Keith Beal
| Keith Beal | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Keith Francis Arnold Beal |
| Born | 22 December 1933 |
| Origin | Chalfont St. Peter, England |
Keith Francis Arnold Beal is an English painter, sound engineer, recording engineer and producer, musician and composer, and author.
Born on 22 December 1933 in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, Beal grew up in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. After the Second World War, he was sent to Sweden in 1948 to gain strength, staying there for the better part of a year. His formative years were spent in NW London, where he went to school, and in Hamstead, where he explored his interest in painting,which had been instigated in childhood by his painter father.
In 1955 Beal spent a year in Paris, aiming to develop his painting skills. On returning to England he found quick success, having an exhibition in a gallery in Bond Street and selling out on the day. Beal has remained actively interested in painting throughout his life. Don Quixote by Cervantes has been a recurring inspiration for his paintings.
Beal worked as a sound engineer and technician for the BBC, as well as commercial television, and freelance in the film business from 1956 to 1973.
Beal studied at the London School of Economics, gaining a BSc degree in Economics in 1971. He also studied at Sussex University, gaining an MA in Music and the Sonic Arts in 2013
On his fortieth birthday in 1973, he acquired a saxophone, and won a bet that he could learn to play it within a year. In 1974, he co-founded Ogun Records, a record label specialising in jazz and modern classical music. Initially, he worked as a recording engineer and editor, but later became a producer, eventually leading the company as managing director. In his time at Ogun, Beal recorded and/or produced some 50 records by such artists as Trevor Watts, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Elton Dean,Harry Becket, John Surman and Keith Tippett. After leaving Ogun in 1980 Beal concentrated on playing the saxophone. He toured extensively with Trevor Watts Moiré Music, an avant garde jazz ensemble, playing at most of the European Jazz Festivals between 1982 and 1986.
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