Keith Hampshire is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

-born Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 popular singer of the 1970s, famous in Canada for three top ten hits (including his #1 version of "The First Cut Is The Deepest

The First Cut Is the Deepest

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in the spring of 1967. Stevens' own version of the song is technically a cover, and originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967....

", which topped the RPM 100

RPM (magazine)

RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

 national singles chart on May 12, 1973), and the successful television show Music Machine. Though his voice resembles David Clayton-Thomas

David Clayton-Thomas

David Clayton-Thomas is a Canadian musician and singer best known as the lead vocalist for the American band; Blood, Sweat & Tears...

', Hampshire was not as successful in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where his highest single only reached number 51.

Between July 1966 and mid-August 1967, he was a DJ for Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...

 South on 259 metres, medium wave (1187kHz AM). His show was called "Keefers Commotions", and later "Keefers Uprising".

In 1983, Hampshire released a song (as 'Bat Boys') entitled "OK Blue Jays

OK Blue Jays

"OK Blue Jays" is the song played during the seventh-inning stretch of home games of the Canadian Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The song includes references to the team's roster and events from the 1980s. It was released in 1983 and charted 47th on RPM's singles list. By 1986,...

", which became an anthem for the Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

 Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 team. Blue Jays fans sing it during the seventh-inning stretch

Seventh-inning stretch

The seventh-inning stretch is a tradition in baseball that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of any game – in the middle of the seventh inning. Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around. It is a popular time to get a late-game snack as...

 of home games. The song was written by Alan Smith, Pat Arbour, Jack Lenz

Jack Lenz

Jack Lenz is a Canadian Bahá'í composer. He has written, performed, and produced music for film, television, and theatre, along with working on non-soundtrack album ventures. He is also the founder of Live Unity Enterprises, an organization devoted to the production of music for the Bahá'í...

 and Tony Kosinec. The song was remixed by Rob Wells

Rob Wells

Rob Wells is a multi-platinum, award-winning producer/songwriter based in Toronto & Los Angeles.Wells has worked with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert, Nick Lachey, Miranda Cosgrove, Mika, Backstreet Boys, Paloma Faith, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton John, Daisy Dares You, Boyzone, Matt Dusk,...

 and Chris Anderson of Big Honkin' Spaceship Inc. in 2003, and still plays during the seventh-inning stretch.

On June 18, 2005 Hampshire was hired by Darren Stevens

Darren Stevens (comedian)

Darren Stevens , commonly known as The Real Darren Stevens, is a Canadian radio personality, best known for his shows as heard on 54 Rock, 106.9 The BEAR & CHEZ 106 in Ottawa and B101 in Barrie; as well as his behind the scenes programming work in Barrie, Ont...

 to host a 60's-70's based oldies radio show on CHAY-FM

CHAY-FM

CHAY-FM is a Canadian radio station based in Barrie, Ontario broadcasting with 100,000 watts at 93.1 on the FM dial. It provides an upbeat adult hits format to Simcoe County, including the communities of Orillia, Midland, Collingwood, and dozens of others....

 in Barrie

Barrie, Ontario

Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

Singles

• 1967 - "Millions of Hearts" (b/w Lonely Boy)
• 1971 - "Ebenezer" (b/w Sing Angel Sing) (#81 Canada)
• 1972 - "Daytime Night-time" (b/w Turned the Other Way) (#5 Canada)
• 1973 - "The First Cut is the Deepest
  The First Cut Is the Deepest
  "The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in the spring of 1967. Stevens' own version of the song is technically a cover, and originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967....
  
  " (b/w You Can't Hear the Song I Sing) (#1 Canada)
• 1973 - "Big Time Operator" (b/w You Can't Hear the Song I Sing) (#5 Canada)
• 1974 - "For Ever and Ever" (b/w Jeraboah) (#47 Canada)
• 1974 - "Hallelujah Freedom" (b/w Waking Up Alone) (#59 Canada)
• 1976 - "I'm Into Something Good" (b/w Just Another Fool)
• 1981 - "I Can't Wait Too Long" (b/w Nobody's Child)
• 1983 - "OK Blue Jays
  OK Blue Jays
  "OK Blue Jays" is the song played during the seventh-inning stretch of home games of the Canadian Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The song includes references to the team's roster and events from the 1980s. It was released in 1983 and charted 47th on RPM's singles list. By 1986,...
  
  " (b/w same) (#47 Canada)

Albums

• 1972 - Oops! (original cast recording)
• 1973 - The First Cut
• 1981 - Variations
• 2005 - The Best of Keith Hampshire: The Millennium Collection