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Tommy Keene papers

 Collection 0317-SCPA-TKEENE

Tommy Keene (b. June 30, 1958, Evanston, Illinois – d. November 22, 2017, Los Angeles, California) was an American musician and songwriter. Raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Keene was immersed in rock music from a young age as a fan and, by his teenage years, as a musician in bands around the Washington, D.C. area. Starting his music career as a member of the bands Blue Steel, the Rage and, most notably, the Razz, Keene eventually embarked on a solo career in the early 1980s that led him to sign with Geffen Records, for which he released two critically acclaimed albums — 1986's Songs From the Film and 1989's Based on Happy Times. Keene also worked with Matador Records, Alias Records, and numerous other independent labels. The Tommy Keene papers include personal and professional papers, photographs, fliers, ephemera, publications, recordings, and realia. The dates for the materials range from 1966 to 2003, with the bulk of the materials coming from 1975-1993.

Dates

  • Creation: 1953-2017, undated

Collection Use and Access

The collection is open for research use. Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room during SCPA’s operating hours. Please contact the curator for an appointment or if you have questions related to digital access of the materials.

Duplication and Copyright Information

Copyright was not transferred to the University of Maryland with the gift of any copyrighted materials. All rights remain with the creators and rights holders. The University of Maryland Libraries is granted permission for the use in scholarly research by the Libraries’ patrons under fair use in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.

To inquire about duplication of materials for research or for publication, please contact SCPA’s curator.

Extent

10.0 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Content Description

The Tommy Keene papers include personal and professional papers, photographs, fliers, ephemera, publications, recordings, and realia. The dates for the materials range from 1966 to 2003, with the bulk of the materials coming from 1975-1993.

Biographical / Historical

Tommy Keene (b. June 30, 1958, Evanston, Illinois – d. November 22, 2017, Los Angeles, California) was an American musician and songwriter. Raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Keene was immersed in rock music from a young age as a fan and, by his teenage years, as a musician in bands around the Washington, D.C. area. Starting his music career as a member of the bands Blue Steel, the Rage and, most notably, the Razz, Keene eventually embarked on a solo career in the early 1980s that led him to sign with Geffen Records, for which he released two crticially acclaimed albums — 1986's Songs From the Film and 1989's Based on Happy Times. Keene also worked with Matador Records, Alias Records, and numerous other independent labels.

Arrangement

This collections consists of seven series:

  1. Papers
  2. Recordings
  3. Publications
  4. Photographs
  5. Promotional materials
  6. Realia
  7. Ephemera

Custodial History

Gift of Robert Keene, June 29, 2018, with subsequent accruals.

Related Materials

• D.C. punk collection (finding aid)

• D.C. punk and indie fanzine collection (finding aid)

• Skip Groff papers (finding aid)

Title
Tommy Keene papers
Status
Completed
Author
Paul Bushmiller and John Davis; additional processing and metadata creation by Scott Leffler
Date
January 2020; revised in 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Library Details

Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
8270 Alumni Drive
College Park MD 20742 United States