Born in 1892 in Fries, Whitter grew up hearing the fiddle and banjo music of Grayson County.  But he also liked the parlor music of the time, and the guitar.  He had a good ear for a song, and a boundless enthusiasm for music.

No one invited him to come to New York and make recordings in 1923, but he did. His success was greeted with consternation at home.  He was not noted locally as an outstanding musician, and this had not been done before.  Even the recording company seemed baffled that he had talked them into doing it, so his recordings lay on the shelf for a few weeks.

But then, Atlanta store owner Polk Brockman insisted that recordings of John Carson (made after Whitter’s) be issued, and they were a success, so the company Whitter recorded for recalled, “Hey, don’t we have something like that?” 

Whitter’s big hit was The Wreck of the Southern Old 97, but he made dozens of other recordings and took many fine area musicians to studios with him.  Notable among these is Banmon Gilliam Grayson of Johnson County, Tennessee.  Grayson and Whitter gave songs and sound to many fans and followers such as the Mainers and the Stanley Brothers.