Jerry Keller

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title: "Jerry Keller" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1937-births", "living-people", "american-male-singers", "singers-from-arkansas", "songwriters-from-arkansas", "people-from-fort-smith,-arkansas", "musicians-from-tulsa,-oklahoma", "university-of-tulsa-alumni", "songwriters-from-oklahoma", "singers-from-oklahoma", "american-male-songwriters", "will-rogers-high-school-alumni"] description: "American pop singer (born 1937)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Keller" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American pop singer (born 1937) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Jerry Keller
birth_name	Jerry Paul Keller
birth_date
birth_place	Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.
genre	Easy listening, traditional
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years_active	1956–present
label	Kapp (U.S.)
London (U.K.)
::

| name = Jerry Keller | caption = | birth_name = Jerry Paul Keller | birth_date = | birth_place = Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | genre = Easy listening, traditional | occupation = Singer, songwriter | years_active = 1956–present | label = Kapp (U.S.) London (U.K.) | associated_acts = | website =

Jerry Paul Keller (born June 20, 1937) is an American pop singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 hit song "Here Comes Summer".

Career

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Keller moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was six,{{cite book| first= Joseph| last= Murrells|year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location= London| page= 115| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/115

Keller attended the University of Tulsa and moved to New York in 1956. Pat Boone, a friend from church, recommended Marty Mills as Keller's manager.

Keller's biggest self-penned hit was 1959's "Here Comes Summer". In 1959 it climbed to No. 14 in the Billboard Hot 100. The record reached No.1 in the UK for a week from October 9, 1959, but a lack of further chart appearances saw Keller branded as a one-hit wonder in Britain.

Keller also wrote the English lyrics of "A Man and a Woman", from "Un homme et une femme" by Francis Lai and Pierre Barouh. "A Man and a Woman" was recorded by such artists as Matt Monro, Ella Fitzgerald, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis and José Feliciano. In addition, he co-penned "Almost There", a successful single for Andy Williams, plus "How Does It Go?" recorded in 1965 by Ricky Nelson, and "Turn-Down Day", a hit for The Cyrkle in 1966.

In the film arena, Keller wrote soundtrack music for I Saw What You Did (1965) and Angel in My Pocket (1969). He also wrote "The Legend of Shenandoah", recited by James Stewart in the 1965 film Shenandoah.

Keller went on to be a number-one-call vocalist for television jingles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also maintained a long working association with songwriter/filmmaker Joe Brooks, performing Brooks' song "Rock and Roll Music" in the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush, and appearing in Brooks' films You Light Up My Life (1977) and If Ever I See You Again (1978).

Personal life

Keller is married and has two children.

References

References

1. (2002). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Virgin Books]].
2. Roberts, David. (2006). "British Hit Singles & Albums". Guinness World Records Limited.
3. [http://www.secondhandsongs.com/work/51600 History of "Un homme et une femme"/"A Man and a Woman"], Secondhandsongs.com, retrieved August 28, 2012
4. {{AllMusic
5. As per the liner notes to the film's soundtrack album (ABC Records, cat. no. ABCD-828).
6. "Jerry Keller Biography".
7. "The Blue Grass Special - Jerry Keller".

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