Home	Local Artist Profiles
Keith Judson
	Keith grew up in Bromsgrove and began writing songs around the time he started to play the guitar - aged fifteen. Folk music wasn’t `cool’ and over the years he kept trying to convince himself that he could rock with the best of them. He failed (!) and `discovered’ folk music in his late twenties when living in the West Country. Keith came to love the music, the informality and camaraderie of the folk scene, not to mention that other vital ingredient - real ale! He particularly appreciates songs that have a story behind them. Just before moving back to the Midlands in 2001, a friend introduced him to Show of Hands by playing two of Steve Knightley’s most miserable songs. Unimpressed but intrigued, he later went to see Knightley perform with Martyn Joseph and Tom Robinson (Faith, Folk & Anarchy) and was hooked! Show of Hands remain a firm favourite years later and have inspired Keith musically more than anyone else. In 2003 he started going regularly to Bromsgrove Folk Club and was encouraged to play on `open mic’ nights as well as in the local singers set at the Festival. It was a homecoming in more ways than one, inspiring Keith to play in earnest and write songs again. The Woodman Folk Club in Kingswinford has been `home’ for the last few years but he’ll always be grateful to Bob & Co. in Bromsgrove for their encouragement.
A number of Keith’s songs touch on spiritual and social themes, as well as making connections with local stories and personal experiences. They’re best summed up in the title of an (as yet) unrecorded song – `People and places’. He also performs traditional material and songs by folk like Dougie Maclean, Kirsty McGee, Show of Hands and Anthony John Clarke.