BIO
Fred Klee - Biography
Autodidact & Creator
Fred Klee is a self-taught artist, a doer and performer. He blends non-fiction with fiction and vice versa, without conflict. Musical notes may not be his language, but he fully commands tones, melodies, chords, and song structures.
He wakes up with fantasy mixed with fragments of reality, writing fluent book texts in Dutch and song lyrics in both English and Dutch. He does not shy away from music theater, effortlessly alternating between music and stage performance.
Fred guides his professional musicians in a simple yet clear way to express how he envisions his music. They in turn sense his direction and help shape his artistic development. Many of his songs and performances are born at night, first in his imagination, then on paper, and finally on stage.
Early Years & First Steps in Music
At 13, he traded his accordion for an acoustic guitar, inspired by watching the film Woodstock countless times. He was captivated by C S N & Y. In 1974, he attended their legendary Wembley Stadium concert together with The Band. Soon after, he formed his first group: Fred Klee and The Virginia Band.
In 1981, he founded Splinter and released the modest single “Life is up to You”. Around this time, Fred also worked as a sales representative for hi-fi equipment and musical instruments, traveling often to the Far East and the USA.
Blues & New Orleans
From 1983 to 1996, Fred entered a musical silence — a long hiatus. But in 1994, things changed: he jammed with some great names of the American blues scene during a Blues Cruise in the Mediterranean. He fell in love with the blues and joined several more Blues Cruises in the USA in the years that followed.
In 1996, he founded the famous blues and soul club “The Borderline”, hosting hundreds of artists from the USA, Europe, and Belgium. Stories and anecdotes from these encounters inspired him further. Musicians invited him to the deep South of the USA, to New Orleans.
There, Fred found his true home: the rhythm, lifestyle, enthusiasm, and simplicity of jazz, blues, and soul shaped his writing style forever.
The Fred Klee Band & Radio Cachot
In 2000, The Fred Klee Band was born, releasing the CD “Don’t Mess with My Gator”, which was well received at home and abroad. Tours followed in Belgium and beyond, deeply influenced by Fred’s countless visits to New Orleans, Austin, and San Antonio.
But in early 2003, his career was abruptly interrupted by a four-year imprisonment in Antwerp. During this period (2003–2007), Fred wrote memoirs, book texts, song lyrics, and created multiple projects for stage, TV, and radio.
Some of these writings led to the book Radio Cachot, published by Angèle in 2019.
In 2015, Fred founded Moonboy Talent, a booking agency for mainly American artists.
By 2017/2018, Radio Cachot evolved into a music theater tour across Flanders, performed in cultural centers and even prisons. Fred wrote both the stage texts and songs, while press and media gave the project extensive coverage. A CD with the same name was released.
Later Projects
Lee Shore (2015) – A tribute project to C S N & Y, entirely arranged and staged by Fred himself.
Gimme Some Music (2019) – A non-profit to house his artistic activities.
Justine (2020/2021) – A spin-off of Radio Cachot, with new songs and stage texts.
Fred Klee & Southern Rumble (2020) – A new band with original songs in Southern US style.
Recent & Upcoming Work
2020: Released the song Onze laatste zomer with strings arranged by Frans Ieven and recorded by Patrick Dumoustier.
2023/2024: Third Radio Cachot theater production, Hé Kaffer, launched with a tour across Flanders.
- 2023: Completion of the manuscript Mijn Eeuwige Traan (My Eternal Tear)
- 2024: Completed a manuscript titled Schrijfsels, a collection of 400 stories and reflections.
2025: Entered the studio to record new demos in English and Dutch.
April 2025: Radio Cachot 4 “Gevoelens” was born, scheduled for performances starting 2027.
November 2025: Presentation of Schrijfsels Part 1 and Radio Cachot 4.
End of 2025: Began his fourth manuscript, Een tuk tuk raast over het Poelaertplein (A Tuk Tuk Races Across Poelaert Square), based on the true story of Clay Quemara — a man who believed he was sometimes James Bond, sometimes Che Guevara.
Fred Klee’s journey is one of passion, resilience, and endless creation — weaving music, theater, and literature into unforgettable stories that resonate far beyond the stage.