# Keith West > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Keith_West > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Keith_West.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_West > Source revision: 1350646548 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English rock singer and songwriter (born 1944)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Use British English|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Keith West | background = solo_singer | birth_name = Keith Alan Hopkins | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1944|12|6}} | birth_place = [Dagenham](/source/Dagenham), [Essex](/source/Essex), [England](/source/England) | instrument = | genre = | occupation = Singer, songwriter | years_active = Mid-1960s–present | label = [Parlophone](/source/Parlophone), [Kuckuck](/source/Kuckuck) (FRG) | past_member_of = [Tomorrow](/source/Tomorrow_(band)), The In Crowd, Moonrider }} '''Keith Hopkins'''{{cite web |title=Musical Calendar for December 6 |url=http://nfo.net/calendar/dec06.htm |website=Big Bands Database Plus |access-date=10 October 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027121229/http://nfo.net/calendar/dec06.htm |archivedate=27 October 2005 |url-status=dead}} (born 6 December 1944, [Dagenham](/source/Dagenham), [Essex](/source/Essex), England),{{cite web|url=https://hawksmoorpublishing.com/keith-west-singer-tomorrow-where-is-he-now|title=Keith West – Lead Singer of Tomorrow – where is he now?|date=January 4, 2022|website=Hawksmoor Publishing}} known by his [stage name](/source/stage_name) '''Keith West''', is a British [rock](/source/rock_music) singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known for his single "[Excerpt from A Teenage Opera](/source/Excerpt_from_A_Teenage_Opera)" ("Grocer Jack"), which reached No. 2 on the [UK Singles Chart](/source/UK_Singles_Chart). West was also the lead singer of various groups including [Tomorrow](/source/Tomorrow_(band)), a 1960s [psychedelic rock](/source/psychedelic_rock) band.{{cite web |last1=Unterberger |first1=Richie |title=Keith West {{!}} Biography & History {{!}} AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/keith-west-mn0000084412 |website=AllMusic |access-date=10 October 2016}} West wrote most of his own songs (credited to Keith Hopkins), often in collaboration with [Ken Burgess](/source/Ken_Burgess_(musician)). Despite critical acclaim and support from [BBC Radio 1](/source/BBC_Radio_1) DJ [John Peel](/source/John_Peel), who featured Tomorrow on his ''[The Perfumed Garden](/source/The_Perfumed_Garden_(radio_show))'' show, the group was not a major commercial success. ==Career== In 1964, West became lead singer of The In Crowd, a band from London, who later changed their name to Tomorrow.{{cite book|title=[The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music)|editor=[Colin Larkin](/source/Colin_Larkin_(writer))|publisher=[Virgin Books](/source/Virgin_Books)|date=1997|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0149-X|page=469}} The following year The In Crowd recorded three singles for [Parlophone](/source/Parlophone).{{cite web |title=The In Crowd [UK] Discography |url=http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-in-crowd |website=45cat |access-date=10 October 2016}} Another member of these groups was guitarist [Steve Howe](/source/Steve_Howe_(musician)), later of the band [Yes](/source/Yes_(band)). In 1967, West became acquainted with [Mark Wirtz](/source/Mark_Wirtz), a record producer who had already created the [instrumental](/source/instrumental) title "A Touch of Velvet, a Sting of Brass" (1965). The melody later became the [theme music](/source/theme_music) for the German television programmes ''[Beat-Club](/source/Beat-Club)'' and ''[Musikladen](/source/Musikladen)''. West was also a participant in Wirtz's ''[A Teenage Opera](/source/A_Teenage_Opera)'' project: he was the singer of "[Excerpt from A Teenage Opera](/source/Excerpt_from_A_Teenage_Opera)", also known as "Grocer Jack", which reached number 2 on the [UK Singles Chart](/source/UK_Singles_Chart) in 1967.{{cite book |first=David |last=Roberts |year=2006 |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |edition=19th |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |isbn=1-904994-10-5 |page=596}} He also performed "Sam", which reached the bottom end of the UK Top 40 the same year. In August 1967, Tomorrow released a single of a Hopkins/Howe song titled "[Revolution](/source/Revolution_(Tomorrow_song))". West released the solo single "On a Saturday" on Parlophone in 1968. Other musicians who appeared on that single were guitarist Howe, bassist [Ronnie Wood](/source/Ronnie_Wood), and drummer [Aynsley Dunbar](/source/Aynsley_Dunbar). It has since been included on the remastered CD version of the ''[Tomorrow](/source/Tomorrow_(Tomorrow_album))'' album (1999). In 1971, West released a solo album, ''Wherever My Love Goes'', on the German [progressive rock](/source/progressive_rock) [record label](/source/record_label) [Kuckuck](/source/Kuckuck).{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wherever-my-love-goes-mw0003042927|title=Wherever My Love Goes - Keith West | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=16 June 2021}} It featured his songwriting partner Ken Burgess and [steel guitar](/source/steel_guitar)ist [Glenn Ross Campbell](/source/Glenn_Ross_Campbell) (ex-[The Misunderstood](/source/The_Misunderstood)). Two tracks on the album were [produced](/source/Record_producer) by [Andrew Loog Oldham](/source/Andrew_Loog_Oldham). By the mid-1970s, West was the lead singer of a group called Moonrider, which also featured [John Weider](/source/John_Weider), Chico Greenwood (later to perform with [Murray Head](/source/Murray_Head)) and [Bruce Thomas](/source/Bruce_Thomas_(musician)).{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/moonrider-mw0000856651|title=Moonrider - Moonrider | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=16 June 2021}} Today, West continues to produce and record music, which is used primarily within the [advertising](/source/advertising) industry. He is also associated with [Burns Guitars](/source/Burns_London).{{cite web |url=http://guitarz.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/burnshayman-prototype-hybrid-guitar.html |title=Burns/Hayman prototype hybrid guitar |website=Guitarz.blogspot.co.uk|date=13 February 2011 }} In 2021, the official biography of Keith West was published in the book ''Thinking About Tomorrow – Excerpts from the life of Keith West''.{{Cite web|title=Thinking About Tomorrow – Excerpts from the life of Keith West - Book|url=https://hawksmoorpublishing.com/book/thinking-about-tomorrow-excerpts-from-the-life-of-keith-west-book|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Hawksmoor Publishing|language=en-US}} ==Discography== {{see also|Tomorrow (band)#Discography}} ===Albums=== *''Wherever My Love Goes'' (1971) ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="6"| Chart Positions |-style="font-size:smaller;" ! style="width:4em;"|[UK](/source/The_Official_Charts_Company)
{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13070/keith-west/|title=Keith West |work=The Official Charts Company }} ! style="width:4em;"|[BEL](/source/Ultratop)
{{cite web |url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/182ce/Keith-West-Excerpt-From-A-Teenage-Opera |title=Keith West |work=Ultratop}} ! style="width:4em;"|[DE](/source/GfK_Entertainment_charts)
{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-99022|title=Keith West:Excerpt from A Teenage Opera |work=Offizielle Deutsche Charts }} ! style="width:4em;"|[NLD](/source/Dutch_Top_40)
{{cite web |url=https://www.top40.nl/top40-artiesten/keith-west|title=Keith West |work=Top 40 }} ! style="width:4em;"|[NZ](/source/New_Zealand_Listener)
{{cite web |url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=656#n_view_location |title=Keith West |work=Flavour of New Zealand}} ! style="width:4em;"|[US](/source/Billboard_Hot_100)
{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |date= 4 November 1967|page=18}} |- |rowspan="2"|1967 |align="left"|"[Excerpt from A Teenage Opera](/source/Excerpt_from_A_Teenage_Opera)" |2 |2 |2 |1 |10 |109{{efn|name=note1}} |- |align="left"|"Sam" |38 |— |— |''Tip''{{efn|Bubbling Under chart|name=note1}} |— |— |- |1968 |align="left"|"On A Saturday" |— |— |— |— |— |— |- | colspan="9" style="font-size:90%;" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that territory |} {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} *{{IMDb name|0922178|Keith West}} * [http://www.alexgitlin.com/npp/moonrider.htm Moonrider] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Keith}} Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:English pop singers Category:English male singers Category:English session musicians Category:English male songwriters Category:People from Dagenham Category:Parlophone artists Category:Singers from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Category:Tomorrow (band) members --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Keith West](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_West) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_West?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.