Difference between revisions of "Bob Keane"

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(Added Glendale college (FZ connection) +Corrected name of Keane's 1st label involvement+aerospace entrepreneur partner Siamas in parenthesis+a few tweaks)
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[[Bob Keene]], who is actually also [[Bob Keane]], but was born as [[Robert Kuhn]] (January 5, 1922, Manhattan Beach, California), is name-checked on the cover of "[[Freak Out!]]" (1966) under the heading "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them".
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'''Bob Keane''' (born Robert Verrill Kuhn - January 5, 1922, Manhattan Beach, California, died November 28, 2009) was a musician, record producer, record label founder. He released Zappa's early recordings and is listed on the cover of [[Freak Out!]] as Bob Keene.
  
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He was 'discovered' in 1938 by the MCA label, after his concert broadcast from [[Glendale]] Junior College was heard by an agent. He was dropped from the label as they feared he would be called up for active service. In his book <i>"The Oracle Of Del-Fi"</i> Kuhn indicates he called himself 'Keen' after an announcer pronounced his name as "coon", but, as an artist he also performed as Bob Keene (and even as Verrill Keene). He is the man who gave Sam Cooke, Ritchie Valens, FZ, Bobby Fuller and Barry White their breaks in the music business.
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As a teenager his band's school concert was broadcast as a last minute replacement for a cancelled show. This was heard by an agent; signing him to [[wikipedia:MCA Inc.|MCA]] who marketed him as the worlds youngest band leader. He was dropped from the label as they feared he would be called up for active service. After being retired from the military with a lung infection he returned to band work. After a TV announcer pronounced his name as "coon" it was suggested he change his name to Keen. An 'e' was added to become Keene which later evolved into Keane.
  
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A hotshot clarinet player who got his start playing with Artie Shaw in 1953 and, from 1948 through 1953, he fronted his own dance band. When the big band business declined, Keane started getting into Latino music and rock and roll. In 1957, Keane reinvented himself as a music mogul and started [[Keen Records]] (with partner John Siamas). The label's first release - Sam Cooke's classic "You Send Me" (backed with his version of Gershwin's "Summertime") - was an immediate success,of course.
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Whilst playing clarinet in clubs around Los Angeles he was approached by John Siamas to set up a record label and find talent to record. The first release on [[wikipedia:Keen Records|Keen Records]] was [[wikipedia:Sam Cooke|Sam Cooke]]'s "You Send Me". By the end of 1957 this had become a national hit and had earned the record label a great deal of money but as Keane only had an informal verbal contract with Siamas he was not enjoying the success. It became apparent that he had been tricked and found himself manoeuvred out of his own record company.
  
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With an eye on expanding this success, Keane created [[Del-Fi Records]], named after the Oracle of Delphi, the Greek god of inspiration. Del-Fi Records specialized in recording "[[pachucos]]", as local Mexicans in Los Angeles were called. Keane brought both Ritchie Valens ("Donna", "La Bamba", ...) and Bobby Fuller ("I Fought the Law") to the brink of stardom before each suffered untimely deaths. Chan Romero tecorded "Hippy Hippy Shake", the original of an international hit cover version by a British band, the Swinging Blue Jeans.
 
  
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By 1963, Del-Fi was concentrating on guitar-based surf/drag-racing music popular in southern California. Del-Fi continued to grow and Keane developed several subsidiary labels ([[Donna]] - obviously named for Keane's biggest hit record -, [[Mustang]], and [[Bronco]], among others) that released more than 700 singles in the early Sixties. Keane's studio on Selma Avenue, near the famous Hollywood & Vine intersection, had an "open door policy" for recording.
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==Del-Fi==
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Close to bankruptcy his wife suggested finding others who Siamas had conned to get them to fund setting up a new record label. Having found such a backer Del-Fi Records was established in 1958 taking its name from the [[wikipedia:Delphi#Oracle_of_Delphi|Oracle of Delphi]] but modified to Fi to reflect the new [[wikipedia:High fidelity|Hi Fi audio]] recordings and equipment which were becoming popular. The first release was the standard [[Caravan]] by Henri Rose.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38qL-pBCcuo YouTube]</ref>. This was successful enough that [[Warner Brothers]] purchased Rose's contract from Keane allowing him to pay off his original backer.
  
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On December 16, 1958, Keane led a group of session musicians (including [[Carol Kaye]]) to record the hit [[wikipedia:Donna (Ritchie Valens song)|Donna]] with [[wikipedia:Richie Valens|Ritchie Valens]] whom Keane had discovered earlier that year and had worked alongside developing songs in his home studio. After the untimely death of Valens Keane set up a subsidiary label called Donna alongside Del-Fi. Unlike most record companies at the time Keane adopted an 'open door' policy - "I'll listen to anyone, even if they bring 'em in on a stretcher" he once quipped.
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In early 1963 an individual looking like a 'skinny little high-school kid' wandered into the office and introduced himself as Frank Zappa.<ref>Zappa would hawk the recordings around various companies so titles appear across various small local labels.</ref>  He had a pile of tapes he had made with [[Paul Buff]] at [[PAL Recording Studio|a small studio]] in [[Cucamonga]]. Zappa described some of the recordings as "oddball, textured weirdo stuff" that Keane later realised had eventually become part of the [[Hot Rats]] album.<ref>See Little Umbrellas (Cucamonga version) from [[The Hot Rats Sessions]]</ref> Keane took a gamble and purchased several of the tapes for $500 to release as singles.  The first was Paul Buffs Slow Bird/Blind Man's Buff (Donna 1376 - January 1963) followed by [[Baby Ray & The Ferns]] How's Your Bird/World's Greatest Sinner (Donna 1378 March 1963), [[Bob Guy]] Letter From Jeepers/Dear Jeepers (Donna 1380 April 1963), [[The Heartbreakers]] Cradle Rock/Every Time I See You (Donna 1381 April 1964).
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Keane went on to set up further subsidiary labels such as Bronco and Mustang but with the demise of his most successful act [[wikipedia:The Bobby Fuller Four|The Bobby Fuller Four]].  The company was closed down in 1967 and Keane took to selling burglar alarms.
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===Notes===
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<references/>
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===See also===
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[[wikipedia:Bob Keane|Bob Keane - Wikipedia]]
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The Oracle of Del-Fi (My life in music) by Bob Keane (ISBN 0-9768105-1-4) - Chapter 11 Frank Zappa/Paul Bluff
 
[[Category:Supporting Cast|Keane, Bob]]
 
[[Category:Supporting Cast|Keane, Bob]]
 
[[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Keane, Bob]]
 
[[Category:Freak Out! (The List)|Keane, Bob]]

Revision as of 10:07, 25 July 2021

Bob Keane (born Robert Verrill Kuhn - January 5, 1922, Manhattan Beach, California, died November 28, 2009) was a musician, record producer, record label founder. He released Zappa's early recordings and is listed on the cover of Freak Out! as Bob Keene.

As a teenager his band's school concert was broadcast as a last minute replacement for a cancelled show. This was heard by an agent; signing him to MCA who marketed him as the worlds youngest band leader. He was dropped from the label as they feared he would be called up for active service. After being retired from the military with a lung infection he returned to band work. After a TV announcer pronounced his name as "coon" it was suggested he change his name to Keen. An 'e' was added to become Keene which later evolved into Keane.

Whilst playing clarinet in clubs around Los Angeles he was approached by John Siamas to set up a record label and find talent to record. The first release on Keen Records was Sam Cooke's "You Send Me". By the end of 1957 this had become a national hit and had earned the record label a great deal of money but as Keane only had an informal verbal contract with Siamas he was not enjoying the success. It became apparent that he had been tricked and found himself manoeuvred out of his own record company.


Del-Fi

Close to bankruptcy his wife suggested finding others who Siamas had conned to get them to fund setting up a new record label. Having found such a backer Del-Fi Records was established in 1958 taking its name from the Oracle of Delphi but modified to Fi to reflect the new Hi Fi audio recordings and equipment which were becoming popular. The first release was the standard Caravan by Henri Rose.[1]. This was successful enough that Warner Brothers purchased Rose's contract from Keane allowing him to pay off his original backer.

On December 16, 1958, Keane led a group of session musicians (including Carol Kaye) to record the hit Donna with Ritchie Valens whom Keane had discovered earlier that year and had worked alongside developing songs in his home studio. After the untimely death of Valens Keane set up a subsidiary label called Donna alongside Del-Fi. Unlike most record companies at the time Keane adopted an 'open door' policy - "I'll listen to anyone, even if they bring 'em in on a stretcher" he once quipped.

In early 1963 an individual looking like a 'skinny little high-school kid' wandered into the office and introduced himself as Frank Zappa.[2] He had a pile of tapes he had made with Paul Buff at a small studio in Cucamonga. Zappa described some of the recordings as "oddball, textured weirdo stuff" that Keane later realised had eventually become part of the Hot Rats album.[3] Keane took a gamble and purchased several of the tapes for $500 to release as singles. The first was Paul Buffs Slow Bird/Blind Man's Buff (Donna 1376 - January 1963) followed by Baby Ray & The Ferns How's Your Bird/World's Greatest Sinner (Donna 1378 March 1963), Bob Guy Letter From Jeepers/Dear Jeepers (Donna 1380 April 1963), The Heartbreakers Cradle Rock/Every Time I See You (Donna 1381 April 1964).


Keane went on to set up further subsidiary labels such as Bronco and Mustang but with the demise of his most successful act The Bobby Fuller Four. The company was closed down in 1967 and Keane took to selling burglar alarms.


Notes

  1. ↑ YouTube
  2. ↑ Zappa would hawk the recordings around various companies so titles appear across various small local labels.
  3. ↑ See Little Umbrellas (Cucamonga version) from The Hot Rats Sessions

See also

Bob Keane - Wikipedia

The Oracle of Del-Fi (My life in music) by Bob Keane (ISBN 0-9768105-1-4) - Chapter 11 Frank Zappa/Paul Bluff

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