     speedy keen (born john keen, 29 march 1945, died 12 march 2002),the guardian obituaries - accessed july 2013 was a songwriter, vocalist, drummer and keyboard player, best known for his association with the rock band thunderclap newman. he wrote "something in the air" (1969) for the band, which reached #1 in the uk singles chart. ==career== keen was born in ealing, london. he played early on with such bands as the krewsaders, the second thoughts (1964-65, with patrick campbell-lyons and chris thomas) and the eccentrics. before joining thunderclap newman, keen shared a flat with and worked as a chauffeur for pete townshend of the who. he is famous among fans of the who for writing "armenia city in the sky" which was included on the album the who sell out (1967). this was the only song the who ever performed that was specifically written for the group by a non-member. "armenia city in the sky" was, apparently, inspired by a long-lost painting back in the 1960s. his first recorded song, however, was "club of lights", recorded in 1966 for reaction records by oscar (paul nicholas). he wrote "something in the air", his most well-known song, for thunderclap newman and recorded two solo albums for track and island both of which have been released on cd recently by esoteric (cherry red). "i promise you" from the second album was used in the american tv series, the big c. keen was later a record producer for the heartbreakers and motÃ¶rhead. as a session musician keen
1945_births 2002_deaths Deaths_from_heart_failure English_lyricists English_male_singers English_record_producers English_rock_drummers English_songwriters Island_Records_artists People_educated_at_Acton_County_Grammar_School People_from_Ealing