When I landed my first Broadway chair on Memphis, one name kept coming up: Michael Keller. He has contracted more than 100 Broadway shows, including The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton. Before that, he was a drummer from Queens wheeling his kit through Manhattan.
The Beatles got him started. He was subbing off-Broadway at 19, played his first Broadway show, Promises, Promises, in 1970, toured with Dionne Warwick, and spent 15 years as Marvin Hamlisch’s drummer and conductor. Hamlisch opened the door to contracting, and the 1994 Barbra Streisand tour changed everything. Nobody mentored him. He figured it out himself.
What I love most about this conversation is how simple his hiring philosophy is: “I want a great player who can get along with people.” That’s the whole list. He also explains why your job changes once a show opens. Most of the audience is seeing it for the first time, so your job becomes keeping it fresh and consistent every night.
His advice for breaking in: sub first, be persistent, ask to sit in the pit, never say no, and find every chance to be heard. A great resume won’t get you hired. Your playing will.
He also tells the story of hearing Steve Gadd for the first time and choosing inspiration over quitting. Every musician faces that choice eventually.
Michael’s message is the heart of what I teach: talent gets you noticed, trust gets you hired. Join me live for The Trust Economy masterclass on October 29 at 5 PM Eastern.
