Artist description Biography of Keith Forman and Explanation of the Song "Hard Times"--Keith Forman was born in a log cabin in Billings Montana during a blizzard in 1829. --Little is known about his early life, but legend has it he roamed North America begging for money, telling off-color stories to people that didn't appreciate them. --In 1989, he appeared at a small college in North Adams, Massachusetts and began attending classes. He was eventually thrown out of the school for arguing with history professors claiming he had first-hand knowledge of the subject.--Having traveled most of the country, he decided North Adams would be a nice place to settle down--he liked the people there, and for the most part they didn't throw rocks and bottles at him when he appeared in public places. Also, because he was 160 years-old, his life as a mendicant was coming to an end (mendicant union regulations require retirement by 161 years of age). --In his spare time Mr. Forman, or "Hey You" as he's frequently called, plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica and occasional banjo with friends or nice strangers who have a strong tolerance for bad singing. When nobody is around to listen to him play, he likes to record his music onto a small multi-track tape recorder and then mail copies of his tapes to unsuspecting cassette-player owners. --The song "Hard Times" is a traditional tune about the assassination of William McKinley, who was assasinated in 1901 by Leon Czolgosz an immigrant anarchist whose gunshot made Teddy Roosevelt president, and forever changed the face of Mount Rushmore. (Incidentally Mr. Forman met Leon Czolgosz in 1899 while being chased out of Kalamazoo, Michigan for telling a preacher's wife that she had a nice set of prayer books.) Unlike Kennedy and Lincoln, when McKinley was shot nobody really cared.There are several renditions of this song. One is comedic, while the other is somber and serious version, done in minor chords to emphasize the tragedy of the event. Keith (or Hey You) prefers the former.

Musical Influences a lot of dead people

Artist History Biography of Keith Forman and Explanation of the Song "Hard Times"--Keith Forman was born in a log cabin in Billings Montana during a blizzard in 1829. Little is known about his early life, but legend has it he roamed North America begging for money, telling off-color stories to people that didn't appreciate them. In 1989, he appeared at a small college in North Adams, Massachusetts and began attending classes. He was eventually thrown out of the school for arguing with history professors claiming he had first-hand knowledge of the subject. Having traveled most of the country, he decided North Adams would be a nice place to settle down--he liked the people there, and for the most part they didn't throw rocks and bottles at him when he appeared in public places. Also, because he was 160 years-old, his life as a mendicant was coming to an end (mendicant union regulations require retirement by 161 year of age).In his spare time Mr. Forman, or "Hey You" as he's frequently called, plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica and occasional banjo with friends or nice strangers who have a strong tolerance for bad singing. When nobody is around to listen to him play, he likes to record his music onto a small multi-track tape recorder and then mail copies of his tapes to unsuspecting cassette-player owners.The song "Hard Times" is a traditional tune about the assassination of William McKinley, who was assasinated in 1901 by Leon Czolgosz an immigrant anarchist whose gunshot made Teddy Roosevelt president, and forever changed the face of Mount Rushmore. (Incidentally Mr. Forman met Leon Czolgosz in 1899 while being chased out of Kalamazoo, Michigan for telling a preacher's wife that she had a nice set of prayer books.) Unlike Kennedy and Lincoln, when McKinley was shot nobody really cared.There are several renditions of this song. One is comedic, while the other is somber and serious version, done in minor chords to emphasize the tragedy of the event. Keith (or Hey You) prefers the former.

Instruments guitar, mandolin, harminica, bass

Location Williamstown, MA - USA

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