Don't Close Your Eyes (album) explained

Don't Close Your Eyes
Type:	studio
Artist:	Keith Whitley
Cover:	Don't Close Your Eyes.jpg
Released:	May 31, 1988
Recorded:	1987
Genre:	Country
Length:	39:31
Label:	RCA Records
Producer:	Garth Fundis, Keith Whitley Blake Mevis (tracks 6, 7)
Prev Title:	L.A. to Miami
Prev Year:	1985
Next Title:	I Wonder Do You Think of Me
Next Year:	1989

Don't Close Your Eyes is the second studio album by American country music artist Keith Whitley and the last to be released during his lifetime. The album was released on May 31, 1988, by RCA Records. After the success of his debut album, L.A. to Miami (1985), Whitley re-entered the studio and began recording a second album with producer Blake Mevis. After its completion, Whitley was unhappy with its production, and he convinced his label to shelve the recordings. Don't Close Your Eyes was subsequently recorded with producer Garth Fundis.^{[1] [2]} The album's liner notes credit Fundis and Whitley with production on all tracks except "Some Old Side Road" and "Would These Arms Be in Your Way", which are credited to Mevis.^[3]

The album became a commercial success, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. It contained three consecutive number one hits on the Hot Country Singles chart: "Don't Close Your Eyes", "When You Say Nothing at All", and "I'm No Stranger to the Rain".

Track listing

• ^AOmitted from LP and cassette versions.

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.^[4]

All tracks except "Some Old Side Road" and "Would These Arms Be in Your Way"Musicians

• Eddie Bayers — drums
• Paul Franklin — steel guitar, Pedabro
• Allen Frizzell — background vocals on "I Never Go Around Mirrors"
• Garth Fundis — background vocals
• Red Lane — acoustic guitar
• Mac McAnally — acoustic guitar
• Dave Pomeroy — bass guitar
• Matt Rollings — piano
• Billy Sanford — acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Keith Whitley — lead vocals
• Dennis Wilson — background vocals

Technical

• Garth Fundis — production, mixing
• Carlos Grier — mastering assistant
• Gary Laney — engineering, mixing
• Denny Purcell — mastering
• Todd Sholar — assistant engineer
• Keith Whitley — production

"Some Old Side Road" and "Would These Arms Be in Your Way"Musicians

• Sonny Garrish — steel guitar
• Vern Gosdin — background vocals on "Would These Arms Be in Your Way"
• Rob Hajacos — fiddle on "Would These Arms Be in Your Way"
• Emmylou Harris — background vocals on "Would These Arms Be in Your Way"
• Mitch Humphries — keyboards
• Jerry Kroon — drums
• Mike Lawler — synthesizer
• Larry Paxton — bass guitar
• Brent Rowan — acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Keith Whitley — lead vocals
• Dennis Wilson — background vocals on "Some Old Side Road"
• Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young — background vocals on "Some Old Side Road"

Technical

• Bill Harris — engineering
• Blake Mevis — production

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[5]	47
Chart (1989)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[6]	14
Chart (1990)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[7]	39

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US Country	CAN Country
1987	"Would These Arms Be in Your Way"	36	—
	"Some Old Side Road"	16	32
1988	"Don't Close Your Eyes"	1	2
	"When You Say Nothing at All"	1	1
1989	"I'm No Stranger to the Rain"	1	1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Production

• Produced by Garth Fundis and Keith Whitley except for tracks 6 and 7, produced by Blake Mevis for Southwind Music, Inc.
• Engineered By Bill Harris, Gary Laney & Todd Sholar
• Mixed By Garth Fundis & Gary Laney
• Digital Editing By Carlos Grier
• Mastered By Denny Purcell

Notes and References

1. News: Back In Focus. Chicago Tribune. May 15, 1988. Jack Hurst. January 3, 2016.
2. News: Keith Whitley: Biography. Allmusic. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. January 3, 2016.
3. Don't Close Your Eyes . Keith Whitley . 1988 . CD booklet . RCA Records . 6494-2-R.
4. Don't Close Your Eyes . Keith Whitley . 1988 . CD booklet . RCA Records . 6494.
5. Top Country Albums – Year-End 1988. Billboard. December 31, 2020.
6. Top Country Albums – Year-End 1989. Billboard. December 31, 2020.
7. Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990. Billboard. December 31, 2020.