Robert Earl Keen

Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American country singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas. Keen was born and grew up in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, he was an avid reader who excelled in writing and literature classes. Keen was a fan of the British rock band Cream, and was influenced by country music from artists Willie Nelson, Norman Blake, Jesse Winchester, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Withers, Gary Stewart, and Jimmie Rodgers. After graduation from Sharpstown High School, Keen started playing guitar himself shortly thereafter, learning to play classic country covers out of a songbook the summer before starting college at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in English in 1978, and began writing songs and playing bluegrass and folk music with friends, including his childhood friend (and future longtime fiddle player in his band) Bryan Duckworth. During his college years, Keen lived with future musician Lyle Lovett. In 1978, Keen graduated from Texas A&M and moved to Austin, Texas. He performed in nightclubs and live-music venues in Austin, including Cactus Cafe, Emma Joe's, Alamo Lounge, Liberty Lunch, Anderson Fair in Houston, and Gruene Hall near New Braunfels. In 1983, Keen won the New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas. That same year, he began making his self-produced first album, No Kinda Dancer. Following the release of this album in 1985, Keen moved to Nashville with his future wife, Kathleen Gray. He signed a publishing deal, a new independent label deal, and signed with a national booking agent. While in Nashville, Keen and Gray worked at Hatch Show Print shop. Keen returned to Texas in 1987 and released his second album, The Live Album, in 1988, followed by his third album, West Textures in 1989. West Textures featured the first recording of Keen's signature song, "The Road Goes on Forever". Fellow Texan Joe Ely recorded the song on his 1993 album Love and Danger, along with another Keen song, "Whenever Kindness Fails". Keen's own version of "Whenever Kindness Fails" appeared on his fourth album, 1993's A Bigger Piece of Sky. In 1994, he released Gringo Honeymoon followed by No. 2 Live Dinner in 1996. Keen has continued to write and record music, while also maintaining a prodigious tour schedule. His 1997 album, Picnic, marked the beginning of his on-again, off-again relationship with major labels (both that album and 1998's Walking Distance were issued on Arista Records, and 2001's Gravitational Forces, 2009's The Rose Hotel, and 2011's Ready for Confetti were released on Lost Highway Records). Keen's other albums include 2003's Farm Fresh Onions (Audium/Koch Records) and 2005's What I Really Mean and 2006's Live at the Ryman (both on E1 Music). The producers with whom he has worked on those albums have included John Keane, Gurf Morlix, Gary Velletri, and Lloyd Maines. In 2022, his concert tour was listed as one of the most successful in the world. His band includes: Bill Whitbeck — bass, upright bass, vocals Tom Van Schaik — drums, vocals Brian Beken — fiddle, acoustic guitar, electric guitar In January 2022, Keen announced that he would stop touring and performing publicly after September 2022. His final tour was named the "I'm Coming Home Farewell Tour" and the final leg was played September 1, 3, and 4 at Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas. Approximately 3,000 people attended the last show on September 4 for nearly two-and-a-half hours. Despite the claims of playing his final shows and farewell tour, Keen proceeded to do several shows in 2023 and listed a 2024 tour on his website with a dozen stops. Instagram posts on Keen's account containing photos from his "I'm Coming Home Farewell Tour" were later edited to remove reference to the "farewell" part of the tour. Rose, Mike (January 11, 2023). 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Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Erwin, Hank (May 20, 2022). "A Culture 50 Years in the Making: The Kerrville Folk Festival Experience". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 30, 2022. Sale, Anna (May 20, 2015). "Robert Earl Keen Quit Nashville and Stayed Married". Death, Sex & Money. Retrieved May 30, 2022. Sherraden, Jim (2001). Hatch Show Print: The History of a Great American Poster Shop. Country Music Foundation. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-8118-2856-7. McLeese, Don. "Straight outta Bandera: For Robert Earl Keen, music and business coexist at home, deep in the heart of Texas". No Depression. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013. "Live 75". Pollstar. June 27, 2022. pp. 8–9. "The Band | Robert Earl Keen". www.robertearlkeen.com. Retrieved May 12, 2025. Keen, Robert Earl (January 14, 2022). ""Time Flies" – A message from Robert Earl Keen". robertearlkeen.com. Retrieved March 26, 2022. Crutchmer, Josh (September 5, 2022). "Robert Earl Keen has played his final show. He's not kidding". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 7, 2022. Keen, Robert Earl. ""Robert Earl Keen"". robertearlkeen.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024. Keen, Robert Earl. ""Robert Earl Keen"". instagram.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2011. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2011. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2011. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2011. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2011. "Robert Earl Keen Jr. Album & Song Chart History – Bluegrass Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2015. Melinda Newman (September 22, 2016). 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