James Gregory Keelor, OC (born Francis McIntyre, August 29, 1954) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a member of the band Blue Rodeo, where he shares song writing and vocal duties with Jim Cuddy. Keelor has also released three solo albums and appeared as a guest musician on albums by Crash Vegas and Melissa McClelland. He participated, along with Rick White and members of The Sadies, in the supergroup The Unintended.
Greg Keelor OC | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Gregory Keelor |
| Born | (1954-08-29) August 29, 1954 (age 68) Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Website | gregkeelor |
Keelor was born Francis McIntyre in Inverness, Nova Scotia, on August 29, 1954.[1] Though he didn't know until adulthood, his birth parents had put him up for adoption. Keelor was adopted at age three and raised in Montréal.[2]
Keelor attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute, and it was there that he befriended football teammate Jim Cuddy in 1971. After graduation, Keelor, Cuddy and a group of college friends, in search of adventure, traveled to Western Canada in a rundown old school bus. The bus broke down in Saskatchewan, and Keelor somehow or another ended up in Lake Louise where he worked for a time. It was in Lake Louise that he learned to play the guitar and first considered a career as a musician.[2]
Keelor has been friends with Jim Cuddy since both attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute high school. When they both had finished university, they decided to form a band which they called the Hi-Fi's, along with Jim Sublett on drums and Malcolm Schell playing bass. The band released a single in 1980 featuring "I Don't Know Why (You Love Me)" and on the B side "Look What You've Done". The record was not a big commercial success, though, and when they couldn't get a record deal in Toronto, they headed off to New York City.[3] A while after returning to Toronto from New York, Keelor and Cuddy formed Blue Rodeo.
Keelor is also a producer, having co-produced Blue Rodeo's Lost Together and solo-producing Cuff the Duke's albums Way Down Here and Morning Comes.
Keelor also composed an original soundtrack for the 2010 Canadian Western comedy Gunless.[4]
In 2000, Keelor and Blue Rodeo bandmate Jim Cuddy were the recipients of the National Achievement Award at the annual SOCAN Awards held in Toronto.[5]
In 2013, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada along with Jim Cuddy, "for their contributions to Canadian music and for their support of various charitable causes".[6]
In 2018, he contributed the song "Unprovable" to the compilation album The Al Purdy Songbook.[7]
| Year | Album | CAN |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Gone | 95 |
| 2005 | Seven Songs for Jim | |
| 2006 | Aphrodite Rose | |
| 2010 | Gunless- The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| 2010 | Down and Out in Upalong (with Travis Good and Gordon Pinsent) | |
| 2018 | Last Winter | |
| 2021 | Share The Love |
| Year | Title | CAN AC | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "White Marble Ganesh" | 44 | Gone |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "White Marble Ganesh" | |
| 2018 | "City Is A Symphony" | Christopher Mills |
| 2021 | "Wonder" | Michael Hurcomb |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Way Down Here | Cuff the Duke |
| 2011 | Morning Comes | Cuff the Duke |
| 2014 | Kitchen Knife | Devin Cuddy Band |
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