Neil Young Collaborator Ben Keith Dead At 73

Ben Keith, a steel guitarist best known for his work with Neil Young and Patsy Cline, has died at the age of 73. Keith appeared on many of Young's best loved recordings including Harvest, On the Beach and Prairie Wind.

Keith first connected with Young for Harvest in 1971, when Young traveled to Nashville for an appearance on the Johnny Cash Show. Young stuck around to work on the album and was introduced to Keith by bassist Tim Drummond.

"They were already recording at the time," Keith said in the 2005 concert film Heart of Gold. "I set up my steel and kind of snuck in there and started playing and we did five songs before we ever stopped and introduced ourselves."

Later in his career, Keith collaborated with singer-songwriter Jewel.

"I knew when I first heard Jewel that she was plowing new ground," Keith told Rolling Stone. "She came to Neil's ranch and cut about 20 songs, each of us just kind of checking things out. It's funny, she reminded me of Patsy Cline, in a way."