Keith "Keef" Hartley (8 April 1944 – 26 November 2011)
was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band, known as the Keef Hartley Band or Keef Hartley's Big Band, and played at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

. He was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with

Rory Storm Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...

The Artwoods The Artwoods (also sometimes known by Decca Records as the Art Woods) were an English rock band who formed in 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction, rivalling groups such as the Animals, a ...

and

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

Biography

Keith Hartley was born in Plungington, north-west

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

. He studied drumming under Lloyd Ryan, who also taught

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

the

drum rudiment In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associa ...

s. His career began as the replacement for

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

as a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

-based

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, after Ringo joined

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. Subsequently he played and recorded with The Artwoods, then achieved some renown as

's drummer (including his role as the only musician, other than Mayall, to play on Mayall's 1967 "solo" record ''

The Blues Alone ''The Blues Alone'' is a 1967 electric blues album recorded by John Mayall on which he recorded all the parts himself, with the exception of percussion which was provided by longtime collaborator Keef Hartley. The cover art and the original L ...

''). He then formed The Keef Hartley (Big) Band, mixing elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

; the group played at Woodstock in 1969. However, the band was the only artist that played at the festival whose set was never included on any officially released album (prior to 2019), nor on the soundtrack of the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. They released five albums, including '' Halfbreed'' and ''

The Battle of North West Six ''The Battle of North West Six'' is the second album by the Keef Hartley Band. At the time, Hartley's six-piece group was appearing augmented with a brass section as The Keef Hartley Big Band, and a number of songs on the album feature this ext ...

'' (characterised by a reviewer for the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' as "an amazing display of virtuosity"). While in John Mayall's band, Mayall had pushed Hartley to form his own group. A mock-up of the "firing" of Hartley was heard on the ''Halfbreed'' album's opening track, "Sacked". The band for the first album comprised: Miller Anderson, guitar and vocals,

Gary Thain Gary Mervin Thain (May 15, 1948 – December 8, 1975) was a New Zealand bassist, best known for his work with British rock band Uriah Heep. Biography Thain was born in Christchurch. He had two older brothers, Colin and Arthur. He recorded in ...

(bass), later with Uriah Heep; Peter Dines (organ) and

Ian Cruickshank Ian Cruickshank (1947 – 29 April 2017) was an English electric and acoustic guitarist most associated with the blues-rock and gypsy jazz genres, also well known in the U.K. as an educator, author and columnist, record producer and record label ...

(as "Spit James") (guitar). Later members to join Hartley's fluid line-up included

Mick Weaver Mick Weaver (born 16 June 1944, Bolton, Lancashire, England) is an English people, English session musician, best known for his playing of the Hammond organ, Hammond B3 organ, and as an exponent of the blues and funk. Career Weaver's band perfor ...

(aka Wynder K. Frog) organ, Henry Lowther (b. 11 July 1941, Leicester, England; trumpet/violin), Jimmy Jewell (saxophone),

Johnny Almond Johnny Almond (20 July 1946 – 18 November 2009) was a British saxophonist, who is best known for his recordings with the Alan Price Set, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall and Mark-Almond. Biography Johnny Almond was born in Enfield, Middlesex, Engla ...

(flute),

Jon Hiseman Philip John Albert "Jon" Hiseman (21 June 1944 – 12 June 2018) was an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer, and music publisher. He played with the Graham Bond Organisation, with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and later form ...

and

Harry Beckett Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin. Biography Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...

. Hartley, often dressed as an American Indian sometimes in full head-dress and war-paint, was a popular attraction on the small club scene. ''The Battle Of NW6'' in 1969 further enhanced his club reputation, although chart success still eluded him. By the time of the third album both Lowther and Jewell had departed. After that Hartley released a 'solo' album (''Lancashire Hustler'', 1973) and then he formed Dog Soldier with Miller Anderson (guitar), Paul Bliss (bass), Derek Griffiths (guitar) and Mel Simpson (keyboards). They released an eponymous album in 1975, which had a remastered release in early 2011 on CD on the Esoteric

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

. In 2007, Hartley released a ghostwritten

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''Halfbreed (A Rock and Roll Journey That Happened Against All the Odds)''. Hartley wrote about his life growing up in Preston, and his career as a drummer and bandleader, including the Keef Hartley Band's appearance at Woodstock. Hartley died of complications from surgery on 26 November 2011, aged 67, at

Royal Preston Hospital The Royal Preston Hospital or RPH, is an acute general hospital in Preston, Lancashire, England. It is managed by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was built in stages between 1975 and 1983; it was off ...

in Fulwood, north Preston.

Discography

Keef Hartley Band *'' Halfbreed'' (1969) *''

'' (1969) *'' The Time Is Near'' (August 1970) – UK #41 *''

Overdog ''Overdog'' is the fourth album by the Keef Hartley Band. Track listing 1971 LP Deram SDL 2 (UK), DES 18057 (US) # "You Can Choose" – 5:28 # "Plain Talkin" – 3:23 # "Theme Song / Enroute / Theme Song Reprise" – 8:05 # "Overdog" – 4:20 ...

'' (April 1971) *''Little Big Band'' (live at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

) (1971) *'' Seventy-Second Brave'' (1972) *''Not Foolish Not Wise'' (1968–1972 / studio + live) (1999; reissue: 2003) Solo * ''

Lancashire Hustler ''Lancashire Hustler'' is the debut solo album by Keef Hartley. Robert Palmer, Elkie Brooks and Pete Gage of the band Vinegar Joe (with whom Hartley worked on the 1972 album ''Rock 'n Roll Gypsies'') provided support on some tracks. Track li ...

'' (1973) Dog Soldier *'' Dog Soldier ''(1975) UAS 29769, recorded at Island Basing Street Studios, London, 18 November – 15 December 1974 With John Mayall *''

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

'' (1967) *''

'' (1967) *'' The Diary of a Band - Volume One '' (1968) (live) *'' The Diary of a Band - Volume Two '' (1968) (live) *'' Live in Europe '' (1971) *'' Back to the Roots'' (1971) (some tracks only) *'' Moving On '' (1973) (live) *'' Ten Years Are Gone'' (1973) (studio + live) With Vinegar Joe *''Rock'n Roll Gypsies'' (1972)

References

External links

Keef Hartley
at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

More about Keef Hartley
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Keef 1944 births 2011 deaths English rock drummers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers members Musicians from Liverpool Musicians from Preston, Lancashire Deram Records artists Chicken Shack members The Artwoods members Rory Storm and the Hurricanes members