Vance Kelly

Vance Kelly (born January 24 1954, Chicago) is a soul-blues singer and guitarist, who has performed regularly at various music venues in the Chicago area, chief among them the 1815, Checkerboard Lounge, Rosa's Lounge, Kingston Mines, Buddy Guy's Legends, and B.L.U.E.S.

Early life

Vance Kelly was born in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. Maxwell Street, where Kelly was reportedly born, was the site of a bustling, open-air urban market where wandering blues and gospel musicians would stage impromptu performances every Sunday. His father was a gospel musician, and his uncle, LeRoy McCauley, was a part-time blues musician.

Kelly's own interest in and talent for performing music were on display at an early age; he was playing guitar by the age of seven, despite never having had a formal lesson. Then, at the age of 10, Kelly performed blues for the first time at a Chicago school. As a teenager, he sat in at various clubs on Chicago's South Side and later appeared both as a solo artist and as a sideman in those clubs, backing such artists as the West-Side singer Mary Lane when he was just 15. It was during this time that Kelly developed his unique "ringing" guitar sound, which endeared him to audiences and raised his profile among members of Chicago's blues community.

Early career

Kelly experimented with disco music during the late 1970s, but he had rekindled his interest in blues music by the end of the decade. Major influences on Kelly's playing style during this stage of his musical development include B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Johnny Christian. A genuine career milestone would not come until 1987, when Kelly was invited to become a member of saxophonist A.C. Reed's Sparkplugs. Kelly's tenure with this group influenced his vocal style while allowing him to refine his guitar skills yet further, and it provided him with road experience. After playing with Reed's band for three years, however, Kelly decided to strike out on his own. One reason for this decision was his eagerness to cultivate his own style, which has come to be characterized as a unique mixture of electric blues, R & B, funk, and disco. Kelly's urge to leave Reed's band also stemmed from his desire to adapt his blues playing to the perceived tastes of a particular audience. With regard to the latter point, Kelly has said, "If the older folks come in, I want to take them back to the Delta blues. When the middle-aged folks come in, they just want to hear regular-type blues. If a younger crowd comes in, they want to hear up-to-date type blues."

Rise to prominence

Kelly formed the Backstreet Blues Band soon after he ended his tenure with A.C. Reed, and signed a recording contract with Vienna, Austria-based Wolf Records International in 1992. Members of Kelly's newly formed band included John Primer, providing assistance on the guitar; David Honeyboy on the harmonica; Eddie Shaw on the saxophone; Erskine Johnson on the keyboard; and Johnny Reed playing bass. In 1994, Kelly and his band would enjoy one of the most important breakthroughs of Kelly's musical career: The debut album, "Call Me", earned worldwide critical acclaim and introduced Vance Kelly to audiences beyond the Chicago area. The album went on to win the Best Album of 1994 (New Recording) as well as the prestigious Living Blues Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1995. The following year, Kelly released "Joyriding in the Subway", which featured assistance on lyrics and vocals by Vivian Kelly, Vance Kelly's daughter. As with Kelly's debut outing, "Joyriding in the Subway" also included the guitarwork of John Primer, bass playing of Johnny Reed, and keyboard music of Erskine Johnson. Critics largely praised the album and noted its "stylistic breadth," citing such obvious and varying influences on the songs as A.C. Reed, Tyrone Davis, and Little Milton.

Like Primer, he combines an enquiringeye for a song with a moderately conservative taste in sound, producing music that lives by the principles of classic Chicago bar blues yet is not enslaved by the past.cite book
first= Tony
last= Russell
year= 1997
title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
edition=
publisher= Carlton Books Limited
location= Dubai
pages= p. 130
id= ISBN 1-85868-255-X]

Current activities

Kelly has worked steadily since these two hit releases of the 1990s, producing a string of well-received albums that showcase his signature mix of blues, soul, and funk styles. He continues to record with the Backstreet Blues Band, most recently releasing the album "Nobody Has the Power" on August 9, 2005. He has also played at numerous blues gatherings, including the annual Chicago Blues Festival, and garners rave reviews from his frequent performances at music venues in and around the city. Between 1999 and 2002, Kelly took part in three separate European concert tours.

While Kelly remains relatively unknown outside of the Chicago blues community, his fan base is loyal and has expanded considerably over the years. His daughter, Vivian Vance Kelly, is a blues musician in her own right who released her debut album, "Hit Me Up", on October 10 2006.

Discography

"Call Me" - 1994

"Joyriding in the Subway" - 1995

"Hands Off!" - 1998

"What Three Old Ladies Can Do" - 2000

"Live at Lee's Unleaded Blues" - 2003

"Nobody Has the Power" - 2005

References

1. "Dodgeville Blues Fest 2003: Vance Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band", at http://www.dodgevillebluesfest.com/2003/vance-kelly.html.

2. "Biography: Vance Kelly", at http://music.aol.com/artist/vance-kelly/213040/biography.

3. "Vance Kelly", at http://www.answers.com/topic/vance-kelly-blues-artist.

4. "Vance Kelly: Nobody Has the Power" (review), at http://www.wolfrec.com/feature.php?id=vance.

5. "Vance Kelly: Biography", at http://music.yahoo.com/library/default.asp?i=253172&m=bio&add=&.

6. "Vance Kelly: Artist Information", at http://www.walmart.com/cdstore/ArtistInfo.do?artistId=39483 (from Muze UK Ltd., 1989-2005).

7. "Rosa's Lounge Celebrates a Monthlong 22nd Birthday Party", at http://www.rosaslounge.com/anniversary_2.html.

8. Vance Kelly, "Joyriding in the Subway" (biographical information contained within album cover insert), Vienna, Austria: Wolf Records, 1995.