Song:98.6
Album:'60s Gold
Here's a 1967 top ten hit that I am sure most folks have heard. It is perceived as a one hit wonder but Keith did chart a couple more times and then faded into obscurity. Keith was born Barry James Keefer May 17, 1949 in Philadelphia. I think Keith was a nickname. He played in bands around Philly and was spotted by legendary DJ Kal Rudman. Rudman sent him to producer Jerry Ross who was working for Columbia Records at the time. Ross produced Bobby Hebb, Spanky and our Gang and has had a long career in the music business. When Ross moved to Mercury Records, he took Keith with him. Keith's first single Ain't Gonna Lie reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. 98.6 was the second single and it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by George Fischoff and Tony Powers. Fischoff wrote other songs for Ross including Lazy Day for Spanky and our Gang. He went on to write Broadway musicals. Keith had two other songs chart and he recorded two albums for Mercury and one for RCA. There is a Keith comp available. But I think most fans will only want 98.6 and you can get it on this 2CD Universal various artists comp. Keith moved to Los Angeles in the 70s and worked with Frank Zappa. In the 80s, he started his own record company and changed his name to Bazza Keefer in 1988. He continues to perform and has worked in the technical end of the TV business since the 90s. here's a video for 98.6 by Keith.
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