Producer Keith Olsen, 74, has died. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to the New York Times, who spoke with Keith’s daughter Kelly Castady.
Among Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac fans, Keith is best known for producing the albums Buckingham Nicks (1973) and Fleetwood Mac (1975), the latter being the first one with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. He also wrote the musical bridge for Stevie’s “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You” and produced “No Spoken Word,” both tracks from her 1985 album Rock a Little.
In 1974, Keith famously introduced Buckingham Nicks to Mick Fleetwood, after playing him the duo’s “Frozen Love” at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. Impressed with their sound, specifically Lindsey’s guitar work, Mick later asked the pair to join Fleetwood Mac.
Keith worked with a countless number of artists in his long music career, including Rick Springfield, Whitesnake, and The Scorpions, who all tweeted about the producer upon hearing of his passing.
#RIPKeithOlsen 🦂 pic.twitter.com/syygnF0gqj
— Scorpions (@scorpions) March 9, 2020
1) My amazing and talented friend Keith Olsen has passed away. Such a gifted producer. And later on a wonderful guy. Ha, ha… he could be a bit of a pistol in the studio but that was part of his talent. Sticking to his guns when some whiny artist (me) would say, "I don’t think pic.twitter.com/5g2Jd6sLhA
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
2) that works." He didn't produce all those hits for all those musicians for no reason. He had a golden ear and helped so many people reach their potential. I remember playing him my demos and he picked “Jessie’s Girl” out of a batch of 15 songs and said "This is a hit.”
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
3) I doubted him and thought there were better songs in my demo reel. Proof right there of his gift. May God give your spirit the peace and joy and the rest it deserves. You were a star maker in so many ways. God bless your memory my friend. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/0PE6p5MvVE
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) March 10, 2020
Keith Olsen…R.I.P. Dear Friend… pic.twitter.com/jJSr5ZFkLq
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) March 9, 2020
