Keith Green

Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American pianist, singer, songwriter and well known pioneer in the contemporary Christian music genre, who was originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. His most notable songs are "There Is a Redeemer", which was written by his wife Melody, "Oh Lord You're Beautiful" and "(Until) Your Love Broke Through". Early life Green was born in Sheepshead Bay, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. In 1957, his family moved to Canoga Park, Los Angeles where he grew up. Green's parents were Jewish Christian Scientists and the family had a history of musical performance. According to his wife Melody, "growing up in an atmosphere of moral purity, free of alcohol and drugs, had a wonderfully preserving effect on Keith during his early years." Green took to music at a young age, as he "began with the ukulele at three, the guitar at five, and the piano at seven." His talents were noted by a major newspaper when he was eight, following a performance of Arthur Laurents' The Time of the Cuckoo. A local review by the Los Angeles Times wrote, "roguish-looking, eight-year-old Keith Green gave a winning portrayal" of "the little Italian street urchin, Mauro"; another review commented that he "stole the show". The show was Green's first appearance in live theater, which was held in Chatsworth, Los Angeles in September 1962. According to the LA Times, he had already done a number of television commercials and made a TV pilot. Green played the role of Kurt von Trapp in The Sound of Music starring Janet Blair in the opening production at the Valley Music Theater, a modern 2865-seat theatre in the round in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles when he was 10.