Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American pianist, singer, songwriter and contemporary Christian music recording artist.

[1] His most notable songs are "There Is a Redeemer", which was written by his wife Melody, "Oh Lord You're Beautiful", "I Want To Be More Like Jesus", "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice", and "(Until) Your Love Broke Through".

[4] According to his wife Melody, Green grew up "in an atmosphere of moral purity, free of alcohol and drugs" and said his family's way of life "had a wonderfully preserving effect on Keith during his early years.

[11] He grew up reading the New Testament and called the mixture of being Jewish and learning about Jesus "an odd combination" that left him open-minded but confused and deeply unsatisfied.

As a teen perceiving his music career had failed, he ran away from home, began smoking marijuana, and used some psychedelics in hopes of finding spiritual truth.

The newlywed couple sought more knowledge of Jesus together when, in May 1975, they visited a home bible study in Beverly Hills, California called "Vineyard Christian Fellowship".

In 1975, the Greens, new believers in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, began taking people who needed help into their small home in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley.

[16] They eventually ran out of space and, purchasing the home next door to their own and renting an additional five in the same neighborhood, they provided a safe environment of Bible studies and practical discipleship to young and old alike.

Much to the consternation of neighbors, there came to be 75 people living in the Greens' homes and traipsing down the suburban streets—including recovering drug addicts and prostitutes, bikers, the homeless, and many single pregnant girls needing shelter and safety.

Later, he was also influenced by his friends Winkie Pratney, and Leonard Ravenhill, who pointed him to Charles Finney, a nineteenth-century revivalist preacher who preached the holiness of God to provoke conviction in his hearers.

Along with 11 others, Green died on July 28, 1982, when the Robertson STOL-modified Cessna 414 leased by Last Days Ministries crashed after takeoff from the private airstrip located on the LDM property.

The small twin-engined plane was carrying 11 passengers and the pilot, Don Burmeister, for an aerial tour[26] of the LDM property and the surrounding area.

Green's wife Melody was at home with one-year-old Rebekah and six weeks pregnant with their fourth child, Rachel, born in March 1983.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the crash was caused by the pilot in command (PIC) allowing the aircraft to be loaded beyond its operating limitations.

Don Alan Burmeister was a former United States Marine Corps aviator, but FAA records show he had very limited experience / training in flying conventional (vs. centerline thrust) twin-engine aircraft.

Records show it was only a short time prior to the accident (6/9/82) that he completed a check-ride to remove the "centerline thrust" restriction from his pilot's certificate.

With pilot and eleven passengers, the aircraft was overloaded by an estimated 445 pounds (202 kg), and the location of the center of gravity was found to be 4.26 inches (108 mm) beyond the maximum aft limit.

Another unreleased Christian song "Born Again" by Keith and Melody was finally released in 1999, 17 years after his death, on the First Love compilation video and CD.

Artists contributing to the recording include Petra, Charlie Peacock, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Michael Card, GLAD, Rich Mullins, Steven Curtis Chapman, Steve Green, and Russ Taff.

Produced by Derri Daugherty, the album included performances by new contemporary Christian artists MxPx, Joy Electric, and Starflyer 59, among others.

The 2002 album contains re-recordings by Rebecca St. James, Michelle Tumes, Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Darlene Zschech, Jason Upton, Martin Smith, Charlie Hall, Joanne Hogg, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, and Sarah Sadler.

The album contains contemporary Christian and mainstream artist Michael W. Smith's version of the song "There Is One", an unfinished work by Green.

After the initial producers failed to exercise their final option to obtain long-term film rights, Melody began to gather a new production team.