Tommy Keene Remembered

Tommy Keene

Another sad day for music fans with the news that singer-songwriter Tommy Keene passed away on Nov. 22, 2017. Only 59, the Maryland native released a slew of wonderful discs beginning in the early 1980s.

Noted power pop columnist and author John M. Borack spoke for countless fans of Keene with his emotional Thanksgiving Day post left on Facebook. The Nov. 23, 2017 post reads, in part:

"I just heard the news that Tommy has passed away at the far-too-young age of 59, and I'm sitting here in shock and in tears. He'll be missed by so many, and my sincere condolences to his family and friends. On a day where we're supposed to be thankful, I'm giving thanks for all the wonderful music he gave us. But damn, this hurts. Rest In Peace, TK." John M. Borack

For those not familiar with Keene, I highly recommend the aptly-titled 2010 retrospective, Tommy Keene: You Hear Me, a two-disc set that features more than 40(!) songs. I can't say enough about this collection. I love so many of the songs, with "Baby Face," "When Our Vows Break," "Highwire Days" and a live version of "Long Time Missing" among my favorites.

You can read my review of Keene's 2015 release Laugh in the Dark here. That album was one of my favorite discs of 2015.

I also recommend Keene's wonderful 2013 release Excitement At Your Feet; the artist's 10th official studio album finds Keene reworking mostly-obscure covers including Guided By Voices' "Choking Tara," the Bee Gees' "I Laugh in Your Face," the Rolling Stones' "Ride on Baby" and Television's "Guiding Light."

Finally, writer Dw. Dunphy has written a fascinating and touching tribute to Tommy Keene and David Cassidy. You can read the column here.


Robert Kinsler