Kentucky Bluebird is the title of a new film project about to get underway, based on the life and frustratingly brief career of bluegrass/country star Keith Whitley. Keith made his presence felt in bluegrass from the early 1970s, when he joined Ralph Stanley’s band as a teenager (along with fellow Kentuckian, Ricky Skaggs), through an impressive stint with JD Crowe & The New South. His subsequent career recording mainstream country music for RCA earned him multiple chart hits and impressive sales figures, which continued even after he was discovered dead in his home in May of 1989.

Casting for the film role of Keith Whitley is now underway, and audition tapes are being solicited by Fincannon & Associates, who have been contracted to cast the film. They request that any audition be sent on DVD or VHS, and contain a brief monologue demonstrating your acting range, plus a live rendition of two Whitley songs – one each from his bluegrass and his country repertoire.

Fincannon & Associates’ web site does not seem to be functional, but they do have an email address, and their published contact information is as follows:

We have not yet been able to obtain any information about who is producing this film, or when it might go into production, but we will update as we find more details. Bluegrass fans harbor a great fondness for Keith Whitley, and will surely embrace a film on his life with great anticipation.