Bert Keyes

When the annals of NEW YORK R&B is created, the name of Bert (or, occasionally, “Burt”) Keyes must not be overlooked — for a lot of its existence, Keyes was the music director of Rama Files, among the previously New York-based R&B brands to find national success. Keyes’ profession in music like a pianist started in the ’40s with Ruth Dark brown, and in the first ’50s he caused jazz trumpeter Taft Jordan. Keyes got his 1st big break as an arranger in 1953, when George Goldner founded Rama Information, and Keyes became the A&R movie director, musical movie director, and arranger for the brand new label, managing such functions as the Five Buds, the Blue Records, as well as the Larke Sisters. He cut a quintet of singles of his personal like a pianist and bandleader for the label, especially “I HAD BEEN Such a Fool” and “Write Me Baby,” everything extremely solid R&B, nonetheless it is at his arranger and maker capability that he formed a lot of the label’s result for a lot of its four years running a business. He consequently continued to provide as a pianist with LaVern Baker on Atlantic, so that as an arranger and composer for several other brands, with performers who included Willie Bobo (on Verve) and Albert Ruler before he produced the leap to composing and organizing television and film music (including Laurence Harvey’s Welcome to Arrow Seaside as well as the children’s film Hugo the Hippo) in the ’60s and ’70s. He continuing to function in music well in to the ’70s, and beyond aswell, including organizing music for Sylvia in her pre-disco return.