2019t Close Your Eyes<\/em>; his third album, 1989\u2019s I Wonder Do You Think of Me<\/em>, arrived three months after his death). However, the songwriting and vocal prowess displayed on those projects \u2014 and in his live shows \u2014 has been an indelible influence on generations of artists. Whitley\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m No Stranger to the Rain\u201d earned the CMA\u2019s 1989 single of the year honor, while Whitley\u2019s duet with wife Lorrie Morgan, \u201c\u2018Til a Tear Becomes a Rose,\u201d was named the CMA\u2019s vocal event of the year in 1990.<\/p>\n \n\tThe documentary will look at Whitley\u2019s life and career, his struggles with addiction, his romance and marriage to fellow country artist Morgan, and his lasting impact on the music industry. The upcoming documentary will also feature archival footage from the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as personal collections from Morgan. The film will also look at Whitley\u2019s roots in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, and will highlight reflections from Morgan as she navigates her own career while honoring Whitley\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n \n\tShelton said in a statement, \u201cKeith Whitley released only three albums during his life, but his music has influenced generations of country music artists and fans. Gwen [Stefani] and I love to watch music documentaries, and I looked for his doc one night and couldn\u2019t believe that there wasn\u2019t one. I\u2019m proud and honored we get to bring his incredible story to film.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThanks to\u00a0Blake, we finally have the chance to uncover the truth behind the legend that is Keith Whitley: a layered and heartbreaking story of talent, hardship, and love that is long overdue,\u201d Heinzerling added. Hayes said, \u201cWhat drew me to this project was the idea of tapping into a pop culture story that lies slightly beneath the surface. Here is this guy who is so important in the country music world \u2014 he inspired the modern\u00a0Star Is Born<\/em>, Morgan Wallen wrote a song about him and his music \u2014 and a lot of people don\u2019t know his name. To be able to explore this character and this love story that had permeated pop culture country music in such an impactful way and to introduce it to mainstream audiences is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn 2023, Shelton and Metzger founded Lucky Horseshoe Productions, which helmed the USA Network series Barmageddon<\/em>, and is in pre-production on the upcoming singing competition series<\/a> The Road<\/em>. \u00a0
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\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to bring Keith\u2019s story to a wide audience,\u201d Metzger said. \u201cHe\u2019s the kind of singer everyone knows the songs when they hear them but doesn\u2019t know the story of the singer who performed them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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