Keith Phillips Oral History

Interview Highlight

In this Interview Highlight, Keith Phillips recalls touring during the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll and performing alongside stars including Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton and Bobby Rydell. He also reflects on meeting his lifelong idol, legendary drummer Gene Krupa, whose musicianship and showmanship inspired Phillips’ signature stick-twirling style long before the two developed a close friendship.

Complete Interview

In this Complete Interview, Keith Phillips traces his journey through Indiana’s early rock ‘n’ roll era, from performing with Bob Pence & the Rhythm Rangers and helping launch the legendary Whiteland Barn to forming Keetie & the Kats and The Keith Phillips VI. He shares stories about touring throughout North America, performing with some of the biggest entertainers of the 1950s and 1960s, traveling thousands of miles with Bill Black’s Combo and appearing on The Mike Douglas Show. Phillips also reflects on his friendship with Gene Krupa, the inspiration behind his signature drumming style, and the remarkable history of his customized 1931 Ford hot rod, Katzass.

Biography

Keith “Keetie” Phillips is an Indiana rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, drummer, bandleader and founding member of Keetie & the Kats, one of the state’s most influential early rock bands. Emerging from Edinburgh, Indiana, during the late 1950s, Phillips helped define the excitement and showmanship of Indiana’s first generation of rock ‘n’ roll musicians.

Phillips became known for his energetic drumming, charismatic stage presence and signature stick-spinning performances. His flashy technique was inspired by legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa, whose dynamic playing and showmanship shaped Phillips’ approach to the drums long before the two musicians eventually became friends.

Before forming Keetie & the Kats, Phillips performed with Bob Pence & the Rhythm Rangers. The group featured Bob Pence on guitar, Dave Ellman and Phillips on drums, along with a saxophonist and bassist whose names Phillips no longer recalls.

Bob Pence & the Rhythm Rangers became the first group to perform at the legendary Whiteland Barn. That early appearance helped launch a venue that would become one of Indiana’s most important destinations during the rise of rock ‘n’ roll.

The Whiteland Barn drew large crowds of teenagers from across Indiana, especially on Sunday nights. The venue became known for presenting both popular regional groups and nationally recognized performers during the early years of rock ‘n’ roll.

Keetie & the Kats formed in 1958 and quickly became one of the most popular bands in the Midwest. The group became closely associated with the Whiteland Barn and was often considered its unofficial house band.

The Barn hosted major entertainers including Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, The Kingsmen, Bo Diddley, Dionne Warwick, Neil Sedaka and The Drifters. Phillips and his band were among the performers most closely connected to the venue during its peak years.

The original Keetie & the Kats lineup included Keith Phillips, Larry Lee, Dave Ellman and Bill Rooker. The band’s membership changed over the years and included musicians such as Norm Chafey, Johnny Scott, Larry “Wazoo” Gardner, Dave Kelly, Jimmie Clendening and Gary LeMaster.

Keetie & the Kats recorded several songs during the early years of the band. Their releases included Dreamer’s Romance and That’s the Way, both issued by Indianapolis-based K-W Records and featuring lead vocals by Jimmie Clendening.

The group later recorded Chee Wah Wah for Monument Records. In 1963, the band became known as Keetie & the Kasuals before Phillips later formed The Keith Phillips VI.

From 1959 through 1968, Phillips and his bands toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada. Their travels placed them alongside many of the most recognizable entertainers of the period.

Phillips performed with or appeared on shows featuring artists including Paul Anka, Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell, Del Shannon, Al Hirt, Boots Randolph, Roy Orbison and Sammy Davis Jr.

One of the most demanding experiences of Phillips’ career came while touring with Bill Black’s Combo. During one stretch, the musicians traveled approximately 15,000 miles in only thirty-five days, performing nearly every night while moving from city to city across North America.

Phillips’ national touring career reflected the demanding schedule of working rock ‘n’ roll musicians during the era. Long drives, frequent performances and limited rest were a regular part of life on the road.

A major career highlight came in 1966 when The Keith Phillips VI appeared on The Mike Douglas Show. The nationally televised appearance introduced Phillips and his band to a much wider audience.

Among the musicians who most influenced Phillips was Gene Krupa, whom Keith considered his lifelong idol. Krupa’s powerful drumming, dramatic performances and ability to connect with an audience inspired Phillips’ own approach to the instrument.

Phillips developed his signature stick-twirling and spinning techniques while studying Krupa’s performances. These visual elements became a hallmark of Phillips’ stage presence and helped distinguish him from many other drummers of the period.

Years later, Krupa performed at The Embers, Indianapolis’ premier supper club on North Meridian Street. After completing his own performances, Krupa would sometimes visit Charlie’s Mad Pad in Fountain Square to watch Phillips play.

Although Phillips and Krupa never performed together, the two developed a close friendship based on their mutual respect for music and drumming. For Phillips, becoming friends with the musician who had inspired him since childhood was one of the most meaningful experiences of his career.

Outside of music, Phillips was also passionate about customized cars and hot rods. While performing at the Sixth Avenue Bar in Terre Haute, Indiana, he became friends with fellow hot rod enthusiast Bruce Miller.

Miller owned a customized 1931 Ford five-window coupe named Katzass. Phillips was immediately drawn to the car’s design and to the connection between its name and his band, Keetie & the Kats.

Phillips eventually purchased Katzass from Miller and proudly drove the car for nearly seven years. The customized Ford became closely associated with Phillips during his years as a touring musician and bandleader.

After Phillips left the music business and moved to California, the car was sold. Over time, Katzass was abandoned in a field, where it remained exposed to the elements and gradually deteriorated.

The car was later discovered by John Mondabach, who had first seen and admired it when he was ten years old. At the time, Phillips was dating Mondabach’s older sister.

As a child, Mondabach told Phillips that he would someday own the car. Phillips laughed at the prediction, but years later Mondabach fulfilled that childhood promise by finding and rescuing Katzass.

Mondabach painstakingly restored the car to the condition it was in when Phillips owned it. The restoration preserved the customized design and appearance that had made the vehicle such a memorable part of Phillips’ story.

Today, Katzass is preserved in Morgantown, Indiana. Phillips continues to visit both Mondabach and the car whenever he returns to Indiana.

As the musical landscape changed during the 1960s, Phillips recognized that the arrival of the British Invasion would transform popular music and bring an end to the golden era of teen dance halls. His prediction proved accurate as venues like the Whiteland Barn gradually faded from prominence.

Phillips eventually stepped away from the music business and relocated to California, but his influence on Indiana rock ‘n’ roll endured. His performances, touring career and connection to the Whiteland Barn remain part of the history of the state’s earliest rock musicians.

Today, Keith “Keetie” Phillips is remembered as an outstanding drummer, entertainer and bandleader who helped establish Indiana as an important part of America’s early rock ‘n’ roll movement.

Through Keetie & the Kats, The Keith Phillips VI, his years at the Whiteland Barn, his national television appearance and his extensive touring career, Phillips helped create an enduring legacy in Indiana music history.