Keith Balaam

[fraserbalaam]

Hello there,

My name is Fraser Balaam. I'm the son of Keith Balaam, who I understand was one of the initial founders of the Majicat website. A touching dedication to his memory remains on some of the pages on the site.

I'm currently researching the life of my Dad, who passed away in 2001, with the intention of writing a book about his experiences. I'm keen to find out more about his love of music, in particular his passion for the music of Cat Stevens. 

I'm not sure whether anybody will recognise my Dad's name after so many years, but I've spoken to a couple of individuals who knew my Dad through Majicat so would like to cast the net out wider. If reading this has triggered some memories of him which you'd be happy to share with me then I'd love to hear from you.

You can reach me at fraser dot balaam at gmail dot com, and you can read more about my research on my website: www.fraserbalaam.com/p/me-and-you-again.html

I hope I'm not being impolite by posting this on your forum. 

With understanding,

Fraser

[Novim]

Hi Fraser,
I wish you well with your search for more information on your father. Have you chatted with George Brown yet? He might be able to help you further. Many folk on the boards now are new so they might not remember Keith, as indeed, sadly, I don't.
Do get in touch if I can be of more help.
Kind regards,
Chris

[fraserbalaam]

Hi Chris,

I'd like to speak with George Brown but I've struggled to find an active email address. Do you know of one?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers,

Fraser

[frensOFfrens]

Hi Fraser,

You can reach him privately.

Best wishes,

Oneofhisfrens

[fraserbalaam]

Thank you so much!

[downunder72]

Even though i never knew your father, (I was a late visitor), I have read of his great contribution to this site. I have enjoyed visiting and reading your website, and I'm sure your father must have been, and would have been very proud of you, you are fine son. I hope your new journey in searching for his passion for the music of Cat Stevens will be as enlighting to you, as Cat Stevens music was to your father. Looking forward to your book next year. Good luck Fraser Balaam.

[fraserbalaam]

Thank you, Downunder72, for your sweet words about my search and my silly little website. It's warming to read such positivity.

I can only hope that Dad would be proud of me. I'm certainly proud of him, and I'm sure he'd beam with pride to see this website alive and well years on. It's fascinating and endlessly fun to be able to glimpse into something he was so outwardly passionate about.

Thanks again,

Fraser

[fraserbalaam]

Hi there

Apologies for bumping this thread for my own means but, for those of you who might be interested, I’ve now finished the book I posted about below and it’s available to buy on Kindle.

It’s a book about how my dad, Keith Balaam, who helped create Majicat.com and died when I was 12. If you’d like to find out more, details are on my website: www.fraserbalaam.com/p/me-and-you-again.html

Thank you to all those on here who sent me encouraging messages back in summer 2014. You helped a young man get to know his dad better.

Very best wishes

Fraser

[James McColl]

Hi Fraser, I hope all is well with you. I can't remember if, when we met, I mentioned the name of Kevin Thomas? He was a class-mate of mine at WSM Grammar but he and Keith ran a mobile disco. I'm not in touch with Kevin but if you do track him down or know him even, do give him by best wishes and tell him I'm still pals with Tim Porter. Cheers, James McColl.

[aliclearwater]

I am writing an assignment on the iconography of Cat stevens '76 concert tour poster.

I was wondering if any of you had any knowledge to share that could help me with my investigation! Obvious threads of enquiry for me include the colours, the significance of the moon, club, and star symbols, the face in partial silhouette, and the beams emanating from him that suggest some sort of pseudo-religious connotations; enlightenment maybe?

If you know of anyone else who i could talk to let me know!

Thank you for your time

Alexandra

[fraserbalaam]

Hello everyone,

I hope you don't mind me updating this post, but I just wanted to post a quick update on the 'The Keith Balaam Project'.

It's been two years since I released the book I wrote about my dad. It seemed to go down pretty well, with a few lovely reviews, and I understand some of you downloaded a copy - thank you for doing so.

In the first edition of the book, I made a pledge to donate 20% of the proceeds to charity, to make the book something my dad could be proud of. However, due to the nature of e-book pricing, after all taxes had been reconciled that 20% didn't come to much. So, I've decided to step my game up and finish this thing once and for all: I'm running the 2018 London Marathon in my dad's name.

I'm running for the British Lung Foundation, with the aim of raising £1,800 to help with research into the condition that took my dad's life too soon. As I type this, I've just hit the £800 mark thanks to the tremendous generosity of a Majicat member, Qizlo, who suggested I also post on here.

To donate, please visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fraserbalaam

And for those who enjoyed my book, I'm keeping a semi-regular marathon diary over at my blog: fraserbalaam.net

I hope you don't mind me posting this here, but as my dad was one of the founders of Majicat I just wanted to let you all know. It's been 17 years since my dad died, and I know many of you contributed to the fund David Tripp set up to raise funds for my family - that's something I've never forgotten, and remain grateful for.

Wishing all of you the very best for 2018,

Fraser Balaam