Jesse Whitley returns to Barbecue to carry on family tradition

DECATUR -- Very few times in the 62 years of the Decatur Barbecue have a husband and wife done back-to-back performances and packed the house. Now, the son of those legendary performers will carry on the family tradition when he performs during the 62nd annual Decatur Barbecue, "A Family Affair."

When Pat Austin, Decatur Barbecue entertainment chairperson, contacted the manager of Jesse Keith Whitley, son of Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan, to see if he wanted to play at this year's event, he called back and agreed to carry on the family tradition.

Keith Whitley gave two performances at Decatur City Park on August 5, 1988, for the 35th Annual Decatur Barbecue. As he hit the stage for his first performance, his billboard number one hit, "Don't Close Your Eyes," went gold (sold 500,000 copies). The crowd was estimated to be well over 14,000 on that day in 1988.

"There were people everywhere," said Austin. "At one point, he was asked to turn around and sing to the crowd that was behind the stage. He did."

The next year, Whitley's wife, Lorrie Morgan, agreed to follow in her husband's footsteps and perform at the 36th Decatur Barbecue. However, tragedy struck on May 9, 1989, when a family member found Whitley face down in his bed, dead from alcohol poisoning (the finding is still in dispute), ending the career of this rising country music star.

But true to country music performers, Morgan took center stage at the Decatur Barbecue and, as her husband had a year earlier, packed the house. The crowd was estimated to be 10,000, setting the second highest attendance record for the Decatur Barbecue.

Jesse Whitley (born June 15, 1987) was one month shy of his second birthday when his father died. As he grew older, the younger Whitley knew he was destined to follow in his famous father's footsteps.

Jesse's music revolves around many of his father' hits. When he performs "Don't Close Your Eyes," audiences detect some of the same magical qualities that marked his father' style.

Jesse Whitley released his CD, "Kentucky Thunder," on May 9, 2011, the 22nd anniversary of his father's death. While his songs, "Why the Hell Not" and "Where Would I Be," cemented the young Whitley as a country singer, it was his father's hit, "Don't Close Your Eyes," a tribute to his memory, that brought attention to his unique voice.

The stage at Decatur City Park still stands as a testament to not just Whitley and Morgan, but all the performers who graced its concrete floor. Although across town, Jesse Keith Whitley will forge his family's bond at the Decatur Barbecue in Veterans Park and hopefully open the stage up for future generations of the Whitley family to join the "Family Affair."