Keith (left) and Tex performing at the 2023 Rototom Sunsplash in Spain.
With rocksteady turning 60 in 2026, not many of the artistes who became famous during that early era remain active.
Keith and Tex, who rode the charts in the late 1960s, are still recording music and touring.
The duo, whose hit songs include Stop That Train and Tonight, released their latest album in March. Titled Gun Life, it is produced by Roberto Sanchez of Spain and released by Liquidator Music, an independent label based in that country.
Keith (born Keith Rowe), who lives in Tampa, Florida, told the Jamaica Observer that recording new music keeps him and the Toronto-based Tex current.
“During our live performances our fans come expecting to hear our classic songs. They not only dance, but sing along to the songs they know, and we always include some of our new material,” he said. “We have been touring Europe, Asia, North and South America consistently every year since 2013, and intend to continue into the near future. Our biggest market, for sure, is Europe in terms of audience and record sales.”
Gun Life is their third album for Sanchez, a multi-instrumentalist who has also worked with roots acts such as Earl Zero, Linval Thompson, Rod Taylor, and Milton Henry.
Keith says his knowledge of both rocksteady and roots-reggae have made their collaborations fruitful.
“Working with Roberto Sanchez has been a remarkable experience. We have done three albums with him now as music composer and producer, and he captures the essence of the music; down to the instrumentation used at the time. He captures our sound and has composed rhythms just for our taste and likeness,” he explained.
Keith and Tex (born Phillip Texas Dixon) were originally part of a harmony quintet from the Maverley/Pembroke Hall areas of St Andrew. After unsuccessful auditions for producers Duke Reid and Prince Buster, their colleagues gave up on music, resulting in them moving to producer Derrick Harriott.
Backed by musicians such as Trinidadian guitarist Lynn Taitt and keyboardist Gladstone Anderson, Keith and Tex broke through with Tonight, followed by Stop That Train and a cover of The Temptations’ Don’t Look Back, all produced by Harriott.
They migrated to North America in the early 1970s, with Keith serving in the United States Army for 20 years. Tex worked with the Canadian Government.
They resumed recording in 1997 with the release of the album, Together Again.