Keith McCormack (October 19, 1940 – April 10, 2015) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter. McCormack was born in

Dalhart, Texas Dalhart is a city in Dallam and Hartley counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and the county seat of Dallam County. The population was 7,930 at the 2010 census. History Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dalla ...

, but was raised in Plainview. He sang and played guitar for the Patio Kids, the Rock 'n' Rollers, the Leen Teens and, finally,

the String-A-Longs The String-A-Longs were an American instrumental group from Plainview, Texas, United States. The band consisted of Richard Stephens and Jimmy Torres alternating lead guitars, Keith McCormack on rhythm guitar, Aubrey de Cordova, bass guitar and Do ...

with Aubrey deCordova and Richard Stephens from 1956 until 1965. The Leen Teens were managed by

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, radio station owner, and considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. Biography Petty was born in the small town of Clo ...

, who later renamed them

, and in 1960 they had their biggest hit with "

Wheels A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

", which reached number 3. He also recorded at Petty Studios under the alias of Mickey Boyd, Bryan Keith, Keith & Kay (with Juanita Jordan), and lead vocalist for "The Bug Men". He replaced Jimmy Gilmer in a late '60s lineup of The Fireballs; this formation toured but did not record. Actually, they did make 2 45RPMs on The Uni label as the band Colorado. 2 members of Colorado were Stan Lark - Fireballs bassist and George Tomsco - Fireballs lead guitarist. Keith McCormack played rhythm guitar and was lead singer for the group. Their drummer was George Rudiger. The 2 Uni singles are "Country Comfort" B/W "My Babe", and "Moonshine"(Tennessee Wine) B/W "Dogwood". Keith McCormack is listed as composer on the Uni label for "Dogwood". McCormack co-wrote "

Sugar Shack A sugar shack (french: cabane à sucre), also known as sap house, sugar house, sugar shanty or sugar cabin is a commercial establishment, primarily found in Eastern Canada and northern New England. Sugar shacks are small cabins or groups of cab ...

" with his aunt Faye Voss, which was recorded by

Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, were an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s. The original line-up consisted of George Tomsco (lead guitar), Chuck ...

and sold over one million copies in the United States in 1963. It was the biggest selling song of the year and spent five weeks at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 from October 12 until November 9, 1963. He also co-wrote their follow-up single, " Daisy Petal Pickin'", which reached #15 on the ''Billboard'' chart and #5 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He died of a stroke in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

on April 10, 2015. He was 74.

References

External links

Interview with Keith McCormack in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine"
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormack, Keith 1940 births 2015 deaths People from Dalhart, Texas American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas