Keith Olsen, the producer of albums by Ozzy Osbourne, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Santana, Heart, Whitesnake, Foreigner and Rick Springfield, has died.
Olsen produced the ‘Crazy World’ album and hit ‘Wind of Change’ for Scorpions. In a statement they said,
#RIPKeithOlsen 🦂 pic.twitter.com/syygnF0gqj
— Scorpions (@scorpions) March 9, 2020
Keith also produced the Fleetwood Mac ‘Fleetwood Mac’ album featuring ‘Rhiannon’. US music writer Matt Wake had a fun fact.
Fun fact that didn't make it into that RS story: Keith
Olsen recorded David Coverdale's "Still of the Night" vocals on exact same AKG 414 mic he used in the '70s to track Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's vox on Fleetwood Mac songs like "Rhiannon" and "Monday Morning."— Matt Wake (@matthewbwake) March 9, 2020
Keith had worked earlier on the Buckingham Nicks album before Lindsey and Stevie joined Fleetwood Mac.
It can't be overstated how important Keith Olsen was in launching Stevie Nicks' & Lindsey Buckingham's careers: he produced Buckingham Nicks, let them live with him, hired Stevie as a maid when she needed cash & recommended Lindsey to Mick Fleetwood when he needed a new guitarist
— Carrie Courogen (@carriecourogen) March 10, 2020
In a series of tweets Rick Springfield paid tribute to Keith Olsen. Rick recalled how Olsen was the one who picked ‘Jessie’s Girl’ as a hit song.
1) My amazing and talented friend Keith Olsen has passed away. Such a gifted producer. And later on a wonderful guy. Ha, ha… he could be a bit of a pistol in the studio but that was part of his talent. Sticking to his guns when some whiny artist (me) would say, "I don’t think pic.twitter.com/5g2Jd6sLhA
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
2) that works." He didn't produce all those hits for all those musicians for no reason. He had a golden ear and helped so many people reach their potential. I remember playing him my demos and he picked “Jessie’s Girl” out of a batch of 15 songs and said "This is a hit.”
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
3) I doubted him and thought there were better songs in my demo reel. Proof right there of his gift. May God give your spirit the peace and joy and the rest it deserves. You were a star maker in so many ways. God bless your memory my friend. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/0PE6p5MvVE
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
Keith produced over 120 albums. A cause of death has not been announced.
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