Sharing memories of Keith
This site is a tribute to Keith Blackburn, who was born in Accrington, Lancashire on 14th November, 1954.
He is much loved and will always be remembered.
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Help grow Keith's Tribute by adding messages or memories you'd like to share.
Thoughts
I miss Keith's sparkling energy, his understanding, his comradeship, his warmth and his deep humanity, his cheeky grin, his songs, his voice, his depth of caring about people, about life… Although I only knew Keith for a relatively short time, I’m truly grateful for that time. He made a Difference. He made the world a better place.
Suze
23rd June 2022
I first met Keith at the Hartley Memorial Concert in 2012, and he showed a lot of interest in the project I was undertaking, of setting to music some of the poems of my great-great-grandfather, Joseph Skipsey, whose poem about the Hartley Calamity was the reason I came to the concert. I was delighted when he invited me to perform at the concert over several years. The experience of singing the songs in the place about which they were written was very moving for me personally, and I will always be grateful to Keith for giving me that opportunity.
Chris Harrison
22nd June 2022
I can recall my teenage years when I used to spend a lot of time with the Blackburn family, Keith would take us to arts events that I never knew existed. In my 20s I was in the folk clubs with Keith and I used to see your Keith and Tricia out walking during the lockdown, he even gave me fresh rosemary from his garden for Christmas dinner one year!
What I’m trying to say is that Keith was a constant for me. We always moved in similar circles.
Keith was integral to my musical development as a teenager. I’m really not sure where I’d be without our supportive parents working hard to foster creative interests, I’m sure Jenny, Rian and Carolyn feel the same. I’m 20 years in as a pro now and I often think - what if our parents hadn’t found these cultural events for us to see?! New Hartley really is a sheltered place, these things didn’t come easy.
I’ve always admired Keith and the whole family are lovely, so that speaks volumes to start with.
What I’ve always recognised is that Keith puts his time into real things that bring joy to others. He put his energy into the things he enjoyed and was always dreaming up something fun. Then he’d get funding and get people involved or, maybe he was just rounding people up for a folk session in the pub.
His reach was wide, a lot of local musicians appreciated Keith.
Edd Carr
17th June 2022
