Keith Christmas

Keith Peter Christmas (born 13 October 1946, Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex, England)[1] is an English singer and songwriter. In 1969, his first album, Stimulus, was released. Christmas played acoustic guitar on David Bowie's Space Oddity album, and appeared at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970.

Keith Christmas
Christmas in 2010.
Background information
Birth nameKeith Peter Christmas
Born (1946-10-13) 13 October 1946
OriginWivenhoe, Essex, England
GenresFolk rock
Years activeLate 1960s–present
LabelsRCA Victor, B & C Records, Manticore Records, Woronzow Records, Voiceprint, HTD Records, BECN Records
Associated actsMighty Baby David Bowie
Websitewww.keithchristmas.com

Through the 1970s he released four more albums, Fable Of The Wings, Pigmy, Brighter Day and Stories From The Human Zoo, while touring with and supporting bands such as The Who, King Crimson, Ten Years After, Frank Zappa, Roxy Music, Hawkwind, Captain Beefheart and The Kinks.[2]

Among the musicians who contributed to his recordings were Mighty Baby, Pat Donaldson, Keith Tippett, Gerry Conway, Shelagh McDonald, Rod Argent, Peter Sinfield, Greg Lake, Mel Collins, Cat Stevens and Michael Boshears.[2]

In 1972, he was voted one of six favourite international artists by writers of Sounds magazine.[2]

In 1976, he came back to England and after a few years stopped playing. However, he formed the blues band, Weatherman, in 1991 with some friends and an album of the same name was released in 1992. In 1996, he started to write a different kind of acoustic material, which led to the release of an album Love Beyond Deals on HTD Records.

In January 2003, Christmas released an instrumental CD, Acoustica. The opening track was used on the BBC documentary Hidden Gardens. In 2006, he recorded and produced his first ever solo CD called Light of the Dawn. The magazine fRoots reviewed it “…the sound is fantastic and grabs the attention: the confident, gutsy guitar, picked or slide, has immediacy and intimacy in equal measure; and Christmas's urgent, hoarse vocals can't help but involve the listener in the moods and stories of the songs… a fine timeless album”.

In 2011, Christmas released a five-track solo acoustic EP called Fat Cat Big Fish and, in 2012, released his first live CD, Live at the Pump. In December 2016, Christmas released a new CD, Crazy Dancing Days.

He also played at a fundraising festival, Bowie's Beckenham Oddity in Beckenham, to help raise funds for the Bowie Bandstand. The bandstand was the same edifice that Christmas performed on in 1969, as part of the Growth Summer Festival and Free Concert, (which was co-organised by David Bowie). Christmas performed at the 2017 and 2019 festivals, he may also be performing there again in August 2020. The Bowie Bandstand was given Grade 2 listed status on 16 August 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the original Growth Summer Festival.

His latest album, Life, Life, was released on 1 September 2019.

Discography
  • Stimulus 1969[3]
  • Fable of the Wings 1970[3]
  • Pigmy 1971[3]
  • Brighter Day 1974 [3]
  • Stories from the Human Zoo 1976[3]
  • Weatherman 1992[3]
  • Love Beyond Deals 1996[3]
  • Acoustica 2003[3]
  • Timeless & Strange (compilation 1969-71) 2004[3]
  • Light of the Dawn 2006[3]
  • Fat Cat Big Fish 2011[3]
  • Live at the Pump 2012[3]
  • Crazy Dancing Days 2016[3]
  • Life, Life 2019[3]

References
  1. Keith Christmas at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  2. Bioandlyrics.com Archived 2007-07-01 at Archive.today
  3. Discography for Keith Christmas at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
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