Robert Earl Keen
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Robert Earl Keen Jr. (born January 11, 1956 in Houston , Texas ) is an American songwriter and country musician. He is considered to be one of the major pioneers and representatives of the alternative country direction, which is differentiated from the Nashville mainstream .
Biography and career
With a father in a leading position in the oil business and a mother who earned her living as a lawyer, material hardships were not an issue in Earl's childhood and youth. He inherited his later main style preferences from his parents, who mainly liked folk and country music. In high school, he initially limited himself to writing poetry. After high school, Keen moved to Texas A&M University , in College Station , Texas, where he studied journalism and also learned to play the guitar. At A&M, he befriended another well-known songwriter - Lyle Lovett . Together they wrote the song This Old Porch , which they also recorded together.
His debut album No Kinder Dancer , recorded in 1984 for the independent North Carolina- based label Sugar Hill Records , attracted attention early on in his career. Like a number of other country music acts, Keen also remained loyal to his home state of Texas in terms of residence choice. After a temporary trip to the country music capital, Nashville , Tennessee , he returned to Austin. After a first live album ( The Live Album , 1988) he released his second studio record , West Textures , in 1989 , which included the song The Road Goes On Forever , which dealt with the subject of crime. The studio albums A Bigger Piece of Sky and Gringo Honeymoon followed in 1993 and 1994 . In contrast to the unpolished, roots- oriented sound of the first releases, Gringo Honeymoon was comparatively strongly based on conventional country music.
The next two studio albums, Picnic from 1997 and Walking Distance from 1998, marked a return to the raw sound of the early years. Picnic also included a vocal duet with Then Came Lo Mein with Cowboy Junkies singer Margo Timmins . The successor Walking Distance was released by the Nashville-based label Arista and marked - after seven recordings for Sugar Hill Records - the search for an artistically and commercially optimal record company that continued over the next few years. In 2000 the singer and musician signed with the alternative country label Lost Highway . The 2001 album Gravitational Forces was released here . Four more CDs followed by 2005: Farm Fresh Onions (2003), a best of compilation from the time at Sugar Hill Records called The Party Never Ends (2003), the live album Live From Austin TX (2004) and the Last release so far, What I Really Mean from 2005.
Continuous releases, regular airplay and an active tour presence ensured that Robert Earl Keen quickly rose to the top division of rock and country music in his home state of Texas. The singer, guitarist and songwriter was constantly fine-tuning his live shows in particular. Keen is considered a tough tour worker: in the 1990s, he and his band around guitarist Rich Brotherton gave up to 200 concerts a year. In order to adequately promote the next generation, he has now also integrated the annual Texas Uprising talent festival into his tours.
Style and reviews
What is striking about Keen's career is that the dramatic ups and downs of many other musical careers are largely absent. In the New Country - and Alternative Country scene - especially that of his home state - the name Robert Earl Keen has long been a fixed reference point. This was ensured not least by the collaboration with other musician colleagues and top-class producers from the scene such as Lloyd Maines (including Terri Hendrix , Joe Ely and Wilco ) and Chuck Ainlay ( Mark Knopfler , Pete Hampton , Lyle Lovett and others). Robert Earl Keen is also regularly featured on various roots music samplers and tribute of compilations.
In terms of temperament, Robert Earl Keen offers a varied spectrum - from sensitive ballads to hearty blues and honky-tonk numbers. Although he also made a name for himself as a songwriter, reviews and portraits highlight his versatile musical style and humor, which is also evident at his concerts. The online music magazine rocktimes.de characterized the Texan on the occasion of the appearance of What I Really Mean with the words: “One thing is definitely not Robert Earl Keen: a country troubadour. Building on the fund of country, he has perfected a mix of styles over many years in which folk, bluegrass and yes - also rock elements - can be found naturally. Sometimes the Eagles wave from the equally sunny Southern California. "
Discography
Albums
The albums marked with * are distributed in Germany by the independent label Glitterhouse.
- No Kinda Dancer (1984; Sugar Hill Records)
- The Live Album (1988; Sugar Hill Records)
- West Textures (1989; Sugar Hill Records)
- A Bigger Piece Of Sky (1993; Sugar Hill Records)
- Gringo Honeymoon (1994; Sugar Hill Records)
- No. 2 Live Dinner (1996; Sugar Hill Records)
- Picnic (1997; Sugar Hill Records) *
- Walking Distance (1998; Arista Nashville)
- Gravitational Forces (2001; Lost Highway)
- Farm Fresh Onions (2003; Audium Entertainment) *
- The Party Never Ends (2003; Sugar Hill Records) *
- Live from Austin TX (2004; New West) *
- What I Really Mean (2005; Koch Nashville) *
- The Rose Hotel (2009)
- Ready for Confetti (2011)
- Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions (2015)
Compilations (selection)
- This Is Americana 2 (2005; Americana Music Production)
- From Hell to Breakfast: A Taste of Sugar Hill's Texas Singer-Songwriters (2002; Sugar Hill Records)
- Poet - A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt (2002; Catfish)
Filmography (selection)
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Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Keen, Robert Earl |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Keen, Robert Earl Jr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American songwriter and country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 11, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Houston , Texas , USA |