About
Keith has worked extensively in theatre and television as director, musical director, arranger and composer.
His theatre credits, as director, include Save The last Dance For Me (National Tour), Laughter In The Rain (National Tour), Dancing In The Streets (West End and National Tour), Elvis The Musical (West End and National Tour), Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens (West End), Four Steps to Heaven (West End and National Tour), Can't Smile Without You (National Tour), Sweet Soul Music (National Tour), Tommy (National Tour), Rock & Roll Heaven (National Tour), The Concert They Never Gave (National Tour), The Blues Brothers Meet The Soul Sisters (National Tour), Thank You For The Music (National Tour), Dancing In The Streets (National Tour), Only The Lonely (National Tour), The Sound Of Fury (National Tour), No Trams To Lime Street (Liverpool Playhouse), The Signalman (Windsor Theatre Royal), The Lodger (Windsor & Bromley), The Pit And The Pendulum (Windsor & Bromley), Appointment With Death (Palace Theatre, Westcliff), Harry's Web (Windsor Theatre Royal) and The Lady Or The Tiger (The Orange Tree Theatre).
His work as musical director and arranger in the West End includes Dreamboats and Petticoats, Good Rockin' Tonite, In The Midnight Hour, Ferry Cross The Mersey, All You Need Is Love Grease and Let The Good Times Roll.
In 1979 and 1980 Keith continued his relationship with Jack Good, who he'd met on Elvis, as musical director on two series of Oh Boy featuring Joe Brown, Alvin Stardust, Lulu and Shakin' Stevens. Following this, with performers he'd met on the series, Keith formed the singing group Wall Street Crash and was their artistic and musical director through three Royal Command Performances and extensive live and television work at home and abroad. He left the group in 1984 to further his career in theatre and television but they continued to work, mainly in Europe.
In the late eighties Keith worked in television, as a musical director and arranger on shows such as Live From Her Majesty's, New Faces, Spitting Image and The Morcambe And Wise Show. He continues to work in television but principally as a composer. His credits include Winning Lines, How Do They Do That, The Detectives, Talking Telephone Numbers, The Hypnotic World Of Paul McKenna and Auntie's Bloomers and the award winning Who Wants To Be A Millionaire which is broadcast in over 100 countries worldwide. The music was used in the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire and the TV program has become the most successful TV franchise of all time. Keith and Matthew Strachan were recently inaugurated into the ASCAP Hall of Fame for the consistent success of the music in the USA over the past ten years.
Keith devised the John Lennon musical Imagine with Ian Kellgren in 1992 and he co-wrote the musical Baby Love with Richard Harris in 1995.
He was also the composer of the Christmas musical The Little Match Girl based on Hans Christian Anderson's short story. This was filmed for television in 1986 starring Twiggy and Roger Daltrey and was nominated for an International Emmy Award. The musical includes the song Mistletoe And Wine which was recorded in 1988 by Cliff Richard. Sales of the record exceeded one million, and Keith received the Ivor Novello Award for the best selling 'A' side of 1988.
Keith began his life in the music business as singer and Hammond organist in the jazz rock band Swegas in the early 70s. The band survived for little more than a year but during that time they released two albums and travelled.
CONTACT DETAILS
Email me at keith @ strachan.org