Robert Earl Keen
| Robert Earl Keen, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 11, 1956 |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, Texas country, outlaw country, country rock, alternative country, folk, Americana |
| Occupations | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Arista Records Sugar Hill Records KOCH Records |
| Website | RobertEarlKeen.com |
Robert Earl Keen, Junior (born January 11, 1956[1]) is an American country and folk guitarist and singer-songwriter from the southern state of Texas. He is popular with fans of various musical genres including traditional country, alternative country, folk, Americana, and college radio. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas, and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.
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[edit] Early life
Growing up in Houston, Texas, Keen was interested in music, sports, movies and writing. Keen graduated from Sharpstown High School in 1974.[2]
[edit] College
Keen attended Texas A&M University, where he majored in English. Disappointed in the College Station music scene, he began playing guitar and learned to read and write music, basing his style on folk, country, blues and rock roots. In 1974 he rented a house from landlord Jack Boyett, where his neighbor was a then-unknown Lyle Lovett. The two became fast friends and performed together on the front porch many evenings. This eventually grew into inspiration for a song entitled "The Front Porch Song", which both would add to their repertoire.
[edit] Career
In 1980, Keen graduated from Texas A&M and moved to Austin, Texas. Soon he was performing in Austin's nightclubs and live music venues, building a solid following. In 1984 he financed the recording of his own EP and distributed it regionally. In 1986, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Discouraged by the polish of the new country sound and unable to land a recording contract, Keen moved back to Austin. In 1988, he was living in Bandera, Texas, with his wife, Kathleen. In 1989, he released his national debut album, West Textures. His 1993 release, A Bigger Piece Of Sky, gained wider acclaim, both amongst fans and critics. Over the next ten years, Keen would continue to write, record, perform and tour. In 1994 he performed in the musical Chippy. Keen's 1997 album Picnic features a picture of Keen's own car in flames at Willie Nelson's 1974 Fourth of July picnic/concert. He tells the story on the No. 2 Live Dinner album in the introduction to the song "The Road Goes on Forever." Keen tours frequently across the United States. He plays to large and small concert halls, often tours with popular Texas country bands such as Reckless Kelly and Randy Rogers Band, and has opened up for Dave Matthews Band.
[edit] Band
- Rich Brotherton - guitar
- Bill Whitbeck - bass
- Tom Van Schaik - drums
- Marty Muse - steel guitar
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [3] |
US [4] |
US Heat [5] |
US Indie [6] |
US Folk [7] |
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| No Kinda Dancer |
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— | — | — | — | — | |||
| West Textures |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |||
| A Bigger Piece of Sky |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |||
| Gringo Honeymoon |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |||
| Picnic |
|
— | 160 | 4 | — | — | |||
| Walking Distance |
|
— | 149 | 3 | — | — | |||
| Gravitational Forces |
|
10 | 111 | 1 | — | — | |||
| Farm Fresh Onions |
|
24 | 172 | 9 | 11 | — | |||
| What I Really Mean |
|
21 | 122 | 1 | 5 | — | |||
| The Rose Hotel |
|
17 | 83 | — | — | 10 | |||
| Ready for Confetti |
|
21 | 66 | — | — | 3 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
[edit] Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [3] |
|||||||||
| The Live Album |
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— | |||||||
| No. 2 Live Dinner |
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— | |||||||
| The Party Never Ends |
|
68 | |||||||
| Live from Austin TX |
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— | |||||||
| Live at the Ryman |
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— | |||||||
| Marfa After Dark |
|
— | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
[edit] Compilation albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Best |
|
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Over the Waterfall" | Picnic |
| "Levelland" | ||
| "Undone" | ||
| 1998 | "Down That Dusty Trail" | Walking Distance |
| 1999 | "That Buckin' Song" | |
| 2003 | "Furnace" | Farm Fresh Onions |
| "All I Have Is Today" | ||
| 2005 | "What I Really Mean" | What I Really Mean |
| "The Great Hank" | ||
| 2009 | "The Rose Hotel" | The Rose Hotel |
| 2010 | "The Man Behind the Drums" | |
| 2011 | "I Gotta Go" | Ready for Confetti |
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Over the Waterfall" | Steven T. Miller/R. Brad Murano |
| 2004 | "Merry Christmas from the Family" | David McClister |
| 2005 | "What I Really Mean" |
[edit] References
- ^ Henkle, Doug, "FolkLib Index"
- ^ HISD Connect - Alumni
- ^ a b "Robert Earl Keen, Jr. Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/robert-earl-keen-jr/chart-history/75650?f=320&g=Albums. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ "Robert Earl Keen, Jr. Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/robert-earl-keen-jr/chart-history/75650?f=305&g=Albums. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ "Robert Earl Keen, Jr. Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/robert-earl-keen-jr/chart-history/75650?f=324&g=Albums. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ "Robert Earl Keen, Jr. Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/robert-earl-keen-jr/chart-history/75650?f=326&g=Albums. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ "Robert Earl Keen, Jr. Album & Song Chart History - Folk Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/robert-earl-keen-jr/chart-history/75650?f=1071&g=Albums. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
[edit] External links
- http://www.robertearlkeen.com - Official Site
- Robert Earl Keen at Allmusic
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- 1956 births
- American acoustic guitarists
- American country guitarists
- American folk guitarists
- American rock guitarists
- American male singers
- American singer-songwriters
- Kerrville New Folk Competition finalists
- Living people
- People from Houston, Texas
- People from San Antonio, Texas
- Texas A&M University alumni
- Country musicians from Texas
- Musicians from Texas
- Arista Records artists
- E1 Music artists
- Musicians from Houston, Texas
