Keith Hampshire


Keith Hampshire is an English-born popular singer of the 1970s. He recorded three songs which were top ten hits in Canada, and hosted the CBC Television show Keith Hampshire's Music Machine. His voice has been compared to David Clayton-Thomas. In the United States his highest charting single reached No. 51.

Early life

Hampshire was born in Dulwich, London, England. He moved with his family to Canada at the age of six. He lived in Toronto and later Calgary, where he took singing lessons, and formed several short-lived high-school bands which performed in local venues.

Career

After graduating from high school, Hampshire began working as a radio disk jockey. Between July 1966 and mid-August 1967, He lived in the UK and was a DJ for the offshore pirate radio station Radio Caroline South. His show was called "Keefer's Commotions", and later "Keefer's Uprising".
Beginning in 1971, Hampshire recorded a number of pop music singles, including his #1 version of "The First Cut Is The Deepest", which topped the RPM 100 national singles chart in May 1973.
In 1974 Hampshire was nominated for a Juno Award as Male Vocalist of the Year. That year he became the host of the CBC Television show Keith Hampshire's Music Machine.
In 1981 Hampshire released an album, Variations, through Freedom Records.
In 1983, Hampshire, with the Bat Boys, recorded a song entitled "OK Blue Jays" which became an unofficial anthem for the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball team. Blue Jays fans frequently sing it during the seventh-inning stretch of home games. The song was written by Alan Smith, Pat Arbour, Jack Lenz and Tony Kosinec. The song was remixed by Rob Wells and Chris Anderson of Big Honkin' Spaceship Inc. in 2003.
On 18 June 2005 Hampshire was hired to host a 1960s–1970s based oldies radio show on CHAY-FM in Barrie, Ontario. That year 20th Century Masters released an album of his past singles, The Millennium Collection: The Best of Keith Hampshire.

Discography

Singles