Keith Weathers was born in 1943 while his father,Walt, was in the Navy. He was never pressured to work in the business, but was always interested in music. He is a product of the Salem schools and teachers. His first piano teacher was Mrs. Hazel Gilbert and, later, he studied with Stanley Butler from Willamette University for a few years. He stopped piano after starting trumpet in 7th grade, and studied trumpet with Charles Yukl, who also taught at Willamette. He was always involved in school band and church choir. His band teachers included: starting in a summer program with Roy Shelton and Vic Palmason; Grace Erickson at Englewood Elementary; Karl Thelan and Dick McClintic (orchestra) at Parrish Junior High; and Russ Wittmer and Dick McClintic at North Salem High School.

His early Salem memories include being able to walk and ride his bike freely everywhere. The City of Salem ENDED at 25th Street and was just open fields from that point on. The penitentiary was out in the country; Lancaster Mall was a big farm; State and Lancaster was called "Four Corners."

He graduated from Wheaton College (Illinois) in 1965 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition. He went to USC for two years, during which he married Judy, whom he had known from school and church activities in Salem. In 1967, Judy received a Master's in Special Education from San Francisco State, while Keith got his Master's degree in Music Composition. His teachers included the renowned composers Ingolf Dahl and Halsey Stevens.

Keith had been composing since he was six years old, but nothing serious until college. He also had been conducting in church choir and as a student conductor in schools from 11 years old. He decided his gifts would allow him to be a college teacher. He liked music theory and he went back to studying piano with a vengeance while at USC.

Right after USC, Keith started teaching at BIOLA College, and his wife Judy taught at the School for the Deaf in Riverside, Calif. BIOLA had just moved from downtown Los Angeles to a wonderful new facility in La Mirada.

Keith was drafted during the Viet Nam War, enlisted in the Army Band, and was stationed at Fort MacArthur, near Los Angeles. He served as a bandsman and a bugler for many burials. He was able to continue teaching part time at BIOLA and, after his discharge, went back there full-time. He had been working with their Wind Ensembles earlier, and now he was asked to develop a string ensemble, which grew into a chamber orchestra. They often combined in programs with their excellent choral groups, and this led to many memorable programs.

Keith composed a lot of music and arrangements for all the groups at BIOLA. For a request by well-known organist Raynor Brown, he composed a piece for organ and brass, for which he performed on trumpet himself at the premiere.

He left BIOLA in 1974, moved his family back to Salem, and joined his father's business.

Keith Weathers also became a guest conductor for the Salem Concert Band each year. The idea of the "In the Steps of Sousa" concerts was originally proposed by Keith in 1992 and has become an annual tradition for their March concert.

Keith joined the band as a trumpet player the year after the band was formed. Since then, he has participated in the band as conductor, advisor and assisting in the percussion section. He has also arranged several pieces for the Salem Concert Band.