Neil Young Collaborator Ben Keith Dies

Neil Young’s long time friend and band member Ben Keith has died aged 73 of a suspected heart attack.

The veteran steel guitar player started playing with Neil Young regularly in 1971 when he was recommended to Young by Tim Drummond and Kenney Buttrey during the Harvest sessions, and following the recording of that classic album he toured and recorded with Young for the best part of 40 years afterwards. In 1992 Keith was responsible for reuniting the band that recorded Harvest to record its "sequel”, Harvest Moon.

Keith also had a successful career as a solo musician, playing with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Todd Rundgren and Crosby, Stills & Nash, and prior to meeting Young he had appeared on a number of high profile country records, including the huge 1961 Patsy Cline hit ‘I Fall To Pieces’.

He was also a successful producer, with his most notable success being singer-songwriter Jewel’s debut album, Pieces Of You, which has sold in excess of 7m copies in the US alone.

Keith worked with Young all the way until his death, appearing on Young’s last studio album Fork In The Road and touring with Young all last year (if you were at Glastonbury or Hard Rock Calling last year you will have seen him).

Onstage in 1973 Young introduced Keith to the crowd saying, "I swear to God, I love every sound he makes, no matter what the f*** it is.”

We do too, and we’ll miss seeing him onstage with Neil in the future. It just won’t be the same without him.

RIP, Ben Keith 1937 - 2010