| Tom Keith | |
|---|---|
Tom Keith (left) with other cast members onstage in a live performance of A Prairie Home Companion |
|
| Born | Thomas Alan Keith[1] December 21, 1946 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Died | October 30, 2011 (aged 64) Woodbury, Minnesota |
| Cause of death | heart attack[1] |
| Resting place | Acacia Cemetery |
| Residence | Woodbury, Minnesota |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | radio personality |
| Years active | 1973–2011 |
| Employer | Minnesota Public Radio |
| Known for | Sound effects |
| Spouse | Ri Wei Liu-Keith |
| Parents | James (Jimmy) Keith Elizabeth Doig Keith[2] |
Thomas Alan Keith (December 21, 1946 – October 30, 2011) was a radio personality who worked for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the engineer for Garrison Keillor when he began his early morning radio show from the St. John's University Collegeville studio. Keillor wanted dialogue during the program and Keith was about the only other person around at that early hour. Keith was one of the primary sound effects performers for the Prairie Home Companion radio show and was often an actor in sketches written by Keillor.[1]
Keillor created the persona of Jim Ed Poole for Keith on the old early morning show. Jim Ed was said to have grown up in West St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated from Henry Sibley High School. He frequently made references to Ma and Pa Poole and his Scottish heritage.
After serving in the Marine Corps, Keith earned a degree from the University of Minnesota. When production of the radio program moved to St. Paul, Tom Keith continued to play Jim Ed who lived in the Hotel Transom with his pet chicken, Curtis.
When Keillor left the morning program, Keith was joined on The Morning Show by Dale Connelly. Keith maintained the Jim Ed Poole persona and developed several other characters (like Dr. Larry Kyle of Genway Laboratories and B. Marty Barry the self-described "bottomless well of wellness") in cooperation with Connelly. Keith developed his vocal and sound effects skills on the morning program and later on Prairie Home Companion.
On October 15, 2008, Keith announced his intention to retire on December 11. The Morning Show was discontinued after a final live performance at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul that morning.[3]
Minnesota Public Radio announced that Tom Keith died October 30, 2011.[4]