Known primarily for his work as a pedal steel guitarist with Neil Young, Keith was a fixture of the Nashville country music community in the 1950s and 1960s before working with numerous successful rock, country and pop artists as both a producer and versatile, multi-instrumentalist sideman for over four decades.

Born in Fort Riley, Kansas, Keith later relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky, before working as a session musician in Nashville.

Keith's first big recording in Nashville was playing on Patsy Cline's 1961 hit "I Fall to Pieces".

In addition to his work with Young, Keith worked with Terry Reid, Todd Rundgren, Lonnie Mack, The Band, Blue, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Paul Butterfield, J. J. Cale, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon, Ian and Sylvia, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Tompall Glaser, Anne Murray and Ringo Starr.

Keith died of a heart attack on July 26, 2010, while staying at Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in Northern California.