Keith James
Keith has dedicated his entire working life to Music, Songwriting, Poetry and Performing. (..and is now completing his first Novel..) A unique and somewhat solitary musician, who many years ago, chose not to take part in the ‘Pop’ music world, or to a large extent, the ‘Folk’ music world, trusting in himself to follow his own path as a genuine and individual performer and recording artist. To begin with he carved a unique niche playing in Wine Bars in the late ‘70s where he discovered the ability to draw an audience into the central purpose of a song. Since then he has developed and matured into one of Britain’s most trusted concert performers with a supportive audience who appreciate the depth of understanding that comes from a lifetime of dedication and study. Keith’s talents as a musician have also been enriched by his work as a record producer; a wide understanding of sound not only enables him to understand the acoustic value of every venue - working with sound engineers to deliver a quality concert that is both intimate and enthralling, but has also proved invaluable when producing his own Albums.
As a concert performer, Keith has appeared in Denmark, Norway, Holland, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Ireland, The USA and Brazil as well as in almost every Arts Centre - Theatre in the UK.
A prolific songwriter in his own right, he has written and released 11 Albums of his own songs and many more which feature well chosen Poetry that he finds to be both visionary and insightful. The Poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca, Maya Angelou, Dylan Thomas, Kate Tempest, Kahlil Gibran, Frida Kahlo and many more. Although most of his career has been driven by a fierce sense of independence; a belief that the music and poetry he loves deserves to be performed in his own unique way to an audience that understands the gravitas and importance of great writing, he has recently collaborated with two other creatives, namely Branwen Munn who co-produces Keith’s recordings and Jenny Finch with whom he has written songs on his 2021 Album ‘Can you Imagine’ hinting at a more personal and reflective side to this deep and gifted musician whose work is more often verses of vital commentary on behalf of Humankind . The concerts that Keith has become well known for over the past 20 years have an enduring and dedicated following: Well studied and performances based on the music of Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Yusuf - Cat Stevens and many other great writers such as Dylan Thomas, Joni Mitchell and Federico Garcia Lorca. Keith exhibits the wonderful ability to convey a certain message, to weave all the unwritten backstories into an evening of Songs, enabling us to reach inside every line of the verses that have become the benchmark of our modern lives. A concert by Keith James always ends with audience members hugging him and saying how moved they felt by his genuine devotion to the songs he has spent a lifetime getting to know intimately. A feeling of reverence and celebration.
Now there is more..
Scatterland, a book of his entire Songwriting and Poetry outpourings 1978 - 2020 plus there is yet another Album already in the making.. mostly recorded in it’s raw form, vocal and production finessing will be during Dec ‘22 — March ‘23. Also some “..so what do you think about this line..” and some “.. now I’m not sure I like that chord change as much as I did this morning..”
The Album, which has the title “Word Paintings” has been written as a complete homogenous piece of work by both Keith and Artist Jenny Finch. Its is a glory days symphony in places but also humble with wretched hands and blood shot eyes in others, a deeply emotional snap shot of how aspects of our modern lives play out above and beneath the surface of human contentment, safety and fright. Sometimes with satire and playful humour, sometimes without either.
Due to be released in Spring 2024; a concert tour of this music will be in the autumn- winter of 2024. This will be something to be really proud of!