Keith Howland (born August 14, 1964) is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the veteran

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rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

from 1995 to 2021.

Biography

Howland started playing the guitar at the age of seven, and he played in a number of bands during his school years. He attended elementary school in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, and graduated from

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

in 1986 with a degree in communications. In 1987, Keith moved to Los Angeles and took a job with Andy Brauer Studio Rentals, which helped him to make invaluable contacts in the music industry. He also continued playing as much as possible, including a 1993 summer tour with

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

. In 1995, Chicago was looking for a new lead guitarist following the departure of

Dawayne Bailey Dawayne Bailey is an American guitarist who has toured and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Véronique Sanson, and Chicago. Bailey was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. While still attending Manhattan High School in Kansas ...

. Howland was a long-time fan of the band and of their co-founding guitarist,

Terry Kath Terry Alan Kath (January 31, 1946 – January 23, 1978) was an American guitarist and singer who is best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singl ...

. Howland appeared uninvited at the auditions, and attained a chance meeting with the band's bassist,

Jason Scheff Jason Randolph Scheff (born April 16, 1962) is an American bassist, singer, and songwriter who was a frontman for the American rock band Chicago (band), Chicago from 1985 to 2016. Replacing former lead vocalist Peter Cetera, Scheff was the longe ...

. He performed a last-minute audition, and was offered the job on the same day. Howland has also pursued projects outside the band, including projects he has done with Chicago's former drummer

Tris Imboden Gregory Tristan "Tris" Imboden (born July 27, 1951) is an American rock and jazz drummer. As a performer, he has been in studio sessions and on tour with some of the most notable and highest-selling musicians of all time. He was the drummer fo ...

. Their collaborative effort is known as The Howland/Imboden Project, releasing two albums. The sound can be described as all-instrumental, jazz/rock/fusion. The eponymous ''The Howland/Imboden Project'' is a studio album, and ''Live At The Baked Potato'' is a live recording. In November 2007, Keith released an album titled ''KeCraig''. This album started as a jam session in November 2007 with his brother Craig. Howland collaborated with former Chicago keyboardist, guitarist, and vocalist

Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the rock band Chicago (band), Chicago from 1 ...

on Champlin's 2008 solo album ''No Place Left to Fall''. On November 15, 2021, Howland suffered a broken arm in an accident and took a leave of absence from the band. On December 1, 2021, Howland announced his resignation from Chicago after more than 26 years, citing lengthy recovery time before being able to resume playing guitar, and the desire to begin the next phase of his life.

References

External links

Keith Howland official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howland, Keith 1964 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists American lead guitarists Chicago (band) members James Madison University alumni Living people Guitarists from Maryland 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians