Speedy Keen


John David Percy "Speedy" Keen was a songwriter, vocalist, drummer and keyboard player, best known for his association with the rock band Thunderclap Newman. He wrote "Something in the Air" for the band, which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. He also released two solo albums.

Career

Keen was born in Ealing, London. He played early on with such bands as The Krewsaders, The Second Thoughts and The Eccentrics. Keen's first recorded song was "Club of Lights", recorded in 1966 for Reaction Records by Oscar.
Before joining Thunderclap Newman, Keen shared a flat with and worked as a driver for Pete Townshend of The Who. He wrote "Armenia City in the Sky" which was included on the album The Who Sell Out. This was the only song The Who ever performed that was specifically written for the group by a non-member. "Armenia City in the Sky" was, apparently, inspired by a long-lost painting back in the 1960s. Who bassist Entwistle joked that people thought it was "I'm an Ear Sitting in the Sky". He wrote "Something in the Air", his most well-known song, for Thunderclap Newman and recorded two solo albums for Track and Island both of which have been released on CD by Esoteric. "I Promise You" from the second album was used in the American TV series, The Big C. Keen was later a record producer for The Heartbreakers and Motörhead.
As a session musician Keen played for others such as Rod Stewart, The Mission, and Kenny G. He also provided music for television advertisements and television programmes such as The Zoo. As a writer, apart from "Something in the Air", "Armenia City in the Sky" and "Club of Lights", he wrote songs for The Swinging Blue Jeans and Crokodile Tears.
Keen died of heart failure in March 2002, seventeen days before his 57th birthday.

Discography

Albums