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 Dave has been
hooked into the Blues since first encountering the music in the early
Sixties, along with his sister, the late and
very great, Jo Anne Kelly.
Dave and Jo got
their first guitars when he was 10 and she was 14
and had their first taste of performing live when featuring in, and
winning, talent contests on their annual family Pontins holiday each
summer. Originally their material was based around The Everly Brothers and
Lonnie Donegan.
Their interest naturally progressed
beyond the much admired Bordeleaux and Felice Bryant material The Everlys
so beautifully portrayed – so Dave and Jo
looked to the roots of that music and other music coming out of the States
at that time.
“Then the Blues
came to town” in the
shape of big billed live concert near their home territory …. To let Dave
tell it himself:
“When
I was fifteen years old I attended my first blues gig at which the
performers were visiting American Artists. The venue was Fairfield Hall,
Croydon, the year 1963.
My sister Jo Anne and I
were both into blues by then, those happy days when old 1930s recordings
were beginning to filter through to the UK on vinyl reissues.
 A couple of years earlier Jo Anne had
got hold of a copy of Muddy Waters live at Newport Jazz Festival. As a
nine year old I’d liked the Bill Haley records my cousins had, then we
heard Elvis and shortly after, Little Richard. Elvis was an animal
compared to Haley but Little Richard was – well WHAT
was that sound – how DID they DO that? Muddy at Newport had the
same effect as Little Richard.
So I was quite surprised
when one morning Jo told me that she’d met Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy
Williamson at our local Jazz /R&B Club - The Star, Croydon - the night
before. They had a night off, and were probably staying in Croydon as
their gig was at the Fairfield Hall the next day. Muddy had promised Jo
some tickets but she had a gig that night, so I went along to collect the
freebies, taking along with me a couple of older friends, both of whom
were guitarists. I bet Muddy was disappointed to see three young guys
rather than the young lady he thought he was giving tickets to, but he was
still absolutely charming. We had backstage passes, saw the show, chatted
in the artists’ bar with some legends, collected autographs and generally
had to pinch ourselves on the way home.
What a show, what a package. For those
who didn’t see that tour, or have an album of the concert, the line up
was:
Muddy Waters vocal & guitar /
Sonny Boy Williamson vocal & harp /
Big Joe Williams vocal & 9 string guitar /
Lonnie Johnson vocal & guitar /
Victoria Spivey vocal & piano /
Memphis Slim
vocal & piano /
Willie Dixon vocal & bass /
Matt Guitar Murphy guitar /
Billy Stepney drums
Forgive me if I’ve
missed anyone. It was needless to say a fabulous show!
Fast forward forty years, here I am, a
professional blues musician and somehow also involved in a music agency,
and an occasional promoter.”
 Dave works constantly –
either as a member of The Blues Band, in a duo with Paul Jones, in his own
band, The DKB (Dave Kelly Band) or as a solo artist..... and when the
time is available... enjoys putting together tours with GTA.
His solo performances
draw heavily from his essential feelings
about the Blues in its rawest,
most original
form.
Dave has written and performed music
for various films, tv series and ads including the Montreux Rose winning
Strike starring Robbie Coltrane and the BBC four part drama series, King
of the Ghetto, starring Tim Roth. He is an honorary patron of The London
Guitar College along with Hank Marvin. Dave was voted Best Acoustic Artist
in the B B C polls 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
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