Speedy Keen

John David Percy "Speedy" Keen was an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known for being the singer and drummer of the rock band Thunderclap Newman. He wrote "Something in the Air" for the band, which reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart. He also released two solo albums.

Career

Keen was born in Ealing, London, England. He played early on with such bands as The Krewsaders, The Second Thoughts and The Eccentrics. Keen's first recorded song was "Club of Lights", recorded in 1966 for Reaction Records by Oscar.
Before joining Thunderclap Newman, Keen shared a flat with and worked as a driver for Pete Townshend of The Who. He wrote "Armenia City in the Sky", which was included on the album The Who Sell Out. This was the only song The Who ever performed that was specifically written for the group by a non-member. Who bassist Entwistle joked that people thought it was "I'm an Ear Sitting in the Sky". Keen wrote "Something in the Air", his best-known song, for Thunderclap Newman and recorded two solo albums for Track and Island both of which have been released on CD by Esoteric. "I Promise You" from the second album was used in the American TV series, The Big C.
Keen was later a record producer. His credits included the eponymous first album for Motörhead, and the proto-punk classic L.A.M.F. for The Heartbreakers
As a session musician Keen played for others such as Rod Stewart, The Mission, and Kenny G. He also provided music for television advertisements and television programmes such as The Zoo. As a writer, apart from "Something in the Air", "Armenia City in the Sky" and "Club of Lights", he wrote songs for The Swinging Blue Jeans and Crokodile Tears.
Keen died of heart failure in March 2002.

Discography

Albums

Previous Convictions

''Y' Know Wot I Mean?''