The Keane Brothers Show

I am so glad to find this site. I am glad to find that I found someone else who remembers this show. I used to love it. My best friend and I loved Tom and John. They were so cute. I, too, thought this show was cut short, but that was the thought of an adolescent girl. I still think it was a good show for the time. I just remember making sure that I had the yard mowed so I could be in the house in time to watch. I had ALL the pictures out of the mags cut out.

The things that got me to thinking about this show again was the show "CSI" one of the composers on the show is John M. Keane. I wonder if it is the same. who knows, could be?

This is another in the 1970s tradition of absolutely abysmal "summer replacement series." It ran I think in August of 1977, and featured two junior-high age brothers as a two-man rock band (like an abbreviated Partridge Family) in a Sonny and Cher musical variety show format (a monologue, a skit, a quick blackout piece, a song, a "film" segment -- usually of the brothers being chased or chasing a junior high girl in undercranked high-speed tape for the comedy value -- another song, some skits, a guest number (Andy Williams sang "When I was 17," while the boys countered stanza for stanza with "When I was only 1," a laff-riot) etc. It was shows like this that drove silver nails into the coffin of musical variety TV.

The Keane Brothers Show would definitely be part of the last gasp of the music variety show in the late seventies. The show ran during the summer of 1977 if my memory is serving me correctly, and for my money it should have lasted a lot longer. It featured two young brothers who played musical instruments. I don't remember who they had on as guests, but I do remember that the younger of the two brothers, I think his name was Tommy, played the drums and he would sometimes do a drum solo. You don't see many drum solos on TV anymore and I'm sure many viewers are grateful for this, but I have always had a soft spot for drum solos.

What's keeping me awake at night lately is wondering whatever happened to The Keane Brothers?

The Keane Brothers were the YOUNGEST Musicians to EVER host their own TV Variety Show on Network Television. These boys of barely 12 and 13 years old were accomplished musicians, music writers and performing artists. Between them, they played more than 8 instruments by the time they were 12. Tommy was the eldest and was the lead singer, writer of most of their music. He played piano and keyboards in most segments as well as amazing jazz pieces on vibraphone, alongside his talented little brother, John. Johnny was the percussion maven and could also play the piano as well as vibes and guitar. Their amazing professional talent was premature for the media of the 70's. However, they continued as serious musicians. Today John Keane is the music composer for CBS series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). Tom Keane is an accomplished writer, composer, producer with his independent label Diversified American Music (D.A.M.) -- He has composed and arranged music for artists like Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Black Eyed Peas, Chicago.... Do you remember "Will You Still Love me?" -- Tom wrote that. Do you remember Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire?" -- that was ALSO Tom's piece. Kudos to the two kids who lit up my life musically as a child and continue to make such an impact in our Pop Culture today.