{{Short description|English singer and songwriter (born 1946)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{BLP sources|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = Keith Christmas | image = Milverton21.jpg | caption = Christmas in 2012. | image_size = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = Keith Peter Christmas | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|10|13|df=y}} | death_date = | origin = Wivenhoe, Essex, England | instrument = | genre = Folk rock | occupation = | years_active = Late 1960s–present | label = {{Flatlist| *RCA Victor *B & C *Manticore *Apple *Voiceprint *BECN *Woronzow *HTD }} | website = {{URL|http://www.keithchristmas.com}} }} '''Keith Peter Christmas''' (born 13 October 1946 in Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex, England)<ref>{{AllMusic | class = artist | id = p16482 | label = Keith Christmas | accessdate = 2012-05-01 }}</ref> is an English singer and songwriter. He attended Bath University to read architecture but, because the Architecture School was, at that time, based in Kingsweston House, Bristol, he became part of that city's folk set.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Mark|title=Bristol Folk|publisher=Bristol Folk Publications|year=2009|isbn=978-0-9563531-0-8|location=Bristol|pages=32}}</ref>
In 1969, his first album, ''Stimulus'', was released on RCA Victor via a production deal with Sandy Roberton's September Productions, to whom Christmas was signed.<ref name=":0" /> Christmas played acoustic guitar on David Bowie's ''Space Oddity'' album and appeared at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Mark|title=Bristol Folk|publisher=Bristol Folk Publications|year=2009|isbn=978-0-9563531-0-8|location=Bristol|pages=35}}</ref> Through the 1970s he released albums on B&C and Manticore, 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.<ref name="bio"/> 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, Adrian Shaw (Magic Muscle and, later, Hawkwind), and Michael Boshears.<ref name="bio" />
Although predominantly an acoustic guitarist, he was not averse to playing electric guitar and regularly jammed with Bristol-based, acid rock band, Magic Muscle.<ref name=":2" /> He can be heard on the retrospective compilation, ''[https://www.discogs.com/Magic-Muscle-The-PipeRoarGrid/release/3146905 The Pipe, the Roar, the Grid]''. The photograph on the front of his second LP, ''Fable of the Wings'', was taken inside part of Magic Muscle's squat in Cotham, Bristol.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Mark|title=Bristol Folk|publisher=Bristol Folk Publications|year=2009|isbn=978-0-9563531-0-8|location=Bristol|pages=33}}</ref> In 1971, he released Pigmy, which included one side of acoustic songs, and one side of band pieces,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Keith Christmas - Pygmy|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2025277-Keith-Christmas-Pigmy|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1971 }}</ref> which have a very free, jamming feel to the instrumental sections. The choral and string parts were arranged by Robert Kirby, better known for his arrangements for Nick Drake. The 2004 retrospective album, ''Timeless and Strange'', was named after a track on ''Pigmy'', which featured, then Bristol-based artist, Bob Stewart on psaltery.
In 1972, he was voted one of six favourite international artists by writers of ''Sounds'' magazine.<ref name="bio">[http://www.bioandlyrics.com/keithchristmas Bioandlyrics.com] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070701051030/http://www.bioandlyrics.com/keithchristmas |date=2007-07-01 }}</ref> The irony was that he was effectively unsigned at this point because his record label, B&C, had recently ceased trading.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Mark|title=The Famous Charisma Discography (2nd Ed.)|publisher=The Record Press|year=2021|isbn=978-1-909953-78-9|location=Bristol|pages=8}}</ref> He was signed by the recently formed Manticore label, which was set up by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and their manager, Stewart Young, for whom he recorded ''Brighter Day'' and ''Stories from the Human Zoo''. He also sang on ''Danse Macabre'', by Esperanto, in 1974,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Esperanto (5) - Danse Macabre|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3905253-Esperanto-Danse-Macabre|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1974 }}</ref> the connection being that the LP was produced by Manticore artist/producer, Pete Sinfield. A further Pete Sinfield connection is that Christmas wrote the lyrics for the English language release of Angelo Branduardi's ''Life Is the Only Teacher''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Angelo Branduardi - Life Is The Only Teacher|url=https://www.discogs.com/Angelo-Branduardi-Life-Is-The-Only-Teacher/release/2291048|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1986 }}</ref> in 1979 - Sinfield had written the lyrics for Branduardi's previous English language release, ''Highdown Fair''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Angelo Branduardi - Highdown Fair|url=https://www.discogs.com/Angelo-Branduardi-Highdown-Fair/release/667192|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1979 }}</ref>
In 1976, after recording ''Stories from the Human Zoo'' with Donald 'Duck' Dunn and Steve Cropper from Booker T. & the MGs, at Indigo Ranch Studios, in America,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Keith Christmas – Stories From The Human Zoo|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/4134110-Keith-Christmas-Stories-From-The-Human-Zoo|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1976 }}</ref> he came back to England and, with Manticore becoming inactive for new releases,<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Unattributed|date=7 May 1977|title=Threshold Stays as Catalog Label|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-05-07.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=67}}</ref> after a few years he stopped playing. In 1983, his composition, "Fable of the Wings", was covered by 'folk-rock' supergroup, Brass Monkey,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|title=Brass Monkey (5) – Brass Monkey|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3234362-Brass-Monkey-Brass-Monkey|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Discogs|date=28 October 1983 }}</ref> which featured Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick.
In the late 1980s, he moved back to Bristol and began playing solo acoustic sets,<ref name=":1" /> as well as sets with his blues band, Red House. During this time he released two limited edition cassettes, one solo and one with the band. 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”.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beckenham Library (Unattributed)|title=David Bowie Festival 2019|url=https://www.beckenhamheritagegroup.co.uk/?p=1145|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Beckenham Heritage Group}}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> The Bowie Bandstand was given Grade II listed status on 16 August 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the original Growth Summer Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Unattributed|date=16 August 2019|title='Bowie Bandstand' in Beckenham Listed on Festival's 50th Anniversary|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/bowie-bandstand-listed/|access-date=5 October 2021|website=Historic England}}</ref>
His latest album, ''Life, Life'', was released on 1 September 2019.
==Discography== *''Stimulus'' 1969<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Fable of the Wings'' 1970<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Pigmy'' 1971<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Brighter Day'' 1974<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Stories from the Human Zoo'' 1976<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Red House'' (ltd. ed. cassette sold at gigs only) *''Dead Line Blues'' (ltd. ed. cassette sold at gigs only) *''Weatherman'' 1992<ref name=amg-disc/><!--this ref only has the 2003 ?re-issue--> *''Love Beyond Deals'' 1996<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Acoustica'' 2003<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Timeless & Strange'' (compilation 1969-71) 2004<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Light of the Dawn'' 2006<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Fat Cat Big Fish'' 2011<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Live at the Pump'' 2012<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Crazy Dancing Days'' 2016<ref name=amg-disc/> *''Life, Life'' 2019<ref name=amg-disc/>
==References== <references>
<ref name=amg-disc>{{AllMusic | class = artist | id = p16482 | tab = discography | label = Discography for Keith Christmas | accessdate = 2012-05-01 }}</ref>
</references>
==External links== * {{official website|1=http://www.keithchristmas.com}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas, Keith}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Bath Category:English male singer-songwriters Category:English singer-songwriters Category:Musicians from Essex Category:People from Wivenhoe Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Voiceprint Records artists Category:Apple Records artists