Calvin Keys, an internationally acclaimed guitarist who worked with legends such as Ray Charles and Ahmad Jamal, died on April 14th. He was 82.
The cause of death was complications due to a stroke.
Calvin Keys was born February 6, 1942 in Omaha, Nebraska. Keys began playing guitar as a young boy and started touring as a teenager after moving to Kansas City.
He played with the legends of jazz and music such as Ray Charles and Ahmad Jamal, as well as Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Bennett, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, and countless others.
Keys moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s and later the Bay area in 1975. He became known for such noteworthy recordings as 1971’s Shawn-Neeq and 1974’s Proceed With Caution.
In later years he was a Wide-Hive Records artist and released a number of fine recordings on that label.
Keys returned to his hometown of Omaha on many occasions and performed at Jazz on the Green and other local venues to appreciative audiences.
KIOS Jazz in the Afternoon host Chris Cooke interviewed Keys several times. Click on the link to listen to one of the interviews.
