Long time Neil Young collaborator and country music legend Ben Keith has passed away.
Neil Young began life as a long haired hippy, playing electric guitar in Buffalo Springfield. Yet the singer always had broader influences, and when he came to Nashville in 1971 Young hooked up with a number of local musicians.
One of these would provide an enduring partnership. Ben Keith was a proficient on guitar, saxophone and more but chose the pedal steel as his forte.
Invited along to the 'Harvest' sessions his plaintive musicianship would become one of the album's hallmarks. Speaking in the film 'Heart Of Gold' Keith explained that the partnership happened by chance.
"I set up my steel and kind of snuck in there and started playing and we did five songs before we ever stopped and introduced ourselves" he said.
Invited to join Neil Young's touring band, Ben Keith remained a near constant presence in the singer's life. Playing on several albums, the pedal steel player joined nearly every formation of touring band assembled by the Canadian songwriter.
Meanwhile, Ben Keith was having his own solo career. A noted musician, Keith had once worked with Patsy Kline. In the 90s he produced the singer Jewel, whose debut album sold 5 million copies.
"I knew when I first heard Jewel that she was plowing new ground," Ben Keith told Rolling Stone. "She came to Neil's ranch and cut about 20 songs, each of us just kind of checking things out. It's funny, she reminded me of Patsy Cline, in a way."
Just last year Ben Keith joined Neil Young for one of his famed Bridge School Benefit concerts. Succumbing to an unknown illness, the pedal steel player was 73 years old.
Neil Young paid tribute to his friend, dedicating the 'Harvest' track 'Old Man' to the musician during a recent show in Winnipeg.