Biography
Since the 1990s Larry Keel has established himself as a rising force in acoustic music through command of multiple traditional and exploratory styles. Born amid the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, he absorbed the region’s longstanding musical heritage from childhood onward. His older brother and father provided early instruction that sharpened his guitar technique. At eighteen he spent seven months performing at Tokyo Disneyland, later describing the stint as “incredible.” Returning to the United States in the mid-’90s, he began a circuit of festivals nationwide. In 1994 a friend urged him to visit Telluride, then an emerging bluegrass hub, where he entered and won the guitar competition.
Mid-decade Keel assembled the Larry Keel Experience, whose subsequent recordings explored adventurous territory. The 1997 release Miles and Miles blended Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” performed with a nineteen-piece acoustic orchestra, the Star Trek theme, and original material highlighted by the title track. Two years later The Sound appeared, presenting a tighter ensemble sound, a larger share of originals, and extended, vigorous solos that situated the group within the jam-band lineage. The band’s next effort, titled simply The Larry Keel Experience, featured an acoustic rendering of Bob Marley’s “Hammer” alongside an energetic reinterpretation of John Hartford’s “All Fall Down.”
In 2002 the Experience collaborated with Curtis Burch, a founding member of the New Grass Revival, on the album Larry Keel, Curtis Burch and the Experience. Dedicated to the recently departed Hartford, the project drew from his early repertoire and revisited “Pennies in My Pocket,” first recorded by the New Grass Revival in 1973. Journey, the band’s fifth album, followed in 2003 and incorporated electric guitar on select tracks.
Keel launched the quartet Natural Bridge in 2005 with bassist Jenny Keel, mandolinist Mark Schimick, and banjoist Andy Thorn. The group adhered more closely to traditional material, delivering renditions of “Weary Heart,” “Groundhog,” and “Gatherin Flowers.” The album’s cover photograph, showing Keel without his customary full beard, surprised longtime listeners. That same year he and his brother Gary Keel issued the unadorned collection The Keel Brothers, Vol. 1.
Keel and his associates maintain a steady performance calendar focused on the East Coast and numerous festivals. Plans for 2006 included a New Year’s Eve appearance at the Grey Eagle Music Hall in Ashville, NC. As S. Remington observed, “In Western Carolina Larry has been elevated to icon status with those who appreciate good, solid, hand crafted music.” A growing catalog and consistent road work suggest his recognition will soon extend beyond the region.
Mid-decade Keel assembled the Larry Keel Experience, whose subsequent recordings explored adventurous territory. The 1997 release Miles and Miles blended Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” performed with a nineteen-piece acoustic orchestra, the Star Trek theme, and original material highlighted by the title track. Two years later The Sound appeared, presenting a tighter ensemble sound, a larger share of originals, and extended, vigorous solos that situated the group within the jam-band lineage. The band’s next effort, titled simply The Larry Keel Experience, featured an acoustic rendering of Bob Marley’s “Hammer” alongside an energetic reinterpretation of John Hartford’s “All Fall Down.”
In 2002 the Experience collaborated with Curtis Burch, a founding member of the New Grass Revival, on the album Larry Keel, Curtis Burch and the Experience. Dedicated to the recently departed Hartford, the project drew from his early repertoire and revisited “Pennies in My Pocket,” first recorded by the New Grass Revival in 1973. Journey, the band’s fifth album, followed in 2003 and incorporated electric guitar on select tracks.
Keel launched the quartet Natural Bridge in 2005 with bassist Jenny Keel, mandolinist Mark Schimick, and banjoist Andy Thorn. The group adhered more closely to traditional material, delivering renditions of “Weary Heart,” “Groundhog,” and “Gatherin Flowers.” The album’s cover photograph, showing Keel without his customary full beard, surprised longtime listeners. That same year he and his brother Gary Keel issued the unadorned collection The Keel Brothers, Vol. 1.
Keel and his associates maintain a steady performance calendar focused on the East Coast and numerous festivals. Plans for 2006 included a New Year’s Eve appearance at the Grey Eagle Music Hall in Ashville, NC. As S. Remington observed, “In Western Carolina Larry has been elevated to icon status with those who appreciate good, solid, hand crafted music.” A growing catalog and consistent road work suggest his recognition will soon extend beyond the region.
Albums
