Past Recording Projects

Band: jackopierce
Album Title: someday you'll understand
Record Label: Rhythmic Records
Produced by: Keith Hays

The first time Kay and I went out walking on the SMU campus after moving to Dallas, there was a street party to welcome the new students. We walked up to hear Jack and Cary (Jack O'Neal and Cary Pierce=jack'o'pierce) on stage. They were fun, energetic and obviously loved to perform. Over a year later I got to know them better when Cary and I sang a duet in a musical review on campus.

The more I heard them play together, the more I wanted to record them. They'd never been in a studio and I'd never produced a record alone before. After weeks of rehearsals and planning, we spent just two days in the studio and one night recording the guys live. We did the whole thing live to two track-even the songs with a seven piece band backing Jack and Cary up. The final result was a great way to start a career for me and the band.

Band: Jackopierce
Album Title: self-titled
Record Label: Rhythmic Records
Produced by: Keith Hays (two tracks)

The first release from jack'o'pierce was cassette only. It sold over a hundred units the first day-in six hours. With that success and the requests for a CD, the guys went back in the studio and recorded some new tracks. They kept two of the tracks from someday you'll understand.

Band: Akoustik Nerve
Album Title: Oval Window
Record Label: Blah, Blah, Blah Music
Produced by: Keith Hays

This was an incredibly fun project with an all-acoustic band.
Great writing, excellent performing, and wonderful attitudes made it a pleasure to do.
The guys in the band had heard my work with jack'o'pierce and liked what we did, so they asked if we could work together.
At the first rehearsal I sat in on, I could tell there was a great sound there.

Band: The Sutcliffes
Album Title: Wall of Skiffle
Record Label: Skiffle Beat
Produced by: Keith Hays

One night Kay and I were invited to a benefit party at Sara Hickman's house in Dallas.
As we walked in, the band was playing a song about a transvestite cleptomaniac called I Want That Dress.
I turned to Kay and said, "We've got to record these guys."
The band was so much fun and the songs were so funny I don't think I've stopped laughing yet.

Artist: Densil Adams
Album Title: Where Dreams Begin
Record Label: Statler
Engineered by: Keith Hays

This was an educational tape for dance instructors. I never thought I'd enjoy the music as much as I did....

Artist: Steven Mitchell
Project Title: In Loving Memory
Record Label: Statler
Engineered by: Keith Hays

Another tape for dance instructors, this was produced by Densil Adams with Steven Mitchell performing.
The pieces were all by composers and songwriters who'd died of AIDS. A fine tribute to artists we've lost so tragically.

Band: Booker T. Washington HSPVA Keyboard Ensemble
Album Title: 95-96
Engineered by: Keith Hays

Every now and then you meet a group of kids who are so talented that they blow you away.
This group was like that. Excellent musicianship and intelligent approach to their work made them shine.
Besides being great instrumentalist at such a young age, they were also DownBeat award winning composers. The group included multiple Grammy winner, Norah Jones.

Band: The Howard and White Band
Album Title: Long Way From Leaving
Produced by: Keith Hays and The Howard & White Band
Engineered by: Keith Hays

Some musicians are in it for the fun and they can be lazy-but not these guys.
Mike Howard and Ken White brought me a demo to show me what their band sounded like.
I knew they'd already placed some songs with publishers in Nashville, and were writing well, but I never expected their demo to sound like a finished album.
They were totally focused, had a solid sense of what they wanted the final tracks to sound like, were interested in every detail of the process and the way things sounded...just amazing to work with....
This is a record I still like to sit and listen to...over and over again.

Band: Blue Skye
Album Title: Yesterday's Yesteryear Blues
Engineered by: Keith Hays

An intellectually challenging band. I had so much fun listening to these guys work in the studio. The band was made up of three members...a composition student from SMU, a recent graduate from UNT (Masters in percussion), and a PHD in composition who was also a former Pulitzer nominee.
While some musicians wait for inspiration, these guys are in there working at an entirely different level.

Artist: Julie Chadbourne
Album Title: I'll Sing For You
Record Label: Sonshine Music
Songs written by: Keith Hays

Julie was a student of mine who came back a couple of years after she graduated to see if she could record one or two of my songs. When I gave her a demo she asked if she could do them all. I was flattered and pleased. We had a good time putting this together. Patrick Keel produced the album and he and David Wilson mixed it. The players were a mix of friends, faculty I worked with, and former students.

Album Title: Eat Yer Vegetables
Record Label: QuadC Records

This is a compilation album produced by the students at Colllin County Community College featuring songs by:
The Soup, Tom Green, Purple Overdose, Funland, REO Speedealer, Stink!#bug, Jet Screamer, Ronnie Dawson, Slobberbone, Cowboys and Indians, Soul Food Cafe, Grand Street Cryers (formerly known as Dead City Radio), Quickserv Johnny, P.S.107, Glow, Pump'N Ethyl, Dishpan, Kris Berg, Kevin Fisk

The Business of Music class at Collin County Community College put this project together. The name came from a spot in the tunnel under the freeway downtown that we all drove by to get to Deep Ellum (great neighborhood for clubs in Dallas). Kris Berg is a clinician for Yamaha basses and a faculty member at CCCC. His track was produced by Keith Hays.

Album Title: Son of Eat Yer Vegetables
Record Label: QuadC Records

This is the second compilation album produced by the students at CCCC. It features songs by:
Happy Face, Doosu, Strap, Buck Jones, Gone By Dawn, Quickserv Johnny, Quazi, Blueface, The Moon Festival, Sessionhead, Dragline, Nosmo Kings, Afton Shack, Worldwide Clientele, Freddy Jones Jazz Quintet, The Carrot Farmers, Blackie O'dreada, Shayne Green

Shayne Green's track, Song For Phil, was produced and engineered by Keith Hays. The track is an acoustic guitar piece with techniques inspired by Phil Keaggy's opening tunings, slapping and hammering right-hand techniques, and melodic style. Shayne had played it for me a couple of times and I couldn't wait to get him in the studio.
I first met Shayne at a session for a jazz big band where we were demoing a song for the leader's publishing company. When it came time for the guitar solo to be ovedubbed, the whole group crowded in behind me to listen and sat listening while Shayne laid his track down. After a couple of passes he got it-straight through the whole thing hot and sweet as you please. Pete, the band leader introduced me to Shayne's mom and I told her how impressed I was that she was so supportive. Mrs. Green told me she'd been to every rehearsal and performance adding, "Of course I have to since he can't drive." This kid that had just blown us all away had just turned fifteen at the time. Now he's matured and he's a killer on guitar.

Album Title: Eat Yer Vegetables 3
Record Label: QuadC Records

This is the third compilation album produced by the students at CCCC. It features songs by:
Sandwich, Lewis, Carl & David Jointly, Volares, Eleven Hundred Springs, Only, Flickerstick, Shackleford Brown, Cosmic Slut, 8 Track Mind, Great Big Face, Skwurly, Triggerfinger, Ryan Ash & Kerry Freeman, Keith Hays, Celestial Park, Johnny Dollar, and Christina Rusnak.

Along with these other artists' work is a track titled The Highwayman which was composed, performed, produced and engineered by Keith Hays. The Highwayman was originally written for synth and guitar but was rewritten and rerecorded for the album An Anonymous Man.

Artist: Keith Hays
Album Title: An Anonymous Man
Record Label: A Little Anonymous Music
Produced, engineered, composed and performed by: Keith Hays

To be honest, someone asked me about our company name and I told them the story about it. Their response was, "so you're the anonymous man, huh?" The idea stuck in my head and I thought about it a lot. I realized no one knows who I am and they're not going to buy a record because it has my name or face on it. So I thought why not use that to my advantage?
If I didn't sell any of them, I didn't care. This was not a project I did for commercial reasons. It was just for me. The good news is that despite doing everything wrong to market it, we have sold them.

Artist: Daniel Bailey
Album Title: Simple Things
Record Label: Elusive Trout Music
Produced and Engineered by: Keith Hays

Daniel comes from a fascinating background and has had an interesting life. The child of a minister who left his church to work as a therapist and counselor, Dan has seen all sides of human nature. Taking the best and worst of what he's seen around him, he makes statements with his songwriting that are powerful, topical, and inspirational. This album was the first singer-songwriter I'd worked with in a while. It made me realize how much I love doing just that and changed the focus of my work.
Plus I got to work with a great player, Luther Bidwell.

Artist: Joseph Banowetz and Alton Chan
Album Title: Leopold Godovsky Miniatures Vol. 1,2, & 3
Record Label: Warner Bros.
Engineered by: Keith Hays.
Assisted by: Wanda Best, Mark Hammers, and David Maughan

This three volume set was recorded over a four month period (with a long break in the middle). All three were recorded in Joe and Alton's home using their exquisite ten foot Mason and Hamlin concert grand. It's a beautiful piano and a wonderfully comfortable way for everyone to work. The assistant engineers who helped with this did a great job of handling the tracking and the project turned out great.
Assistant Engineers: Mark Hammers, Wand Best, and David Maughan

Artist: Linda Mantooth
Album Title: Fruit of the Spirit
Record Label: Piano Portraits
Produced and Engineered by: Keith Hays

This mellow inspirational album is well written and performed. Linda came in to my studio one day and asked about studying composition or songwriting. I asked her to play some of her pieces and told her that I'd like to have Kay listen to them as well. The work needed just needed polishing up before recording. For almost year I waited for Linda to be ready to record and I found out later that for a few months there, she was waiting for me to tell her that I thought she was ready. When we finally got our act together the whole album fell into place.

Artist: Joseph Banowetz
Record Label: Warner Bros.
Produced and Engineered by: Keith Hays

A series of educational projects for Warner Bros, these CDs were recorded in Frisco, Texas. Recording live to stereo digital audio files, the tracks were later editied and mastered in Nashville before being sent on to Warner Bros for publication and manufacture. (art for the newest project, Franz Liszt Piano Works is not available at this time)