Rodd Keith
Encyclopedia
Rodd Keith was an American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is perhaps the best known figure in the obscure musical sub-genre known as song poem
music.
Keith recorded hundreds of musical compositions based around lyrics sent in to song-poem companies by amateur songwriters, based upon small ads in the backs of mass market magazines promising success in the profitable field of songwriting. After a letter was sent by the company, the amateur songwriters would then be convinced to pay the company a fee to have a recording made and records pressed. Keith sang on many of these recordings as well as playing several different instruments, including saxophone
, accordion
, and all manner of keyboards
. His earliest song-poem work was made for Sandy Stanton's Film City label in which he would build the entire track using a Chamberlin keyboard (a precursor to the mellotron). These early recordings have a woozy, distinctive sound that are like nothing else before or since.
During the late 1960s he had his most prolific period working for Clarence Freed's Preview Records label in Los Angeles
. Keith masterminded recording sessions for hundreds of 45s and dozens of albums, working with female singers Teri Thornton
, Charlotte O'Hara, and Nita Garfield (who used "nomes de disque" Teri Summers, Bonnie Graham, and Nita Craig respectively). Thornton, a promising jazz vocalist in the late 50s and early 60s, had fallen on hard times, while the latter two were ambitious singers and songwriters who'd had material recorded in the C&W and R&B markets.
Keith, who was born into a religious household and was even a musical evangelist for a time, fell in with a hard-living crowd in Los Angeles during the late 60s and early 70s, experimenting with different psychedelics. His music, at first jazzy, somewhat stilted, and ill-suited for the pop world, became more loose, funky, and with the times.
In December 1974, by which time he'd moved over to Maury S. Rosen's MSR Records, Rodd met his death on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times (which ran on December 16 of 1974) Rodd was seen "leaping or falling from an overcrossing onto the Hollywood Freeway," and he "plunged down the Santa Monica Blvd. overpass onto the northbound freeway about 5:15 a.m. and drivers could not avoid him." It has been suggested that this was a suicidal act, but Rodd's heavy drug use at this time has led others to claim it was an accident.
In the 1990s, record collectors who seek out old vinyl recordings rediscovered these obscure discs. Several compilations of these songs were released on compact disc, including several which featured the work of Keith exclusively. Keith's son, avant-garde saxophonist Ellery Eskelin
, provided commentary on these releases. Although Ellery never actually met his father, he was told by many people that he was some kind of musical genius. Keith once remarked that he spelled "Rodd" with two d's because "God only used one."
"This American Life", an NPR show, had an interview with Ellery Eskelin, who spoke about his discovery of his father's works. This show originally aired August 15, 1997.
Song poem
Song poem usually refers to song lyrics that have been set to music for a fee. This practice, which has long been disparaged in the music industry, was also known as song sharking and was conducted by several businesses throughout the 20th century in North America.- Production and promotion :The...
music.
Life and career
He worked for several companies active in the song-poem business, a practice also known as song sharking, and generally dismissed as a scam.Keith recorded hundreds of musical compositions based around lyrics sent in to song-poem companies by amateur songwriters, based upon small ads in the backs of mass market magazines promising success in the profitable field of songwriting. After a letter was sent by the company, the amateur songwriters would then be convinced to pay the company a fee to have a recording made and records pressed. Keith sang on many of these recordings as well as playing several different instruments, including saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, and all manner of keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. His earliest song-poem work was made for Sandy Stanton's Film City label in which he would build the entire track using a Chamberlin keyboard (a precursor to the mellotron). These early recordings have a woozy, distinctive sound that are like nothing else before or since.
During the late 1960s he had his most prolific period working for Clarence Freed's Preview Records label in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Keith masterminded recording sessions for hundreds of 45s and dozens of albums, working with female singers Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton, born Shirley Enid Avery was an American jazz singer....
, Charlotte O'Hara, and Nita Garfield (who used "nomes de disque" Teri Summers, Bonnie Graham, and Nita Craig respectively). Thornton, a promising jazz vocalist in the late 50s and early 60s, had fallen on hard times, while the latter two were ambitious singers and songwriters who'd had material recorded in the C&W and R&B markets.
Keith, who was born into a religious household and was even a musical evangelist for a time, fell in with a hard-living crowd in Los Angeles during the late 60s and early 70s, experimenting with different psychedelics. His music, at first jazzy, somewhat stilted, and ill-suited for the pop world, became more loose, funky, and with the times.
In December 1974, by which time he'd moved over to Maury S. Rosen's MSR Records, Rodd met his death on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times (which ran on December 16 of 1974) Rodd was seen "leaping or falling from an overcrossing onto the Hollywood Freeway," and he "plunged down the Santa Monica Blvd. overpass onto the northbound freeway about 5:15 a.m. and drivers could not avoid him." It has been suggested that this was a suicidal act, but Rodd's heavy drug use at this time has led others to claim it was an accident.
In the 1990s, record collectors who seek out old vinyl recordings rediscovered these obscure discs. Several compilations of these songs were released on compact disc, including several which featured the work of Keith exclusively. Keith's son, avant-garde saxophonist Ellery Eskelin
Ellery Eskelin
Ellery Eskelin American tenor saxophonist. Born in Wichita, Kansas, raised in Baltimore, Maryland from the age of two. His parents, Rodd Keith and Bobbie Lee, were also musicians. Rodd Keith died in 1974 in Los Angeles, California and became a cult figure after his death in the little known...
, provided commentary on these releases. Although Ellery never actually met his father, he was told by many people that he was some kind of musical genius. Keith once remarked that he spelled "Rodd" with two d's because "God only used one."
"This American Life", an NPR show, had an interview with Ellery Eskelin, who spoke about his discovery of his father's works. This show originally aired August 15, 1997.
Discography
- I Died Today, Rodd Keith (Tzadik)
- Ecstacy To Frenzy, Rodd Keith (Tzadik)
- Saucers in the Sky, Rodd Keith (Roaratorio)
External links
- http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/18/rodd.html