In the 60’s a young boy lay on the dining room floor listening to records on his family's new record player. The music filled his head with dreams of being a musician. Keith Hays is still listening to records, but now those records include music he has written, performed, produced, or engineered. His works cover a wide range of styles and genres, from solos for classical guitar, piano, voice, concert band, and sacred choral music to avant-garde electronic music, folk, and rock. 

Keith started college at 16 and while in school, he managed a retail music store that he co-owned with his brother, Mark and father, Guy Hays.  After balancing school and work, he left both college and the business to perform in resorts and clubs.  Better gigs followed and he found himself working in recording studios. First singing jingles, then as a partner at JTO Studios. The work left with him an impresive client list and a love for studio work. 

Hays put his plans for a music career on hold to finish his college degree, graduating Cum Laude from Henderson State University with a Bachelors in Music Composition. He went on to Southern Methodist University to earn a Master of Music, then took a position as Professor of Music at Collin College where he taught commercial music classes, songwriting, and music composition.    

 A member of The Recording Academy (the Grammys), the Audio Engineering Society and Nashville Songwriters Association, Hays also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Songwriters Association. 

Keith has worked on dozens of album projects. He composed scores and sound designs for television, film and a number of theatrical productions. Along the way he won an award for his work from the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival.  Keith has also received awards from The National Federation of Music Clubs, The Texas Student Composer’s Forum, and was selected to join the fraternity of  music professionals, Pi Kappa Lambda. 
   
Despite his accomplishments, Hays' favorite topic is the accomplishments of his students. They've been nominated for Grammys, Emmys, Oscars and Clio awards. He takes great pride in the way they've distinguished themselves in the industry.  

Though he has an extensive resume as a producer, composer and songwriter, Keith’s performance skills are equally impressive. Live, he shows that his musical expertise is not limited to studio work and his guitar, keyboard, and vocal talents are formidable. A sincere and honest performer, Hays gives a little of himself to his audience each time he steps on stage, and each time he steps off, they ask for more.