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Artist
Larry Keel
12+ albums
bluegrassacousticotterly aliveUSA
about
Larry Keel (born November 25, 1968 in Manassas, Virginia) is an American bluegrass musician. He co-founded Magraw Gap in 1990, and records and performs with his wife, bassist Jenny Keel, in The Larry Keel Experience, in Larry Keel & Natural Bridge and in Keller Williams & The Keels. Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, both his father and brother (themselves skilled and versatile acoustic musicians) influenced the younger Keel to thoroughly master the foundations of acoustic guitar (tune, timing, tone) before venturing into his own original territory. From a very young age, Keel made it his goal to honor and preserve the discipline of the Traditional Bluegrass music he knows and loves, while expressing his own ideas through acoustic music. At 18 years old Keel became a contracted musician to play Bluegrass at the Tokyo Disneyland theme park in Japan for 7 months (6 shows a day, 6 days a week). Back in the States Larry joined up with like-minded Bluegrass pickers young and old to travel the festival and fiddler’s convention circuit of the entire east coast. Keel’s long time friend and banjo player Mark Vann (Leftover Salmon) encouraged him to travel to Colorado to attend the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and compete in its prestigious guitar competition. That year he won first place, and by 1995 he and long-time Bluegrass peer Will Lee (son of Ricky Lee from Ralph Stanley’s band) led their string band Magraw Gap to victory in the Telluride Bluegrass Fest
