Keith Hale
| Keith Hale | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | 6 November 1950 |
| Origin | Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Pop, rock, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, record producer, musician |
| Instruments | Piano, Hammond organ, Roland Jupiter-4, ARP Explorer, Guitar |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Safari, Arista |
| Associated acts | Comus, Blood Donor, Hawkwind, Space Cadets, Ginger Baker, Toyah, John Bentley |
Keith Hale (born 6 November 1950) is an English songwriter, composer, record producer, performer and music teacher, most notable for his work with Toyah Willcox, Hawkwind and Ginger Baker.
The Yorkshire-born musician moved south when he was ten. Whilst in his final year at primary school he won first prize in the Cadbury's National Essay Competition for Schools. As a teenager he moved back to Hull to join Nothineverappens "Yorkshire's premier psychedelic band". Returning to London he collaborated in "Silly Balls", a mixed-media project designed to maximise audience participation but this proved too unwieldy to be commercially viable. His distinctive keyboard work and songwriting ability led him to being asked to join Comus in 1973. Later projects included his own band Blood Donor,Hawkwind, and Ginger Baker, before a long and successful association with Toyah. More recently, Hale writes and arranges school music productions, teaches keyboards and participates in songwriting workshops.
Comus recorded an album for Virgin Records in 1974 entitled To Keep from Crying. Hale played keyboards and marimba.
Determined to pursue his own musical vision, Hale formed Blood Donor in 1977. It had the then highly-unusual line-up of two synthesizer players, two percussionists and a bass player. This group battled against a backdrop of punk rock, supported J.J. Burnel, and was signed to Arista Records in 1979. Various producers were used including Steve James and John Cale although they recorded the first album with Tonto's Expanding Head Band and Stevie Wonder producer Malcolm Cecil. Internal disputes between record company and management meant that this album was never released, although two singles were – Rubber Revolution and Rice Harvest. The latter, featuring a Vietnamese children's choir, is regularly revitalised for Hale's school productions.
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