Whitley was born with it, a set of vocal chords that bring forth satiny smooth, “blue-eyed soul” resonance, perfectly suited to his musical genre. A self-trained vocalist, Whitley began his performing career playing drums and singing, forming a band with his brother, nationally touring act Zach Deputy. He then went on to play with various bands while further refining his vocal stylings at Hilton Head Island’s Jazz Corner, perennially voted a one of the world’s best jazz clubs in the world. “That really helped me develop my skills as a vocalist because it was the first gig I had that I didn’t have to play an instrument. I could just stand there and sing. I loved it. I miss it.”

Although he kept with the drums for about 15 years, Deputy did not go into music as a full-time occupation right away. After graduating he took a job in real estate for about 11 years, but when the market went south in the late-2000s he decided it was time to find a better way to earn a living so he turned his focus to music. It was fate. He decided that it made more sense to play guitar if he was going to pursue music full-time. So he picked up a six-string and taught himself how to play. Deputy will tell you that the transition was wasn’t terribly difficult. “I already had the ear being a drummer. I already knew what I wanted it to sound like. I just had to get my fingers to do what I heard in my head." Getting caught up in the moment, in the song is a regular occurrence for Whitley. "It's not what it sounds like... It's what it feels like." says Whitley. And man, does it feel good.