Keith West
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| Keith West | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Keith Alan Hopkins |
| Born | December 6, 1943 |
| Origin | Dagenham, Essex, England |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | mid-1960s - present |
| Label(s) | Parlophone, Kuckuck (FRG) |
| Associated acts | The In Crowd, Tomorrow, Moonrider |
Keith West (born 6 December 1943, Dagenham, Essex, England[1] as Keith Alan Hopkins[2]) was the lead singer of Tomorrow, a 1960s psychedelic rock band.[3] West composed most of the band's songs (duly credited to Keith Hopkins). Despite critical acclaim and support from BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who featured them on his Perfumed Garden show, the band was not a commercial success.
In 1964 West became lead singer of "In Crowd" a rock band from London, which was then renamed Tomorrow. Another member of that earlier band was the guitarist Steve Howe (later Yes). In 1967 West became acquainted with Mark Wirtz, a producer who had already created the instrumental title, "A Touch of Velvet, a Sting of Brass" (1965). Later on the melody became the theme tune for the German television programs, Beat-Club and Musikladen.
West himself is perhaps better known as a participant of Wirtz's A Teenage Opera. He was the singer of "Grocer Jack (Excerpt from A Teenage Opera)," also known as "Grocer Jack," which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1967. He also performed "Sam," which reached the bottom end of the Top 40 the same year.
In 1968 West released the single "On A Saturday" on Parlophone Records. Other musicians who appeared on the single were the guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Ronnie Wood, and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. It has since been included on the remastered CD version of the Tomorrow album (1999).
In 1971 West released a solo album, Wherever My Love Goes on the German progressive rock record label, Kuckuck. It features his songwriting partner Ken Burgess and steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell (ex-The Misunderstood). Two tracks of it were produced by Andrew Loog Oldham.
By the mid 1970s West was the lead singer for a group called Moonrider.
West continues to produce and record music, which is used primarily within the advertising industry.
[edit] References
- ^ Keith West: UK Top 10 hits. URL last accessed 15 April 2007.
- ^ Musical Calendar for December 6. URL last accessed 15 April 2007.
- ^ allmusic (((Keith West > Biography ))). URL last accessed 15 April 2007.
