Tom Keith

Who was Tom Keith?

Thomas Alan Keith was a radio personality who worked for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the engineer for Garrison Keillor when he began his early morning radio show from the St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota studio. Keillor wanted dialogue during the program and Keith was about the only other person around at that early hour. Keith was one of the primary sound effects performers for the Prairie Home Companion radio show and was often an actor in sketches written by Keillor. Keillor created the persona of Jim Ed Poole for Keith on the old early morning show. Jim Ed was said to have grown up in West St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated from Henry Sibley High School.

After serving in the Marine Corps, Keith earned a degree from the University of Minnesota. When production of the radio program moved to St. Paul, Tom Keith continued to play Jim Ed who lived in the Hotel Transom with his pet chicken, Curtis. When Keillor left the morning program, Keith was joined on The Morning Show by Dale Connelly. He maintained the Jim Ed Poole persona and developed several other characters in cooperation with Connelly. Keith developed his vocal and sound effects skills on the morning program and later on Prairie Home Companion.