One of the most beloved love songs in the country music genre is the 1988 classic “When You Say Nothing At All”. The late Keith Whitley released it on his Don’t Close Your Eyes album as the follow-up single to the title track, which went No. 1.
“When You Say Nothing At All” eventually reached the top of the charts, becoming Whitley’s second in a string of five No. 1’s in a row. It was written by songwriting veterans Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and Whitley knew he had to release it right away. He had previously recorded an Overstreet/Schlitz masterpiece that went on to be a No. 1 for Randy Travis, “On The Other Hand”, and was not about to let that happen to him again.
About five years after Whitley’s untimely death, Alison Krauss recorded a tribute album to the late legend titled Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album. Her rendition of “When You Say Nothing At All” was included and after the album was released, began being played on country radio even though she hadn’t yet released it as a single.
While Krauss’ version was climbing the charts, the production director at WMIL-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin edited both of their versions together to create an incredible virtual duet. The meshing of the two versions is so seamless that it sounds as if they were in the studio together.
Thanks to the power of technology, we now have this phenomenal rendition of such an incredible song. Take a listen to their duet below.