Keith Levene

Keith Levene
Levene in 2012
Levene in 2012
Background information
Birth nameJulian Keith Levene
Born(1957-07-18)18 July 1957
London, England
Died11 November 2022(2022-11-11) (aged 65)
Norfolk, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1974–2022
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse(s)Lori Montana (divorced)
Shelly da Cunha (divorced)

Julian Keith Levene (18 July 1957 – 11 November 2022) was an English musician who was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd (PiL).[1] While Levene was in PiL, their 1978 debut album Public Image: First Issue reached No 22 in the UK album charts, and its lead track "Public Image" broke the top 10 UK singles chart.

Levene was born and raised in London, and although initially influenced by progressive rock, his musical taste changed after meeting fellow Clash founder Mick Jones. His punk and post punk guitar sounds have been described as "both melodic and discordant, sonorous and violent".[2]

  1. ^ Di Tondo, Kathy (3 May 2013). "Recalling PiL: The Commercial Zone Era with Keith Levene and Maureen Baker". Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  2. ^ Aswad, Jem (12 November 2022). "Keith Levene, Public Image Ltd.'s Pioneering Guitarist and Clash Co-Founder, Dies at 65". Variety. Retrieved 13 November 2022.