THE
TEXAS PIANO MAN
www.texaspianoman.com
BIOGRAPHY

Keith Magel was raised in the small South Texas town of Pleasanton, TX. At the age of 6, he began watching his mother, a church organist, practice hymns. He became hooked and began taking classical piano lessons. As every other child of his hometown, Keith was raised on traditional country music. These were the first steps in his development as a performer. A classically trained pianist with country roots was a combination bound to develop into a unique musician.

Friends and relatives of the child piano whiz knew he was good. However, given his humble roots, few thought he would blossom into a world-class performer. Keith showed a tremendous desire to excel at the piano and a tremendous work ethic. By the age of 18, Keith had won the Paderewski Medal (1996), awarded to performers who passed the National Piano Playing auditions ten consecutive years. He had also been accepted into the University of North Texas College of Music which, at the time, was one of the top five music programs in the United States.

Keith began writing music at 17. His first studio recording was done at the age of 18. Faint Hearted, the final track on his first album, was written and recorded by Keith at the tender age of 19.

Also in his late teens, Keith was exposed to the music of The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis. Keith fell in love with the energetic, driving rhythms of the Killer. He also admired Lewis' unbelievable ability to overcome adversity and yet maintain his confident style. With a thick country skin and a "Killer" attitude, Keith pressed into his early 20s.

In 2002, Keith Magel received two music degrees from Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, TX. One a bachelor's degree in Music Education, one in Classical Piano Performance. Keith also earned a classroom teaching certificate. During his college days, Keith became acquainted with and/or performed with many top-knotch musicians, including Mike Daily and Ronnie Huckaby of the George Strait "Ace in the Hole" band, John Michael Whitby of Asleep at the Wheel, Pete Mitchell of Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours, rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, and jazz pianist/vocalist Norah Jones.

Now, at 27 years of age, Keith has 10 independent releases: "Shoot Out the Lights (1999)," "Roots (2001)," "Live!!! (2002)," "Texaspianoman.com (2003)," "Swing, Swing, Swing (2004)," "My Story (2005)," "Rags to Riches (2005)," "A Killer Tribute (2005)," "Praise Hymn!!! (2005)," and "This is Easy (2005)." These albums showcase versatility as a musician and an entertainer, featuring a broad range of songwriting and musical styles including blues, rock, boogie, alternative, traditional Christian, novelty, swing, Texas music, and easy listening. In 2005 alone, Magel has sold 1,000 CDs with no help from mass media, a record label, a distribution company, or the internet. Keith's CD's are copied and designed individually, and everyone who buys Keith's CDs buys them because they have heard him play a live show. It doesn't get any more REAL than that.

In 2003, Keith began developing what is now known as his "Hick-hop 'Ho' Down," a comedic act in which he puts rap lyrics over a traditional country/western beat. Bizarre as it may sound, it has earned recognition as an ingenius act of musical comedy. In fact, in November 2005, Fox News at Nine in San Antonio, TX ran a story on Keith's "'Ho' down," and his rendition of "Baby Got Back (2004)" earned him airplay on several international radio stations.

Perhaps Keith's single most impressive accomplishment is simply how much he has done in such a short time. While paying his dues in the clubs, Keith was also teaching classes and performing classical music in order to earn his degrees. He now puts his music education degree to work by teaching private piano lessons to students of all ages and levels. He has earned international radio airplay with two of his CDs, "Texaspianoman.com" and "My Story." He has gained international recognition as a solo performer and as a band leader. He has opened for/entertained offers to open for Leann Rimes (1998), Ronnie Milsap (2004), Bellamy Brothers (2006), Merle Haggard (1998), Marshall Tucker Band (2006), Charlie Robison (2002), Robert Earl Keen (1999), Junior Brown (2003), Two Tons of Steel (2000), Gary P. Nunn (2004), Rick Trevino (2004), Asleep at the Wheel (2003), Doug Moreland (2006), Dub Miller (2001), and Gary Allan (2002).

Keith has created the first American internet piano bar! You can hear any song that the piano man does live, and even some that he doesn't! There are some 400 recordings available for streaming onto your I-tunes or Windows Media Player. The piano bar features playlists, a search engine (by artist, song title, genre), chatroom, tipping, and requesting. It is as close to the real thing as you can get. If you would like to find out what type of material you will hear at a Texas Piano Man show, log onto the piano bar and check it out. The piano bar is something that will continue to be improved over time, so please keep checking back for added features and/or songs!!!