Keith "Keef" Hartley (8 April 1944 – 26 November 2011)^[1] was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own eponymous band, known as the Keef Hartley Band or the Keef Hartley Big Band, and played at Woodstock.^[2] He was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.^[1]

Biography[link]

Keith Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire. His career began as the replacement for Ringo Starr as drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpool-based band. Subsequently he played and recorded with The Artwoods, then achieved some notability as John Mayall's drummer (including his role as the only musician, other than Mayall, to play on Mayall's 1967 "solo" record The Blues Alone.^[3] He then formed The Keef Hartley (Big) Band, mixing elements of jazz, blues, and rock and roll; the group played at Woodstock in 1969.

They released five albums, including Halfbreed and The Battle of North West Six (characterised by a reviewer for the Vancouver Sun as "an amazing display of virtuosity").^[4] 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.

In 2007, Hartley released a ghostwritten autobiography, Halfbreed (A Rock and Roll Journey That Happened Against All the Odds).^[5] 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 on 26 November 2011, aged 67, at Royal Preston Hospital in Preston.^[1][2]

Discography[link]

Keef Hartley Band[link]

• Halfbreed (1969)
• The Battle of North West Six (1969)
• The Time Is Near (1970) - UK #41^[6]
• Overdog (1971)
• Seventy-Second Brave (1972)
• Not Foolish, Not Wise (2003)

Solo[link]

• Lancashire Hustler (1973)

Little Big Band[link]

• Little Big Band (live at Marquee Club) (1971)

Dog Soldier[link]

• Dog Soldier (1975) UAS 29769, recorded at Island Basing Street Studios, London, 18 November - 15 December 1974

References[link]

External links[link]

• Keef Hartley at Allmusic
• The official Keef Hartley website
• More about Keef Hartley
• A Brief History of Hartley
• Musicians' Olympus

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Gary Mervin Thain (15 May 1948 – 8 December 1975) was a rock bassist, best known for his work with British band, Uriah Heep.

Biography[link]

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thain was part of the rock trio The New Nadir, and with the drummer Peter Dawkins, he travelled from New Zealand to London, and once jammed with Jimi Hendrix before the trio split in 1969.

Thain joined the Keef Hartley Band and, in 1971, they toured with Uriah Heep; they asked him to join them (replacing Mark Clarke) in February 1972, and he stayed in the band until February 1975. He played on four studio albums: Demons & Wizards, The Magician's Birthday, Sweet Freedom and Wonderworld as well as their live album, entitled Uriah Heep Live.

During his last tour with Uriah Heep, Thain suffered an electric shock at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas on 15 September 1974, and was seriously injured.^[1] Due to his drug addiction he was not able to perform properly, and was fired by the band in early 1975 and replaced by former King Crimson bassist/vocalist, John Wetton. Thain died of respiratory failure due to a heroin overdose, on 8 December 1975, aged 27.^[2]

Albums discography[link]

Champion Jack Dupree[link]

• Scoobydoobydoo (1969)

Martha Velez[link]

• Fiends and Angels (1970)

Keef Hartley Band[link]

• Halfbreed (1969)
• The Battle of North West Six (1969)
• The Time is Near (1970)
• Little Big Band Live at The Marquee 1971 (1971)
• Overdog (1971)
• Seventy-Second Brave (1972)

Miller Anderson[link]

• Bright City (1971)

Pete York Percussion Band[link]

• The Pete York Percussion Band (1972)

Uriah Heep[link]

• Demons and Wizards (1972)
• The Magician's Birthday (1972)
• Uriah Heep Live (1973)
• Sweet Freedom (1973)
• Wonderworld (1974)
• Live at Shepperton '74 (1986)

Ken Hensley[link]

• Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf (1973)

Me And The Others / The New Nadir[link]

• Uncovered (2009)

He died taking Carbotal not heroin.

Singles discography[link]

The Strangers[link]

• 1963:

- A Side: "My Blue Heaven" - B Side: "The Dark at the Top of The Stairs"

• 1964:

- A Side: "Pretend" - B Side: "Alright"

• 1965:

- A Side: "Can't Help Forgiving You" - B Side: "I'll Never Be Blue"

The Secrets[link]

• 1965:

- A Side: "It's You" - B Side: "You're Wrong"

• 1966

- A Side: "Me and the Others" - B Side: "Love Is Not a Game"

Champion Jack Dupree[link]

• 1969

- A Side: "Ba La Fouche" (MT/Jack Dupree) - B Side: "Kansas City" (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)

Martha Velez[link]

• 1969

- A Side: "Tell Mama" - B Side: "Swamp Man"

Keef Hartley Band[link]

• 1969

- A Side: "Don't Be Afraid" - B Side: "Hickory"

• 1969

- A Side: "Halfbread" - B Side: "Waiting Around"

• 1969

- A Side: "Just to Cry" - B Side: "Leave It 'Til The Morning"

• 1969

- A Side: "Plain Talkin'" - B Side: "We Are All the Same"

• 1970:

- A Side: "Roundabout" - B Side: "Roundabout pt 2"

• 1973:

- A Side: "Dance to the Music" - B Side: "You and Me"

See also[link]

• 27 Club

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site