Jesse Keith Whitley knows he will always be compared to other country music artists, especially those from his own family, although he chooses to not focus his attention on that fact.
"Those are shoes that won't ever be filled. Those are some big ones! I'm not my dad. I'm not my mom. I'm not my grandma or my grandpa," Whitley said Saturday evening as he prepared to entertain the crowd waiting to hear him sing at Bayso's Sports Pub in Grayson.
"We treat shows like this just the same as the big shows," Whitley said, confirming a recent sold out performance at Renfro Valley with an audience of 62,000 people.
"To me it shows just how easily things change as people come into the room," he said of the more intimate space at Bayso's. In addition to solo songs with only his guitar, Whitley was accompanied by guitarist Kirk Roth, who recently co-produced the new album from Breaking Ground.
Bearing a famous name can be a mixed blessing, Whitley said.
"It's a little bit of both (good and bad). People hold you to a different standard."
While he does not shy away from singing some of the songs his father made famous, Whitley hopes listeners will check out his original efforts, including the recently released "Red, White and Blue" song and video which was found in the Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog.
The video for Red White and Blue includes combat footage taken by Army veteran Justin Daye.
"We cut it on a Wednesday and released it on Saturday afternoon," he said with a smile.
Whitley said he's also looking forward to his next recording sessions.
"We're fixing to do a more 'southern rock' album. That's the direction we're going. That's what I love to play."
Story and Photo by TIM PRESTON
Carter County Post