The Keen label was founded by brothers John and Alex Siamas in April, 1957 in Los Angeles. John
Siamas was a very successful businessman in the aerospace industry, and started Keen as a side
business because he enjoyed music. [Bob Keane (later of Del-Fi Records) was associated with the label
for a time in it's early days, but departed in late 1957.]
At about the same time, across town at Specialty Records, Sam Cooke, the lead singer for the
successful gospel group The Soul Stirrers, was recording pop music for the first time. Bumps Blackwell,
producer for Specialty, had arranged the pop session for Cooke. When Art Rupe, owner of Specialty,
found out that Sam Cooke was recording popular music instead of gospel, he was furious and released
Blackwell from the label. As part of the release, signed June 17, 1957, Blackwell got the tapes from the
session and Sam Cooke's contract. In an incredibly lucky break for the Siamas brothers, Blackwell
brought the tapes to Keen Records. Included on the tape was "You Send Me". In September 1957,
Keen released "You Send Me"/"Summertime" and the double-sided hit sold 1.7 million copies. Sam
Cooke stayed with Keen for three years before moving on to the major RCA-Victor label.
The first Keen label is multi-colored vertical stripes with the letters KEEN in gray circles going around the
top of the label, this label was used on the 2000 series. The second Keen label is black with KEEN to
the left side of the center hole and a 5 color vertical stripe next to it. This label was used on the 86100
series. Although many of Sam Cooke's later Keene singles have turned up in stereo, it is not known
whether any of these albums were issued in stereo. Keen issued several stereo singles in 1959, among
them Sam Cooke's "Win Your Love For Me," "Only Sixteen," and "Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha."
All had a gold label; all were true stereo.
The albums below marked with an asterisk (*) are on the Andex label. Keen shared a numbering system
with the Andex and Ensign labels. Apparently, they all started using the same (2000) numbering series
in 1959, but after a few issues, they switched to the 6000/7000 series, with prefixes designating the
separate labels. For the 6000 (mono) and 7000 (stereo) series, Andex used the prefix "2-", Ensign "3-",
and Keen "8-".
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an
information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no
association with Keen Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography
(which are all out of print), we suggest you see our
Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography
are copyright 1998, 1999 by Mike Callahan.
KEEN ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY
Number - Title - Artist [Release Date] (Chart) Contents
A-2001 - Sam Cooke - Sam Cooke [2/58] (3-58, #16) Issued in mono only. You Send
Me/The Lonesome Road/Tammy/Ol' Man River/Moonlight In Vermont/Canadian
Sunset//Summertime/Around the World/Ain't Misbehavin'/The Bells Of St. Mary's/So Long/Danny
Boy/That Lucky Old Sun
*A-2002 - Memo To Dancers - Memo Bernabei Orchestra [1958]
A-2003 - Encore - Sam Cooke [11/58] Issued in mono only. Oh Look At Me
Now/Someday/Along The Navaho Trail/Running Wild/Accentuate The Positive/Mary Mary Lou//When I
Fall In Love/I Cover The Waterfront/My Foolish Heart/Today I Sing The Blues/The Gypsy/It's The Talk Of
The Town
A-2004/S-2004 - Tribute to the Lady - Sam Cooke [4/59] Issued in both mono and
stereo. God Bless The Child/She's Funny That Way/I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues/Good Morning
Heartache/T'Aint Nobody's Bizness (If I Do)//Lover Girl (Man)/Let's Call The Whole Thing Off/Lover
Come Back To Me/Solitude/They Can't Take That Away From Me/Crazy In Love With You
LP 8-6101 - Hit Kit - Sam Cooke [1959] Issued in mono only. Only Sixteen/All Of My
Life/Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha/Blue Moon/Win Your Love For Me/Lonely Island/You Send
Me/Love You Most Of All/For Sentimental Reasons/Little Things You Do/Let's Go Steady Again/You
Were Made For Me
*LP 2-6102 - Love That Waltz - Memo Bernabei Orchestra [1960]
LP 8-6103 - I Thank God - Various Artists [1960] I Thank God - Sam Cooke/You Got To
Move - Original Blind Boys/Jericho Walls - Gospel Harmonettes/That's Heaven To Me - Sam
Cooke/Love Lifted Me - Gospel Harmonettes/Coming Up Through The Years - Original Blind Boys/Steal
Away - Sam Cooke/Trust And Obey - Gospel Harmonettes/This Friend Jesus - Original Blind Boys/Deep
River - Sam Cooke/God's Goodness - Gospel Harmonettes/Oh Lord Fix It - Original Blind Boys
LP 8-6104
LP 8-6105
LP 8-6106 - Wonderful World Of Sam Cooke - Sam Cooke [1960] Issued in mono only.
Wonderful World/Desire Me/Summertime/Almost In Your Arms/That's Heaven To Me/No One//With
You/Blue Moon/Stealing Kisses/You Were Made For Me/There I've Said It Again/I Thank God
STEREO SINGLE DISCOGRAPHY
5-2006 - Win Your Love For Me (S)/Love Song From "Houseboat" (S) - Sam Cooke [blue
plastic]
5-2018 - Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha (S)/Little Things You Do (S) - Sam Cooke
5-2022 - Only Sixteen (S)/Let's Go Steady Again (S) - Sam Cooke
FAMOUS ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY
The Famous label was blue with silver printing. We do not know anything of the ownership of Famous,
but the label reissued much of the Keen label material.
F-501 - Rockin' Slumber Party - Various Artists [1961] Hully Gully - Herbie Alpert/Beach
Party - Lani Kai/We Knew - Billy Storm/Steal Away - Sam Cooke/Dumb Dora - Ral Tones//Summer
School - Herbie Albert/Scottish Fling - Marti Barris/Sumpin' Jumpin - Bumps Blackwell/Okay -
Turks/Dee-Dee-Di-Oh - Echoes
F-502 - Sam's Songs - Sam Cooke [1961] Little Things You Do/Come Love/Lonesome
Road/The Gypsy/That's Heaven To Me/Love You Most Of All/Canadian Sunset/Solitude/I Thank
God/Danny Boy
F-503 - God's Goodness - Original Gospel Harmonettes [1961] God's Goodness/Jericho
Walls/Trust And Obey/Power Of The Holy Ghost/The World Has Changed//Looking For A
Home/Precious Memories/I Have Done/Love Lifted Me/Elijah
F-504 - This Is The Night - Billy Storm and the Valiants [1961] This Is The
Night/Temptation Of My Heart/Walkin' Girl/Please Wait My Love/Love Game//Good Golly Miss
Molly/Lover Lover/Frieda Frieda/We Knew/Screwdriver
F-505 - Only 16 - Sam Cooke [1961] Only Sixteen/She's Funny That Way/My Foolish
Heart/So Long/Mary Mary Lou/So Glamorous/Crazy In Love With You/When I Fall In Love/Good Morning
Heartache/Let's Go Steady Again
F-506 - The Velvet Voice Of Milton Grayson - Milton Grayson [1961]
F-507
F-508 - So Wonderful - Sam Cooke [1961] Wonderful World/Summertime/Almost In
Your Arms/Tammy/Talk Of The Town/You Were Made For Me/Along The Navajo Trail/No One/I Cover
The Waterfront/Around The World In 80 Days
F-509 - You Send Me - Sam Cooke [1962] You Send Me/Old Man
River/Ee-Yi-Ee-Yi-Oh/With You/Accentuate The Positive/Desire Me/Ain't Misbehavin'/Lucky Old
Sun/Today I Sing the Blues/Lonely Island
F-510 - Wade in the Water - Gulf Coast Jazz [1962] Wade In The Water/Lil David/I Got
Shoes/When The Saints Go Marching In/Nigeria//Reminiscence/Sinners Don't Let This Harvest
Go/Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen/This Little Light Of Mine/Salassi
F-511
F-512 - Cha-Cha-Cha - Sam Cooke Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha/T'Aint Nobody's
Bizness/Runnin’ Wild/Deep River/Oh Look At Me Now //Stealin' Kisses/Someday/They Can't Take
That Away From Me/Blue Moon/There I've Said It Again
Thanks to Bob Djukic and Vicki Siamas.
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Keen and Famous Labels Album Discography