Keith Hale | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 6 November 1950 |
| Origin | Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Pop, rock, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, record producer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Hammond organ, Roland Jupiter-4, ARP Explorer, Guitar |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Safari, Arista |
Keith Hale (born 6 November 1950) is an English songwriter, composer, record producer, performer and music teacher, most notable for his work with Toyah Willcox, Hawkwind and Ginger Baker.
The Yorkshire-born musician moved south when he was ten. Whilst in his final year at primary school he won first prize in the Cadbury's National Essay Competition for Schools. As a teenager he moved back to Hull to join Nothineverappens [1] "Yorkshire's premier psychedelic band". Returning to London he played in the Bromley based band Aslan (with Geoff Knowles, Tony Fleet and Tony O'Leary), who performed around South London, and at Chislehurst caves and free concerts with David Bowie in the Library gardens, Bromley. He then collaborated in "Silly Balls", a mixed-media project designed to maximise audience participation but this proved too unwieldy to be commercially viable. His distinctive keyboard work and songwriting ability led him to being asked to join Comus in 1973. Later projects included his own band Blood Donor, [2] Hawkwind, and Ginger Baker, before a long and successful association with Toyah. More recently, Hale writes and arranges school music productions, teaches keyboards and participates in songwriting workshops.
Comus recorded an album for Virgin Records in 1974 entitled To Keep from Crying . Hale played keyboards and marimba.
Determined to pursue his own musical vision, Hale formed Blood Donor [2] in 1977. It had the then highly unusual line-up of two synthesizer players, two percussionists and a bass player. This group battled against a backdrop of punk rock, supported J.J. Burnel, [3] and was signed to Arista Records in 1979. Various producers were used including Steve James and John Cale [4] although they recorded the first album with Tonto's Expanding Head Band and Stevie Wonder producer Malcolm Cecil. Internal disputes between record company and management meant that this album was never released, although two singles were – "Rubber Revolution" [5] and "Rice Harvest". The latter, featuring a Vietnamese children's choir, is regularly revitalised for Hale's school productions.
Blood Donor [2] can be seen performing "Rice Harvest" in the 1980 ATV documentary Toyah, at Toyah Willcox's Battersea warehouse where they frequently rehearsed.
In 2002, they reunited for a one-off 25th anniversary concert which took place at The Old Market in Hove, Sussex.
In 1980, Hale joined Hawkwind, replacing Tim Blake who left during the Levitation tour. Together with drummer Ginger Baker, Hale left after a well documented band bust up [6] at Rockfield Studios.
Following Hawkwind, Ginger then asked Hale to get a band together for which he enlisted the help of old friends Billy Jenkins and Ian Trimmer, as well as Blood Donor bassist Rikki Legair. Known as Ginger Baker's Nutters [7] the band undertook two long European tours and recorded two live albums, Live in Milan 1980 [8] and Ginger Baker in Concert. [9] The band broke up when Ginger had to leave the UK for tax reasons.
Hale co-wrote and co-produced Toyah's first album (and EP/AP) Sheep Farming in Barnet and her first single "Victims of the Riddle". In February 1981 her version of Hale's song "It's a Mystery" reached no. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. He then joined Toyah's band for more touring [10] and TV work including Warrior Rock: Toyah On Tour , a double album recorded at the culmination of a 25-date UK tour, during two nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in July 1982. Toyah Willcox had this to say in 2011 – "So when it comes down to Warrior Rock, I know it's one of the best live albums ever made! And I'm confident about that and two fingers to everyone else about it really!".
Hale, along with former Blood Donor colleagues John Bentley [11] and Gordon Coxon released one experimental self-titled 'acid-jazz' album in 1988. [12]
Nicknamed Jasper Fish by Ginger Baker (a reference to Hale originating from a fishing city), he recorded two albums in the guise of Jasper Fish and the Alice Band. Alice is the name of Hale's daughter. They supported Jools Holland in 1998, and were described as 'very much in the Canterbury style of the '70s'. [13]
Project with Squeeze bass player and former Space Cadet John Bentley. Performed showcase at Ropetackle, Shoreham, 2 May 2008. [14]
In the present day, Hale writes and arranges many children's musical productions [15] in the Kent and London area and teaches keyboards and songwriting at Charles Darwin School. [16] He has participated with members of Squeeze's Chris Difford's songwriting workshops in Italy.
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English singer, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays and 10 feature films, and voiced and presented numerous television shows.
Levitation is the tenth studio album by English rock group Hawkwind, released in 1980. It peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart.
The Stranglers and Friends: Live in Concert is a live album by English rock band the Stranglers, released in 1995 by Receiver Records. In 2002, the album was re-released on the Castle Music label, digitally remastered from the original master tapes with new artwork and sleeve notes.
Sheep Farming in Barnet is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1979 by Safari Records.
Toyah was an English new wave band fronted by namesake Toyah Willcox between 1977 and 1983. The only other consistent band member throughout this period was Joel Bogen, Willcox's principal co-writer and guitarist.
The Blue Meaning is the second studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 40 on the UK Albums Chart.
Anthem is a studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It was the band's most successful album, reaching number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and featuring the Top 10 singles "It's a Mystery" and "I Want to Be Free". The album was certified gold in 1981 for selling more than 100,000 copies in the UK.
Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! is a live album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records.
Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour is a live album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1982 by Safari Records.
Mayhem is a compilation album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1985 by Safari Records.
Zones is an album by Hawkwind released in 1983 consisting of studio demos from 1981 and live performances between 1980 and 1982.
"Victims of the Riddle" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as the band's debut single in 1979 by Safari Records. The song later featured on the band's album Sheep Farming in Barnet.
"Bird in Flight" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records.
"Ieya" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It was first released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records to promote the album The Blue Meaning. It was re-recorded and re-issued in 1982, and met with minor chart success in the UK.
"Danced" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It first appeared on the band's 1979 LP Sheep Farming in Barnet, and a live version of the song was subsequently released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records to promote the concert album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!.
Four from Toyah is the second EP by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 5 in the UK Singles Chart on the back of its lead track, "It's a Mystery".
"Thunder in the Mountains" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1981 by Safari Records. It was one of Toyah's biggest hits, reaching number 4 in the UK chart.
Four More from Toyah is the third EP by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 20 in the UK and Ireland.
The discography of English musician Toyah Willcox includes releases as part of the band Toyah and as a solo artist, for which she has carried on releasing music credited as Toyah. It also includes Willcox's one-off collaborations with other artists. However, for the discography of The Humans, see § Discography.
"It's a Mystery" is a song by English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1981 by Safari Records. The song was a hit in the UK where it peaked in the Top 5 in the charts as the lead track on the EP Four from Toyah.
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