You probably know…

Keith Ayling is a singer and a songwriter.

 

“It’s very interesting how we form respect for people,” muses Keith Ayling as we try and prepare a few words for this biography. “Recently I’ve been pulling out all my old vinyl, and playing records that I havent seen in ages. I’ve rediscovered some of my favourite bands from when I started songwriting.”

Keith Ayling is a songwriter. As a drummer from an early age he developed rhythm for a variety of styles, but it wasn’t until his youth leaders Rick & Tim bought him a thrift shop guitar and taught him three chords that he stepped out from the shadows. Recording his first album at just 17, Keith began a long career which has resulted in 13 albums, 5 US radio no.1s, 3 UK Top Ten radio no.1s, gigs around the world to audiences of up to 12,000 and a pioneering heart to play to the smallest, intimate groups where it simply feels ‘right’.

He’s seen the highs and lows of an industry that sometimes brings the best out of artists and sometimes leaves them high and dry. He has had his share of being chased by ‘majors’ and also being in a secure deal for a number of years. But now – in an industry that has changed beyond recognition in the last five years, Keith Ayling is ready to share his craft again.

But he returns a changed man. “You can’t witness some of the things I’ve seen and not change.”
The last few years has seen Keith develop a charity called the Bigskytrust that uses music to reach people in situations of poverty. It has taken him to gypsy camps in the poorest parts of Eastern Europe and spending four weeks living with orphans on India’s tsunami coast.

“I think I have always had a missionary heart. Creating the Bigskytrust has given me the foundation to build something unique that can have a massive influence. When I was sitting with kids who had lost everything, including their parents, and began teaching them a few chords, you start to realise that music is a gift that can open a door, build a relationship and ultimately change a life.”

Keith Ayling’s songs have certainly done that. With a stream of 10/10 reviews for his last two albums (as Kato), and notable quotes such as :

“emotionally charged, beautifully crafted, thoroughly contemporary sound” (Mike Rimmer, Premier)

“an almighty crash of power pop that is electrifying to the soul” (NFN British netzine) 

“Songs to help you survive is an exceptional album that establishes Keith Ayling as one of the UK’s major  acts.” (Unity Newspaper, UK)

“This is a milestone in UK independent music … one of the brightest artists on the British scene emerges with his best album ever … sonically stunning. Alongside Delirious this is as good as UK music gets!” (Tony Cummings / Cross Rhythms)

 

The 12″ albums he has collected over the years are now scattered around his floor, and he notices one band in particular. “Adam Again are a band I discovered at Greenbelt Festival. I remember that Gene Eugene signed my album! He has now sadly passed away, but the stream of complements that people paid to him show me that there was a lot of respect out there for this guy. People loved him. Sure, his songs were fantastic, but Gene also spent much of his life encouraging other musicians and that is something I long to emulate. I think that there are a lot of great songwriters out there, but I want to be one that sees skill in others and passes on what I have. It’s a gift I can give away.” 

One reviewer once wrote “…life affirming guitar and keith’s strong yet vulnerable voice combine to make the venue come alive…I smile, I dance, I love everything, and the world is a brighter place.”