Meet Craig Whitley
A songwriter, storyteller, entrepreneur, and lifelong student of his craft. Craig Whitley’s music represents a remarkable late-life songwriting journey built on decades of experience, writing, travel, family, and stories gathered along the way.
The Storytelling Wasn’t.
Craig Whitley’s songwriting journey began with an idea that stayed with him for decades. In 1974, while traveling from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Magnolia, Arkansas, Craig wrote his first song, “Nashville Dreams.” The song became the beginning of a creative chapter that would remain largely unexplored for more than 50 years.
In 2025, Craig finally began bringing that long-held musical ambition to life. What started with one song quickly developed into an extraordinary period of songwriting and music creation, turning decades of experiences and observations into original songs.
The songwriting may be a new chapter, but the foundation behind it was built over a lifetime.
Before the Music
Long before songwriting became a central part of Craig’s creative life, he spent more than four decades building a career in the energy industry.
Beginning his professional career in 1971 as an analytical chemist, Craig moved through increasingly diverse roles in the oil and gas industry before becoming an international LPG and natural gas liquids consultant. His career included leadership positions with Purvin & Gertz and BP, along with consulting assignments across 49 countries.
As an international consultant, Craig worked across market analysis, forecasting, strategic planning, feasibility studies, negotiations, and advisory services. He also delivered more than 350 industry speeches and taught more than 50 industry workshops during his career.
That career demanded more than technical knowledge. It demanded research, writing, communication, analysis, problem-solving, public speaking, and the ability to understand people and their needs. Those experiences now form part of the material behind Craig’s songwriting.
From Louisiana To The World
Craig was born in Bastrop, Louisiana, and grew up in Anacoco, a small Louisiana community where his family lived on his maternal grandfather’s farm. He graduated as valedictorian of Anacoco High School’s class of 1966 before attending LSU on a scholarship.
Those Louisiana roots remain an important part of Craig’s story. The people, places, experiences, humor, challenges, relationships, and observations collected throughout his life provide an endless reservoir of stories to draw from.
His professional life later took him around the world, giving him experiences across dozens of countries and cultures. Today, those seemingly different chapters — Louisiana roots, family life, international travel, business, consulting, writing, and music — come together through his songs.
A Writer Long Before He Was A Songwriter
Songwriting wasn’t Craig’s first experience with words. Throughout his professional career, writing and communication were central to his work — from analytical studies and market outlooks to presentations, speeches, workshops, and industry publications.
That background helped develop the discipline to research an idea, find the story inside it, communicate it clearly, and connect with an audience.
Songwriting simply gave Craig another way to tell those stories.
From Experience to Expression
Today, Craig Whitley is exploring music with the same curiosity and determination that shaped his professional life. His growing catalog crosses multiple musical styles, allowing different stories and emotions to find their own sound.
For Craig, the goal isn’t simply to write more songs. It is to turn a lifetime of experiences into music that people can hear, feel, and remember.
Hear the stories. Discover the songs.
Listen, watch, follow, share, cover, license—or simply discover the next song that stays with you.