Career
Keen was born in Ealing, London. Before joining Thunderclap Newman, Keen shared a flat with and worked as a chauffeur for Pete Townshend of The Who. He is famous among fans of The Who for writing "Armenia City in the Sky" which was recorded on the album The Who Sell Out (1967). This was the only song The Who ever performed that was specifically written for the group by a non-member.'Armenia City in the Sky' was, apparently, inspired by a long-lost painting back in the 1960s. His first recorded song, however, was the 'Club of Lights' Reaction single by Oscar. He also notably wrote "Something in the Air" for Thunderclap Newman and recorded 2 solo albums for Track and Island both of which have been released on CD recently by Esoteric (Cherry Red). 'I promise you' from the second album was used in the American TV series,'The big C'. Keen was later a record producer for The Heartbreakers and Motörhead.
As a session musician Keen played for others such as, Rod Stewart, The Mission and Kenny G. He also provided music for television advertisements and television programmes such as The Zoo. As a writer, apart from 'Something In The Air' - which has been covered by numerous artists, he wrote songs for Oscar (Club of lights), The Swinging Blue Jeans (Somethings Coming Along) and Crokodile Tears (Your Love).
Keen died of heart failure in March 2002, at the age of 56.
Read more about this topic: John "Speedy" Keene
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