Morgan Wallen seems to be honoring the late Keith Whitley with an unreleased new song. Wallen cites several of Whitley’s hits in the song clip, including “Kentucky Bluebird,” “I’m No Stranger To the Rain” and “I Never Go Around Mirrors.”
Wallen captioned the video, shared first on Instagram, with, “Sittin here waiting on the sun in a deer blind..here’s a new one,”
Several of Wallen’s friends chimed in on the song, including Cole Swindell, who simply commented with “Sheesh,” and Jake Owen, who wrote, “Damn bro. That’ll work.”
Wallen, who is working on a new album, recently paid tribute to the Country Music Hall of Fame member with another of his songs. Wallen shared a video of him on December 24, in front of a Christmas tree, performing “Kentucky Bluebird,” which Wallen said is one of his favorite songs of Whitley.
Wallen has previously said that it’s Whitley, along with Eric Church, who instilled in him a love of country music, which he pursued as a career after his first plans, of becoming a professional baseball player, fell through due to an injury.
“I was living country music more than I was listening to it,” Wallen told Billboard. “The way [Church] wrote songs and the way that he said things really struck a chord with me. His realness, raw emotion and authenticity drew me in. Then I started digging a little bit deeper and started listening to Keith Whitley. I finally got into country music more and when I picked up a guitar, that’s what I wrote.”
The 29-year-old still can’t quite believe how much his life has changed in the past decade. After focusing on a career in country music, Wallen auditioned for the sixth season of The Voice in 2014, at the encouragement of his mother, making it to the playoffs before he was eliminated.
“I sang some pop songs, and then they finally let me pick a song. I picked a country song and they kicked me off,” Wallen recalled on Drury Outdoors with a chuckle. “It was the best thing to ever happen though. But I just met some people through that and ended up moving to Nashville in 2015. I’ve been there since 2015. It’s been good to me.”
Wallen released his ambitious, 30-track, Dangerous: The Double Album in 2021, but he will soon have a new project for his fans. The Tennessee native just dropped three new songs, “Tennessee Fan,” “Days That End In Why” and “One Thing At A Time,” from his forthcoming new project. Wallen shared the songs when announcing his One Night At A Time World Tour.
Wallen’s One Night At A Time World Tour will kick off on April 15, performing 39 dates in four countries, spanning two continents, including 17 stadiums, plus numerous arenas and amphitheaters. ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman will join Wallen for all dates, while HARDY and Parker McCollum will join the tour for select dates. Find music and tour dates at MorganWallen.com.
