Former CEO credits playing the banjo with saving his life
Keith Alessi will never forget being a boy and discovering the instrument that would eventually save his life.
“I saw The Beverly Hillbillies,” Keith smiles at the memory of hearing the TV sitcom’s banjo-played theme song for the first time. “There was a bright percussive sound that cut through the clutter that just grabbed me.”
Although it inspired Keith to start building a world-class collection of 52 banjos, he didn’t learn to play even one of them.
“Life got in the way,” Keith smiles.
The executive was working his way to the very top of the corporate ladder at multiple major companies on both sides of the border. Keith promised to make time for the banjo when he retired, which he finally did at 61.
“I resigned my job on a Monday morning,” Keith says. “And 13 days later I was told I had a 50 per cent chance of living a year.”
The cancer diagnosis seemed like a death sentence. After a lifetime of being in control, Keith felt like he had none at all.
“It totally came out of left field,” Keith recalls. “I was literally crying on a city corner.”
The former CEO responded by delegating his health care to the doctors, and chose to focus his energy on pursuing his passion for the banjo.
“It kept my mind off the things I didn’t want to think about,” Keith says he joined old-time music jams and connected with a community of fellow banjo players. “It gave me a positive thing to focus on.”
After being told he had an 85 per cent chance of dying within five years of being diagnosed, Keith’s cancer is now in remission after making music for the past eight years.
“My doctors say keep doing what you’re doing,” Keith says. “And now the banjo’s become instrumental in my healing.”
After friends suggested he share his experience to inspire others, Keith teamed up with theatre professional Erika Conway to help stage his story.
“I wasn’t thinking it would ever go anywhere that it had,” Erika says.
Although Keith had no prior acting experience, he’s spent the past few years performing his one-person show, ‘Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life’ around the world, from North America to Australia.
The production has earned multiple international awards from the UK to off-Broadway.
Keith concludes each performance with a talk-back session to connect with audience members facing similar challenges.
“He doesn’t have to be going out there and doing this,” Erika says. “The fact that he’s using his time to be so much a part of the community and give back is inspiring.”
And instead of moving to Beverly Hills like the hillbillies in the show that first inspired him, Keith is donating all the money he’s earned from the play to local theatres and cancer charities — almost $1 million and counting.
“It’s fantastic,” Keith says. “I’d rather pay it forward while I can see the impact I’m having.”
And he hopes all of us will be inspired to stop waiting for the end of our career and start living our life to the fullest now.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6973211.1721679351!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
2 Albertans accused of threatening to kill Trudeau, Freeland, Singh
Men from Edmonton and Calgary are accused of threatening to kill some of Canada's top government leaders.
Four suicides in New Zealand linked to Ontario's Kenneth Law
New Zealand's coroner has ruled that four of its citizens died after ordering products from an Ontario man who is facing murder charges for selling poisonous substances.
Athletes show off stylish and expensive team clothing for the 2024 Olympic Games
Canadian athletes attempting to reach the podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will also be looking fashionable for the entire world to see.
Toronto woman charged with voyeurism after taking 'intimate' photos during massage: police
A Toronto woman who allegedly took 'intimate' photos of an individual who was getting a massage has been charged with voyeurism, police say.
IN PICTURES Here's what Calgary's new event centre 'Scotia Place' will look like
The name of Calgary’s new event centre was unveiled on Monday. The arena will be called Scotia Place.
These are the four leading vice-presidential picks for Kamala Harris' campaign
No one knows the importance of selecting the right running mate better than Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bear showing 'signs of severe stress' in Florida likely just overheated: wildlife commission
An allegedly depressed bear that had shown "signs of severe stress" in Florida has captured the attention of many after a post from local sheriffs.
What steps are you taking to address mortgage costs? We want to hear from you
Are you one of the many Canadians struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments and trying to keep their home? CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
Kamala Harris endorsement excites Democrats, but what could it mean for Canada?
U.S. President Joe Biden's endorsement of Vice-President Kamala Harris as his possible replacement stirred excitement among Democrats, but one analyst has concerns about what a potential Harris presidency would mean for Canada.