Tommy Keene

Hailing from Bethesda, MD, Tommy Keene is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who plays and writes melodic guitar-based pop/rock. As a child, Keene played classical piano before picking up guitar and drums. He spent his teenage years drumming in a rock trio called Blue Steel, whose original guitar player, Mike Lofgren, was the younger brother of Nils Lofgren. Consequently, Keene's first notable gig was when Blue Steel opened for Lofgren's band Grin. In 1977, while attending the University of Maryland, Keene switched to guitar and formed the short-lived band The Rage with songwriter Richard X. Heyman. During this period, Keene left The Rage to join a popular Washington, D.C. rock band called The Razz, who opened for such notable acts as The Ramones, Devo, and Patti Smith. It was in The Razz that Keene met bass player Ted Nicely, who would work with him throughout the '80s.



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