James Barry Keefer, known professionally as Keith, was born on 17 May 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He began his music career as a vocalist and earned his first recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1966, after Jerry Ross moved to Mercury Records, he signed up Keith, leading to the release of his debut single "Ain't Gonna Lie", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. His breakthrough came with the song "98.6" in 1966, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached notable positions in Canada, the UK, and Australia. The track sold over one million copies worldwide, earning a gold disc. In 1968, his second Mercury LP, Out of Crank, did not achieve significant sales. He later joined Frank Zappa’s 1974 touring band and recorded three singles for Frank Zappa's DiscReet Records label. In 1969, Keith released his last album The Adventures of Keith for RCA Records before leaving the music industry in 1986. He legally changed his name to Bazza Keefer in 1988, in tribute to his mother.
