Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls Long Bay Gaol, Christmas Eve 1985
Background information
Birth name	Paul Maurice Kelly
Born	January 13, 1955(1955-01-13)
Origin	Adelaide, Australia
Genre(s)	Acoustic, Folk Rock, Australian rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1978–current
Associated acts	Paul Kelly & The Dots Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls Paul Kelly & the Messengers Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys Stardust Five Professor Ratbaggy
Website	www.paulkelly.com.au

Paul Maurice Kelly (born 13 January 1955 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian singer-songwriter and is recognized as an icon of Australian rock music as a member of the ARIA Hall of Fame. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of Folk music and rock music. Australian rock and pop musicians have produced a wide variety of music A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or Professor Ratbaggy is a sometime four-piece band based in Melbourne, Australia. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. He is now based in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

His output has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output comfortably straddles folk, rock, and even some country. Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Dub is a form of music which evolved from Reggae in the late 1960s Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains.

Life and career

Early life

Kelly was born in a taxi inAdelaide, South Australia, on the way to the hospital (mentioned in song 'It's all downhill from here). Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country He was the sixth of nine children (including one stillborn), in a family of Irish Catholic heritage. Irish Catholics is a term used to describe people of Roman Catholic background who are Irish or of Irish descent. His father, John, a lawyer, died of Parkinson's disease when Kelly was 13 years old. Kelly's mother, Josephine, raised the family on her own after her husband's death. He attended Rostrevor College, and then Flinders University and dropped out after one term because he wanted to write. Rostrevor College is a private, Roman Catholic, day and Boarding school for boys' located in Woodforde a suburb 20 minutes from the Flinders University, or The Flinders University of South Australia, is a Public university in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Kelly spent several years working odd jobs and traveling around the country before he eventually moved to Melbourne in 1976. Kelly's first public appearance was in 1974, when he sang the Australian folk song Streets of Forbes to an audience in Hobart. Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania.

Band career

In the late 1970s, Kelly was vocalist for the Melbourne pub-rock band 'The High Rise Bombers'. Following the dissolution of that group, Kelly formed 'Paul Kelly & The Dots'. The Dots period, which ranged from 1978-1982, saw the release of the albums Talk in 1981 and Manila in 1982.

After Manila, Kelly had difficulty securing a recording contract. In the liner notes to his 1997 Greatest Hits collection, Songs from the South, Kelly makes special mention of Michelle Higgins, a former Mushroom Records employee who had locked herself into a hotel room, refusing to leave the room until she had secured Kelly at least a two album recording contract. Songs From The South is a Greatest Hits album by Paul Kelly and was originally released May 13 1997 on Mushroom Records in Australia Mushroom Records is an Australian Record company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in 1972. ^[1] Kelly moved to Sydney in January 1985, where he recorded Post with guitarist Steve Connolly and bass player Ian Rilen. Post is the first solo album by Australian Singer-songwriter Rock musician Paul Kelly. The trio spent two weeks recording the album.

Kelly began to play and record with a full-time band, which included Connolly, drummer Michael Barclay, bass player Jon Schofield, and keyboard player Peter Bull. Through a joke, the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls; in 1986 they released the double album Gossip. Gossip is the double LP debut album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. The album included remakes of four songs from Post and also featured "Maralinga (Rainy Land)", a song about the effects of British atomic testing on the aboriginal people of South Australia. Post is the first solo album by Australian Singer-songwriter Rock musician Paul Kelly.

An edited version of Gossip featuring 15 songs was released in the United States by A&M Records in July, 1987. A&M Records is an American Record label owned by Universal Music Group which operates through the Interscope-Geffen-A&M division In the interval between releases, the band changed its name to Paul Kelly and the Messengers and headed out on an American tour, traveling across the United States by bus. Kelly and the Messengers' second album, Under the Sun, was released in 1987 in both Australian and the U. Under the Sun is the second album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls and was originally released in December 1987 by Mushroom S. Despite their success, the Messengers broke up in 1991, allowing Kelly to pursue a solo career.

Solo career

Since 1992, Kelly has had a solo career, with occasional collaborations with other songwriters and performers, such as Kasey Chambers or Missy Higgins. Kasey Chambers (born June 4, 1976) is an Australian country Musician. Missy Higgins (born Melissa Morrison Higgins on 19 August 1983 is an award-winning Australian Singer-songwriter, best known for the hit singles " His first post-Messengers solo release was the (truly solo) live double CD Live, May 1992 in 1992, followed by Wanted Man in 1994; Deeper Water in 1995; Live At The Continental And The Esplanade in 1996; Words and Music in 1998; Smoke (with Uncle Bill) in 1999; Professor Ratbaggy (as member of Professor Ratbaggy) in 1999; Nothing But A Dream in 2001; Ways & Means in 2004; and Foggy Highway (with The Stormwater Boys) in 2005. Live May 1992 is a solo live double album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in 1992 Wanted Man is an album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in September 1994 Deeper Water is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and was released in September 1995 on Mushroom Records in Australia Live At The Continental And The Esplanade is a Live album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in 1996. Words And Music is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 1998 Smoke is an album by Paul Kelly and Melbourne Bluegrass band Uncle Bill, which comprised of Gerry Hale on guitar dobro mandolin Professor Ratbaggy is the debut album by Australian band Professor Ratbaggy and originally released in 1999 Professor Ratbaggy is a sometime four-piece band based in Melbourne, Australia. Nothing But A Dream is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 2001. Ways & Means is a double album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 2004 Foggy Highway is an album recorded by Paul Kelly (and The Stormwater Boys and originally released in May 2005 on EMI in Australia and Capitol In 2006, Paul Kelly formed a group called Stardust Five, who released their self-titled debut album in March of that year.

Kelly had a big year in 1999, releasing two albums in very different musical directions. Both were also distinct from his customary musical style. Professor Ratbaggy had a more groove-oriented style compared to his usual folk or rock formula, using samples, synth and percussion. Professor Ratbaggy is the debut album by Australian band Professor Ratbaggy and originally released in 1999 Smoke, released with Uncle Bill, was poles apart: a bluegrass album composed of a few new songs and several of his old songs played in bluegrass style. Smoke is an album by Paul Kelly and Melbourne Bluegrass band Uncle Bill, which comprised of Gerry Hale on guitar dobro mandolin Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. "Our Sunshine" was one of the new songs on the album and was written as a tribute to Ned Kelly, a famous Australian outlaw. Edward "Ned" Kelly (3 June 1855 &ndash 11 November 1880 was an Australian Bushranger, and to some a Folk hero for his defiance of the colonial Kelly and Uncle Bill were nominated for a Golden Trombone Award for the song "Until Death to Them Part".

During his solo years, Kelly has also worked as a composer of film and television scores including Lantana, Silent Partner, One Night The Moon and Fireflies. Lantana is a 2001 Australian Film, directed by Ray Lawrence. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell which premiered One Night the Moon is a 2001 Australian musical non- Feature film starring husband and wife team Paul Kelly, a singer-songwriter and Kaarin

In 2002 and 2003, two albums of Paul Kelly songs were released: Women At The Well featured songs performed by female artists including Bic Runga, Jenny Morris, Renée Geyer, Magic Dirt, Rebecca Barnard, Christine Anu, and Kasey Chambers; and Stories Of Me featured artists including James Reyne and Jeff Lang. Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM (born 13 January, 1976) is a New Zealand Singer-songwriter whose first solo album Drive Jenny Morris can refer to Jenny Morris (American singer former member of the disbanded group innosense Jenny Morris (chef Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who is widely regarded as one of the country's finest exponents of the soul and classic R&B idioms Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band Formed in 1992 in Geelong, Victoria and continuing to this day they have become one of the longest Christine Anu (born March 15, 1970) is an Australian pop singer Kasey Chambers (born June 4, 1976) is an Australian country Musician. James Reyne (born James Michael Nugent Reyne on 19 May 1957 in Lagos, Nigeria) is an Australian rock Musician Jeff Lang (born Nov 9 1969 is an Australian songwriter singer and Virtuoso Slide guitarist A leading performer in the Australian roots style which

A book of Paul Kelly's lyrics, titled Lyrics was published in 1993. A second anthology of lyrics entitled Don't Start Me Talking was published in 1999, which has subsequently had songs written since appended in later editions. ^[2]

Kelly has written songs with and for many other artists, including Mick Thomas, Renée Geyer, Kate Ceberano, Vika and Linda Bull, Nick Cave, Marilyn Manson, Nick Barker, Kasey Chambers, Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Gyan, Monique Brumby, Kelly Willis and Troy Cassar-Daley. Michael James Thomas is an Australian singer-songwriter Mick Thomas grew up in Geelong Australia. Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who is widely regarded as one of the country's finest exponents of the soul and classic R&B idioms Kate Ceberano (born 17 November, 1966) is an award winning Australian pop vocalist entertainer Vika and Linda Bull are a sister vocal duo who came to prominence after being asked to sing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The Black Sorrows. Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957 in Warracknabeal, Victoria) is an Australian Musician, Songwriter, Author Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969) better known by his Stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American Musician and Nick Barker is an Australian Singer songwriter known for his evocative lyrics Kasey Chambers (born June 4, 1976) is an Australian country Musician. Yothu Yindi ( Yolngu for "child and mother") is an Australian band with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members Archie Roach (born 1956 Mooroopna, Victoria) is an Australian Musician. Gyan Evans is an ARIA Award -winning Singer-songwriter from Australia who performs professionally as Gyan (pronounced 'Ghee-ahn' Kelly Willis (born October 2, 1968) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary Troy Cassar -Daley is a multiple-award-winning Maltese - Australian & Aboriginal country musician from Grafton New South Wales

He has also covered songs by other groups including Hot Chocolate and Australian Crawl. Hot chocolate (also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate or just cocoa) is a heated Beverage that typically consists of Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans was an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne ( lead

In December 2004, in Melbourne, Kelly performed 100 of his songs in alphabetical order over two nights. A similar show was performed at the studio at Sydney Opera House in December 2006. The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney New South Wales, Australia

Discography

Albums

Paul Kelly

• Post (1985) AUS #46
• Live, May 1992 (1992) AUS #53
• Wanted Man (1994) AUS #11, NZ #19
• Deeper Water (1995) AUS #40, NZ #30
• Live at the Continental and the Esplanade (1996)
• How to Make Gravy EP (1996)
• Songs from the South: Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits (1997) AUS #2, NZ #17
• Words and Music (1998) AUS #17, NZ #44
• Roll on Summer EP (1999) AUS #40
• Nothing But A Dream (2001) AUS #7, NZ #46
• Ways & Means (2004) AUS #13
• Stolen Apples (2007) AUS #8

Paul Kelly & The Dots

• Talk (1981)
• Manila (1982)

Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls

Credited as Paul Kelly & The Messengers in North America. Post is the first solo album by Australian Singer-songwriter Rock musician Paul Kelly. Live May 1992 is a solo live double album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in 1992 Wanted Man is an album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in September 1994 Deeper Water is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and was released in September 1995 on Mushroom Records in Australia Live At The Continental And The Esplanade is a Live album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in 1996. Songs From The South is a Greatest Hits album by Paul Kelly and was originally released May 13 1997 on Mushroom Records in Australia Words And Music is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 1998 Nothing But A Dream is an album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 2001. Ways & Means is a double album recorded by Paul Kelly and originally released in 2004 Stolen Apples is the twenty fifth album by Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and was released in July 2007 on EMI Music.

• Gossip (1986) AUS #15
• Under The Sun (1987) AUS #19

Paul Kelly & The Messengers

• So Much Water So Close To Home (1989) AUS #10
• Comedy (1991) AUS #14
• Hidden Things (1992) AUS #37

Paul Kelly with Professor Ratbaggy

• Professor Ratbaggy (1999)

Paul Kelly with Uncle Bill

• Smoke (1999) AUS #36

Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys

• Foggy Highway (2005) AUS #22

Stardust Five

• Stardust Five (2006)

Singles

References

• "Paul Kelly - Picking Up Music and Passing It On" [radio transcript]. 2008. In Talking to Kinky and Karlheinz - 170 musicians get vocal on The Music Show ed. Anni Heino, 245-251. Sydney: ABC Books. ISBN 9780733320088.

External links

• Official website
• Paul Kelly RBMA video lecture session