Online Concert – Dave Keller
Our summer of streamed concerts closes with Vermont soul and blues master Dave Keller.
Ever since renowned guitarist Ronnie Earl chose Dave Keller to sing on his 2010 album, Living In The Light, Keller has been on the rise, earning two nominations for a Blues Music Award for Best Soul/Blues Album, winning the International Blues Challenge ‘Best Self-Released CD Award’, and being chosen for Downbeat Magazine’s ‘Best Recordings of the Year.’
His 2018 CD, Every Soul’s a Star, released on esteemed soul/blues label Catfood Records, was produced by multiple-Grammy-winning legend Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Miller, Tower of Power, Luther Allison, etc.). The head of Catfood Records, Bob Trenchard, who met Keller through their mutual friend Johnny Rawls, says, “Dave is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever been around.” Gaines, the man responsible for some of the most revered albums in modern music, says, “I love Dave’s vocals. Dave has a remarkable voice.”
Flash forward to February 2020, and Dave Keller releases his first-ever live album: Live At The Killer Guitar Thriller! (produced by Tastee-Tone Records). And what a show it was! Keller and his band headlined the Killer Guitar Thriller, an afternoon of guitar-driven blues and soul put on by the Bucks County Blues Society. The venue – an old school VFW hall on the outskirts of Philadelphia – was filled with diehard blues and soul fans. You could hear them hollering and screaming, giving the band plenty of energy to feed off of. With this thrilling set of originals and fan favorites, Keller shows why he is considered one of the finest blues and soul musicians of his generation with a 100% raw performance. While recorded live, Keller’s hope is that album listeners get the feeling of being a part of the in-person crowd.
The live album serves as an excellent introduction to Keller’s music, including four songs from Every Soul’s a Star (2018), and a pair each from Right Back Atcha (2016) , Soul Changes (2013), and Where I’m Coming From (2012). Plus, for diehard fans, there are five songs on the live album which Keller has never recorded before: heavy blues songs from Albert King, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Magic Sam and a zydeco romp (Clifton Chenier).
Based in Vermont, Keller has performed for audiences across the U.S., including major festivals such as the North Atlantic Blues Fest, Discover Jazz Fest, and PA Blues Fest and many of the finest clubs, including B.B. King’s in Memphis and Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco. In 2020, Keller will be venturing out of the U.S. and performing live for the first time in his career in Europe.
In addition to his own recordings, Keller has co-written and recorded with legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl (2010’s BMA-nominated Living In The Light). He tours regularly with Mississippi soul/blues master Johnny Rawls. Mentored by the late deep soul singer, Mighty Sam McClain, Keller continues to prove McClain’s words: “He’s for REAL!!”
Other well-regarded performers have invited him onstage, including but not limited to: Otis Clay, Fontella Bass, John Nemeth, Sugaray Rayford, John Primer, Mike Welch, Mike Ledbetter, Southern Avenue, Big Jack Johnson, Terrence Simien, Anthony Geraci, Alexis P. Suter, Dawn Tyler Watson, and Dwight and Nicole.
A bit of a late bloomer, Keller grew up in Massachusetts, loving music, but not picking up a guitar until age 16, and not singing in his first band until age 20. But blessed with mentors including deep soul singer Mighty Sam McClain, mystical soul guitarist Robert Ward, acoustic blues master Paul Rishell, and soul/blues man Johnny Rawls, Keller made up for the lost time.
Relocating to icy Vermont in 1993, Keller found fertile ground to grow his audience and has become a household name there. Famous for his live-wire shows, Keller can often be found fifty feet out in the crowd, teasing fiery licks from his trusty Stratocaster, and singing off-mike as the audience sings along.
Watch on the COVID Concerts page.