Carter County musician Dustin Burchett said the chance to sing Keith Whitley’s “Kentucky Bluebird” for a Nashville audience including members of the late singer’s family, was a special experience.
“Yeah man … it was very, very good. To be on a stage like that was a great experience,” Burchett said after returning from his performance as part of “A Whitley Country Christmas” at the Texas Troubadour Theatre.
“I’m used to playing at festivals and fairs and bars. To be on a stage like that was a great experience,” he said, comparing the size of the stage, as well as the curtains, to that of Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center.
Along with his longtime guitarist and fellow Carter Countian, Phillip Green, Burchett joined the evening’s house band to perform four songs, including one original tune and a favorite of Keith Whitley fans.
“We played Seminole Wind, Kentucky Bluebird, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and our own song, Where Did Time Go?'”
Kentucky Bluebird, he said, always holds special meaning to him regardless of where he is singing, Burchett said.
“Think about it – Kentucky Bluebird … especially when I’m like in Ohio or Indiana or somewhere playing it,” he said, smiling before adding “It kind of brings you back to peace.”
Burchett, who owns and operates AAA Industrial Millwright Contracting, is finishing work on a new recording he hopes to have released by Memorial Day. He has a pair of shows scheduled at Austin City Saloon locations in Lexington and Corbin in late January, and hopes to schedule a show at Bayso’s Sports Pub in Grayson with special guest Jesse Keith Whitley, if they can work out the details.
Burchett said he is particularly grateful to members of Keith Whitley’s family who have allowed him to help keep the legendary singer’s memory and music alive.
“They’ve been good to me,” he said.
Burchett said anyone interested in learning more about his music will find it “on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – all that good stuff.”
Story by TIM PRESTON
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