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He is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer born
in Murray, Kentucky, and growing up in Memphis from the time he was eight. He bought his first guitar from a
pawn shop in Beale Street while he was in high school and when he graduated
he left home and spent the next 2 years doing odd jobs and hitch-hiking his
way until he reached New York City.
Once there he got him self onto a College Coffee House Circuit
national tour and in 1968 The Gentrys and the Lonesome Rhodes both recorded
his songs. Making his name
recognised he cut his first solo album in 1970 and his second was released
while over in Japan playing the lead in the film Summer Soldiers. 1973 saw him making the
decision to move to Texas and from there to Florida where he met Jimmy
Buffett, who recorded two of his songs and later the co-written "Volcano", and
toured with him as a member of his Coral Reefer Band. Continuing to write for other
artists and perform as a guitarist for other artists he returned to the
studio to do his own recording in 1995. Around the same time he started to host a songwriter's
showcase back on Beale Street, Memphis, where he had decided to return to. He built The Woodshed studio with
his partner Kelcy Warren for Syren Records and here he produces his own
work and that of many other artists.
Through the course of his career he has worked as a producer,
songwriter and/or guitarist for acts that include Roseanne Cash, Guy Clark,
Patty Loveless, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker to name a few. He has at least ten albums to his
credit, including 1-2-3, It Don't Hurt to Flirt, Fun Rockin', Advanced
Medication for the Blues and Don't Count Us Out, and has also
been heard with other artists on releases such as Volcano by Jimmy
Buffett, Street Language by Rodney Crowell and Jerry Jeff by
Jerry Jeff Walker.
Sources:
- http://www.keithsykes.com/bio.html
- http://www.keithsykes.com/disc.html
- http://www.myspace.com/keithsykes
- http://music.yahoo.com/ar-265659-bio--Keith-Sykes
- http://www.semo.edu/news/index_4507.htm
- http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Keith%20Sykes:1927017017
- http://buffettnews.com/modules.php?name=SongDatabase&file=bandmember&bid=56
- http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=KEITH|SYKES&sql=11:dpfoxq95ldfe~T4
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