He began his musical career by playing in his uncle's 14 piece band and would back his cousin Freddie Keil on rock and roll songs when asked to.
[3] The Keil Isles would end up becoming very popular and Olaf and the rest of the group would tour New Zealand with Cliff Richard and The Shadows in 1961.
[4] Olaf Keil was considered to be a brilliant musician[5] and he could replicate the guitar solos that were heard on overseas records.
With his technical knowledge he was able to successfully design and build the first echo unit in New Zealand and attempting to copy that Elvis Presley instrumental sound that was heard on his records.
[2] In addition to custom-made banjos, he has also custom built guitars for artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Jimi Hendrix and Buck Owens.
[2] Having learnt to play the Hawaiian steel guitar, he and other Fender musicians did a Polynesian act for a show in Las Vegas.