Mini-Biography - Keith Green (1953-1982)

Keith Green was born a musical genius. By the time he was 5, he could pick up his ukulele and play along with any song on the radio. In fact, he showed so much promise that after one show, Elvis Presley’s manager called the Green’s and encouraged them wishing he wasn’t so busy with “The King”… Keith then began writing his own music at age 9 and two years later became the youngest member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) when he recorded, published and released “The Way I Used to Be.”

Success and stardom seemed assured when Keith signed with Decca in his early teens. By that time he had over 50 songs under his belt and was on the fast track to becoming a teen-idol. He was regularly featured in magazines and newspapers and was often on TV shows like the Jack Benny Show and Steve Allen’s show. Time Magazine called him a "pre-pubescent dreamboat" who "croons in a voice trembling with conviction."

Then, as so often happens, the dream of success came crashing down. Another teen-sensation, Donny Osmond, came along and stole the lime-light and Keith Green quickly faded from the scene. The devested young man did what so many others were doing in the late 60’s and early 70’s – he turned to drugs, Eastern religion, astrology and mysticism.

Like a foolish dreamer trying to build a highway to the sky,
All my hopes would come crashing down and I never knew just why.
Until today when you pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes,
I’ve been blind all these wasted years and I thought I was so wise.
And then you took me by surprise!

At twenty-one Keith Green finally found what he was searching for. He and his new wife Melody, were converted to Christ and began a completely new life.

From the beginning, Keith’s life was an example of total discipleship and submission to Christ. He and his wife obtained seven houses in Southern California to take in prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless people to live with them. But even more than the physical well-being of those around him, Keith was deeply moved by the souls of the lost. As we see in his songs, he wondered “How can they live without Jesus?” and wept for “A Billion Starving People”. In the end, this heart led him to give up his time, his money and his daily life for the multitudes around him.

Keith continued recording albums and performing concerts and was extremely successful in Christian circles. Even though he loved music with a passion, he often wished he could just preach. However, the door into the hearts and minds of the people he was reaching out to was through music. He sang gently to outsiders begging them to come to Christ and preached to those already calling themselves Christians with a fire not often seen. His message was one of uncompromising discipleship. "You don't like it, do you?" he said one night. "You came to hear a concert, and you're getting cornered. The Christian walk is a bunch of squirming flesh getting nailed down to a cross. 'Hey man, I want a padded cross. You know, a Posturepedic Cross with nice springs in it. Something comfortable.' The gospel is a no compromise, absolute sell-out for Jesus, one hundred percent walk!"

I wanna take your Word and shine it all around,
But first help me just to live it Lord.
And when I’m doing well help me to never seek a crowd,
For my reward is giving glory to you.

Most people only saw the fiery preacher in Keith. But listen carefully to his lyrics or talk with the people who knew him and you begin to see a different side of him. Keith struggled all his life with the many temptations of being a performer. He had incredible artistic integrity and was fiercely original; his music came from deep in his soul. Fans, critics and musicians like his friend Bob Dylan spoke highly of him, and yet he fought hard to not get sucked in by the hype. He was so radical that in order to harness his pride he wouldn’t even practice his songs before going into the studio! Even so, his albums stayed at the very top of the Christian music charts.

After his first Christian album in 1977, he realized that he would quickly become a multi-millionaire. This scared him profoundly. "I can’t do this!” he said, “I'm going to lose everything if I do this — I'm not even going to charge for records anymore." He talked to his record label and they actually let him out of his contract. He published his next album himself and sold it for “whatever you could afford – even if nothing”. He shipped over 200,000 by the time of his death – 61,000 of those for free. Needless to say, that rocked the music world!

Keith’s music and message was incredibly powerful for one reason. This man knew his own weaknesses and fought all his life to get closer to God. He would point his finger at the mirror and say “you are the guy that can’t get out of bed!” Because of his honesty, he was able to call people higher, including himself. He was once quoted as saying "... essentially the definition of a Christian I have is one that I cannot live up to myself!"

On July 28, 1982, the world lost this musical preacher in an airplane crash. Only 28 years old when he died, his life of “No Compromise” changed many lives forever. In a song from his last album eerily titled “Until That Final Day”, he expresses his daily fight and his longing for God:

My flesh is tired of seeking God, but on my knees I’ll stay
I want to be a pleasing child, until that final day
My mind is full of many thoughts, that clutter and confuse
But standing firm I will prevail, in faith that I’ll be used!