| Jerry Keller | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jerry Paul Keller |
| Born | June 20, 1937 Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States |
| Genres | Easy listening Traditional popular music |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Kapp (U.S.) London (UK) |
Jerry Keller (born Jerry Paul Keller, June 20, 1937, Fort Smith, Arkansas[1]) is an American pop singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1959 million selling record, "Here Comes Summer."[2]
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Born in Arkansas, Keller's family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was aged six,[2] and Keller attended Tulsa's Will Rogers High School, graduating in 1955. He was known as a vocal soloist in various school productions, and was often invited to do guest vocals with top bands touring the area. He formed 'The Lads of Note' quartet in his teens, joined the Tulsa Boy Singers and toured the Midwest.[2]
Keller was a student at the University of Tulsa. He moved to New York in 1956, and Pat Boone, who attended the same church as Keller, sent him to see Marty Mills who became Keller's manager.[2]
Keller's biggest self-penned hit was 1959's "Here Comes Summer." It climbed to #14 in the Billboard Hot 100. The record reached number one in the UK the same year,[3] but lack of further chart appearances branded Keller as a one-hit wonder. "Here Comes Summer" reached the number one spot in the UK in, ironically, the autumn of 1959.[4]
He also co-wrote the song "A Man and a Woman", which was recorded by such artists as Matt Monro, Ella Fitzgerald, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis and José Feliciano.[5] In addition he co-penned "Almost There", a successful single for Andy Williams, plus "How Does It Go?" recorded in 1965 by Ricky Nelson.
In the film arena, Keller wrote soundtrack music for I Saw What You Did (1965) and Angel in My Pocket (1969). He also wrote "The Legend of Shenandoah", recited by James Stewart in the 1965 film Shenandoah.
Keller went on to be a number-one-call vocalist for television jingles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also had cameo role as the orchestra music director in the 1977 film You Light Up My Life.[4]