Tommy Keene facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommy Keene
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Thomas Clay Keene |
| Born | June 30, 1958 Evanston, Illinois, United States |
| Origin | Bethesda, Maryland, United States |
| Died | November 22, 2017 (aged 59) |
| Genres | Power pop, jangle pop, rock & roll, pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1979–2017 |
| Labels | Avenue, Dolphin, Geffen, Matador, Alias, Parasol, spinART, Not Lame, Eleven Thirty, Second Motion |
Tommy Keene (born Thomas Clay Keene; June 30, 1958 – November 22, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. He was famous for his rock & roll and power pop songs, especially in the 1980s. Many fans loved his unique power pop style.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tommy Keene was born in Evanston, Illinois, but grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. He finished high school in 1976 at Walter Johnson High School. Another musician, Nils Lofgren, also went to this school. Lofgren later played with famous artists like Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Tommy Keene played drums in one of Lofgren's early bands. After high school, Keene went to the University of Maryland, College Park.
Music Career Highlights
Tommy Keene first became known with a rock band from Washington, D.C., called The Razz. They released several songs on independent labels.
Early Success
In 1984, Keene released an EP (a short album) called Places That Are Gone. This EP became one of the best-selling independent music releases that year. The Washington City Paper newspaper called him "one of the best pop songwriters anywhere." Rolling Stone magazine gave Places That Are Gone a top rating. It was also voted the number one EP in a big music poll called the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll.
Albums and Collaborations
Tommy Keene recorded many albums with different record companies like Dolphin, Geffen, and Matador Records. He worked with well-known producers such as T-Bone Burnett and Don Dixon.
He continued to make music and tour. He even released an album with Robert Pollard from the band Guided by Voices. They called themselves 'The Keene Brothers'. Tommy Keene also played guitar on a popular song called "Broadway" by the Goo Goo Dolls. This song was on their 1998 album, Dizzy Up The Girl.
In 2011, Tommy Keene released his ninth studio album, Behind The Parade. This was one of several albums he released with Second Motion Records.
Later Years
Tommy Keene passed away on November 22, 2017, when he was 59 years old. He died in his sleep from a heart attack.
Discography
Here are some of the albums and EPs Tommy Keene released:
Studio Albums
- Strange Alliance (1982)
- Songs from the Film (1986)
- Based on Happy Times (1989)
- Ten Years After (1996)
- Isolation Party (1998)
- The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (2002)
- Crashing the Ether (2006)
- In the Late Bright (2009)
- Behind the Parade (2011)
- Excitement at Your Feet (2013)
- Laugh in the Dark (2015)
Compilation Albums
- The Real Underground (1993)
- Driving into the Sun (1994)
- Drowning—A Tommy Keene Miscellany (2004)
- Tommy Keene You Hear Me: A Retrospective - 1983-2009 (2010)
Live Albums
- Showtunes (2001)
- Showtunes II (2016)
EPs
- Places That Are Gone (1984)
- Back Again (Try...) (1984)
- Run Now (1986)
- Sleeping on a Roller Coaster (1992)
