Bert Keyes

When the history of New York City R&B is written, the name of Bert (or, sometimes, "Burt") Keyes shouldn't be overlooked -- for much of its existence, Keyes was the music director of Rama Records, one of the earlier New York-based R&B labels to find national success. Keyes' career in music as a pianist began in the '40s with <a href="spotify:artist:4EYVgfZJ8wKXWmIvCx3gOY">Ruth Brown</a>, and in the early '50s he worked with jazz trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:5HURNx0erYz9xEXgbaUQlH">Taft Jordan</a>. Keyes got his first big break as an arranger in 1953, when George Goldner founded Rama Records, and Keyes became the A&R director, musical director, and arranger for the new label, handling such acts as the Five Buds, the Blue Notes, and the Larke Sisters. He cut a quintet of singles of his own as a pianist and bandleader for the label, most notably "I Was Such a Fool" and "Write Me Baby," all of it very solid R&B, but it was in his arranger and producer capacity that he shaped most of the label's output for much of its four years in business. He subsequently went on to serve as a pianist with <a href="spotify:artist:0V6zo2mJw9FdwWLClKC9yw">LaVern Baker</a> on Atlantic, and as an arranger and composer for numerous other labels, with artists who included <a href="spotify:artist:74Dnr5flGLfLeyV85l0NUr">Willie Bobo</a> (on Verve) and <a href="spotify:artist:5aygfDCEaX5KTZOxSCpT9o">Albert King</a> before he made the jump to composing and arranging television and movie music (including <a href="spotify:artist:056oOfeVehYggoFyLsWzot">Laurence Harvey</a>'s Welcome to Arrow Beach and the children's movie Hugo the Hippo) in the '60s and '70s. He continued to work in music well into the '70s, and beyond as well, including arranging music for <a href="spotify:artist:5tSWhJQyABPCBpRmYLWXOA">Sylvia</a> in her pre-disco comeback. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi