Keith’s name may not be easily recognizable unless you are a music Nerd like me who reads the liner notes on records/CDs…one thing you can’t see on MP3s/streams.
He produced numerous artists you’d know by name though: Santana, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, Grateful Dead and Ozzy to name a few.
Keith’s biggest contribution to Rock though was introducing Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to Fleetwood Mac. With that he got to produce their first album with this third iteration of a band more well known as a UK Blues outfit. There was skepticism in the sound/genre change but Keith said it best, “I know, but it’s a lot closer to the bank.” Not a bad rebuttal to selling out yet I think Fleetwood Mac preferred the fame, money and adulation it resulted in as this paved the way to Rumours, one of the 25 best selling albums in history.
However, Keith’s bigger involvement to my personal life is how he reignited Rick Springfield’s music career via the 1981 comeback Working Class Dog. Rick credited Keith with choosing “Jessie’s Girl” as the hit to go with when (oddly) Rick didn’t think it was very good.
Thanks for everything Mr. Olsen. You collaborated in so much to Modern Popular Music and you will be remembered by the nerds with other great studio wizards: Geoff Emerick readily comes to mind.