In early-57, a fan of Keane's named John Siamas (who was a member of a
wealthy family of Greek aircraft parts manufacturers) approached Keane about
starting a record company to record pop versions of Greek standards. Keane
sensed that this concept was not necessarily the path to fortune and said so; at
which point Siamas asked Keane if he knew any black musicians. He did, and
thus began Keen Records.

The deal was that Keane would find and record talent, Siamas would put up the
money, and they would split the profits evenly. Bumps Blackwell had lost Little Richard to gospel and was now trying to return the favor by leading gospel singer Sam Cooke into pop. Specialty Records owner Art Rupe strongly disapproved of the move and released Cooke from his contract. Blackwell took Cooke to Keen, and in the summer of '57 they released "You Send Me."

"You Send Me" was a smash, but all Keane got out of the deal was the recording
equipment Siamas had purchased for him. Keane sued but never got his half of
the royalties because the agreement was oral. With the equipment from Keen
and $2,500 from another investor, Keane started Del-Fi - named after the Greek
oracle of inspiration, because as his wife (a former comedienne) remarked - "You just got fucked by Greeks."

Del-Fi found success immediately with a recording of "Caravan" by pianist Henri
Rose, which dominated the L.A. airwaves through the Christmas season. Warner
Brothers was just starting a record division and they purchased Rose's contract
(and an album to be recorded by Keane) for $8,000; with which Keane bought
out his partner and set sail alone.

Keane was having his new business cards made up when the salesman told him
about a 15-year-old kid from Pacoima (known as the "Little Richard of the San
Fernando Valley") named Ritchie Valenzuela. Keane went out to Pacoima that
Saturday and watched the kid do a 15-minute set before a matinee at a movie
theater.

"He was up there with a little amplifier just banging away when I walked in and everyone was jumping up and down. He had complete control of the audience. Ritchie was like a young bull: humble yet very powerful. That's what I saw when I went in the movie theater," Keane says.

And not what he saw when he watched Lou Diamond Phillips portray Valens in
La Bamba (1987). "He played Ritchie like a whiney mama's boy in that movie, which was about 25% accurate. But what the hell, it brought Ritchie back into the public's mind."