Keith

Born James Barry Keefer, 17 May 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Keith was best known for his Top 10 folk rock single "98.6" in January 1967. Keefer started with a band called the Admirations in the early 60s, recording one single for Columbia Records, "Caravan Of Lonely Men". He was then discovered by journalist Kal Rudman, who took Keefer to Mercury Records executive Jerry Ross. Signed to that label, and renamed Keith, he recorded his first solo single, "Ain't Gonna Lie", which narrowly made the US Top 40. "98.6" followed and was his biggest hit, although Keith charted twice in 1967 with lesser hits, "Tell Me To My Face" and "Daylight Savin' Time". He recorded a few more singles for Mercury and two albums, only the first of which made the charts. After spending time in the armed forces, he returned to a changed musical direction, recording a single, "In And Out Of Love", for Frank Zappa's DiscReet label. Contrary to popular belief he never sang in Zappa's band though. Keefer recorded one last album, for RCA Records, with no luck, and then left the music business until 1986, when an attempted comeback under his real name proved unsuccessful. He also set up A.I.R. Records and produced albums for several local bands. In the 90s the singer moved into the television industry, although he continues to play live dates.