Keith Flint (1969-2019)

Keith Flint (1969-2019)

Keith Charles Flint was an English singer, dancer and motorcycle racer. He was a founding member of the electronic dance act the Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer, he became the frontman of the group and performed on the group's two UK number one singles, "Firestarter" and "Breathe" both released in 1996. He was also the lead singer of his own band, Flint. He owned a motorcycle racing team, Team Traction Control, which won three Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and competed in the British Supersport Championship.

Flint was born in Redbridge, London, to Clive and Yvonne Flint, on 17 September 1969. Clive Flint was the son of a German Jewish immigrant and worked as an engineering consultant. Keith Flint was initially raised in East London but in the mid-1970s his parents moved out to a quiet suburban cul-de-sac in Springfield, Essex. His childhood was described as unhappy and he feuded with his parents, who parted when he was young. He attended the Boswells School in Chelmsford and moved to Braintree after leaving school. Flint was described as being a "bright boy with dyslexia" and was disruptive in class. He was expelled from school at the age of 15. Flint then worked as a roofer and later enthusiastically embraced the acid house scene of the late 1980s. Musically, Flint was a childhood fan of the Jam and in the late 1980s he listened to bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Achievements:

Flint met DJ Liam Howlett at local rave club the Barn in Braintree and said he liked Howlett's taste in music. After receiving a mixtape from Howlett, Flint came back with great enthusiasm, insisting that Howlett should be playing his tracks up on stage and that Flint, along with friend Leeroy Thornhill, would dance to them. Flint, Howlett and Thornhill were joined by MC Maxim Reality and became a successful electronic dance act called the Prodigy.

In 1996, just prior to the release of the Prodigy’s third album, Flint moved from being a dancer for the group to being its frontman when he performed vocals on the hit single "Firestarter", the accompanying video showcasing Flint's new and soon-to-be iconic punk look. This trend continued with the next Prodigy single "Breathe", on which Flint sang lead vocals, with Maxim backing him up.

The 1997 album The Fat of the Land featured Flint's vocal contributions to several tracks, namely "Breathe", "Serial Thrilla", "Fuel My Fire" and "Firestarter". In 2002, the single "Baby's Got a Temper" was released. Flint did not perform vocals on the next Prodigy album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004), although he did appear on the "Hotride – El Batori Mix", on the "Hotride" single.

The Prodigy album Invaders Must Die was released on 23 February 2009 and featured vocals by Flint on multiple tracks. Flint released a single titled "War" with dubstep artist Caspa in 2012.

Flint experimented with solo projects, including his punk rock bands Flint , remixes by Steven “Stitch” Held at The Recovery Room and Clever Brains Fryin'. Flint's debut album, Device #1, was cancelled before its release, leaving "Aim4" as their only single to be commercially released.

Flint was a keen motorcyclist. He rode 2,400 km (1,500 miles) from England to southern Spain to attend the 2007 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix and also raced in club competitions. He rode with Lee Thompson of the band Madness. He had his own motorcycle team, Team Traction Control, which competed in the British Supersport Championship as part of the British Superbike Championship. In 2015 Team Traction Control machines won two Isle of Man TT races, ridden by Ian Hutchinson.

Charity: CALM