Ken Keating

By JAN HOGAN
VIEW STAFF WRITER


He could have been a star by now. His name could be known to people all across America, if not beyond.

But 20 years ago, Ken Keating discarded his promising musical career to push a pencil and climb the corporate ladder. Now, he's reclaiming his dream.

Keating recently released a CD titled "Just One Lifetime," under the Sound Experience Records label. Visit www.kenkeating.net to hear a sample.

The 12-song recording includes covers of "I Believe in You and Me," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" and "Just One Lifetime." His voice has been compared to other major tenors in the music world.

Ron Kirsch, owner of Kirsch Media Group and weekend air personality for KSNE-FM, met Keating in 1999.

"I didn't believe that voice could come out of a small body like that. He blew me away," Kirsch said.

He suggested Keating's chances of success were really good as he was in the right city at the right time and there is a definite market for his type of music.

Keating grew up in Las Vegas and began piano lessons at 6. His mother reports he had a great singing voice even back then.

While at Valley High School, he was part of a six-member band called Look-out.

They played Top 40 songs on weekends in casino lounges like the Sundance and the Maxim. He was only 17 and had to have a special work permit.

"We were escorted through the hotel by security to a back room or holding area whenever we took a break," Keating said. "We weren't old enough to stand around the casino."

A couple years later he auditioned for a scholarship through the Liberace Foundation.

He won not one, but two scholarships. One was for voice, the other for piano. He spent a year at UNLV training in both those disciplines.

He could have been well on his way to stardom. But after studying at UNLV his career took a 180-degree turn. It was his choice. He left music behind, took a job as a payroll accountant and began working his way up the corporate ladder in the white-collar business world.

Keating married his high school sweetheart, Laura, and five years later, they began a family. They have two sons Josh, now 14, and Alex, 12.

"Working a few nights a week in a lounge band doesn't translate to supporting a growing family," the father explained.

The family lives in Queensridge, where Laura runs a home-based staffing service. Keating is now a vice president of marketing for a major company.

Throughout the years, he dabbled in music and his family often heard him tickling the ivories before launching into a song.

About 10 years ago he was visiting friends on the East Coast when he saw an ad in the newspaper. It announced an open call audition for the renowned William Hall Master Chorale.

The audition was just a couple days away in Los Angeles.

Swallowing the butterflies, Keating caught the red-eye back to California, where he was living at the time, his wife picked him up at the airport and they dashed through traffic.

He kept checking his watch and ran into the building "all out of breath," he said. "Somebody was just finishing up and I was the last one to audition. The guy checking off names in the foyer said, 'Boy, you just made it.' "

Keating stepped before the judges and launched into the same song that earned him the two Liberace Foundation scholarships, "I Love Thee," written by Edvard Grieg. He was accepted on the spot.

For the next several years he performed with the Chorale in such places as the Hollywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Pops.

He also worked with such celebrities as Carol Burnett and Hal Linden. He lent his voice to Celine Dion's Christmas album.

All these milestones were accomplished while working full time.

Moving to Las Vegas in 1999 meant leaving the Chorale, but by then the urge to sing was well established and he took the plunge to put together his CD.

"Just One Lifetime" is available at Amazon, Tower Records, Borders, Waldenbooks and Best Buy.

Keating said he believes in positive thinking and manifesting one's own destiny.

"Who says you can't be a 42-year-old executive who starts a singing career?" he said.

- Las Vegas Review Journal (View News)

Contact: Ken Keating
(949) 500-0365
Email: keat999@msn.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (September 20, 2005) -- Ken Keating was a success in one of the world’s greatest entertainment meccas by the time he was 17, performing with his group on the Strip in Las Vegas before he was out of high school. And when he auditioned for The Liberace Foundation, he won not one, but two scholarships … one for piano and another for voice. Music was the path and his journey had begun.

But life takes funny – and interesting – turns. The assumption was he would continue on with his music, playing and performing. Instead, he chose a career in corporate America to provide the security and comfort he wanted for his family (all of whom are musically gifted). But he never lost the music. And now, secure and successful, he has returned to his first love – performance.

What started out as an idea to record a few songs for friends and family, has turned into the amazing CD, "Just One Lifetime", released today by Sound Experience Records. It’s not merely a collection of songs that have a story or a message individually…although it does work on that level. Ken has accomplished what few musicians have ever attempted - taking existing songs from many genres, he has created a story we can all relate to. It’s the story of a life … a life full of wonder, of love, of pain, of healing and redemption.

Each song builds on the one before: first love, marriage, children born and cherished. Followed by conflict, concern, fear of loss. Love regained and celebrated …and the knowledge that all will be well if “We Can Be Kind”.

Ken sings about what matters most … the little things that ultimately mean so much … and those monumental moments when we find our life’s course changing. If you are just starting out in life with everything before you… or if you are “of a certain age” and reflecting on a life lived interestingly, Ken’s music has a message for you.

Ken Keating has returned to his music … a prodigy no more. Now he brings a maturity and understanding that elevates the music to new heights. His voice will touch your heart and his songs will warm your soul. Honest and intimate, Ken’s tenor is evocative of early Johnny Mathis or a mature Josh Groban…he’s even been called “an American Helmut Lotti”. It’s a voice you will want to hear again and again. This is a man who has lived his life and he’s sharing all the things he’s learned… it’s a journey you don’t want to miss.

Preview Ken’s press kit at www.sonicbids.com/kenkeating.
- A Prodigy Returns / Releases Debut CD