| Paul Kelly |
R&B
Songwriter singer Paul Kelly captures Australia in his songs the way Bruce Springsteen or Ray Davies of The Kinks have encapsulated their homelands, and Kelly does it with the musical energy and diversity of Elvis Costello.
The sixth of nine children, Paul Kelly was born in Adelaide in 1955. After school he wandered around Australian for a few years, working odd-jobs, writing poetry and thinking about a career as a short story writer. Somewhere along the line. already in his late teens, he picked up a guitar. Kelly made his public debut singing the Australian folk song "Streets Of Forbes" to a Hobart audience in 1974, and two years later moved to Melbourne in 1976, to join R&B pub band The High Rise Bombers. With a large line-up and three songwriters the band's splintering was inevitable, Paul Kelly forming his own group, Paul Kelly And The Dots. Kelly immediately established himself as his peers' favourite songwriter. On nights off Melbourne's musicians went to see {Paul Kelly. He also had a big fan at Mushroom Records. One of the company's PR people locked herself in a room refusing to come out until Mushroom signed Paul Kelly And The Dots.
The result was two roots rock albums, Talk and Manila, albums perfectionist Kelly himself was never completely happy with. By late 1984 Kelly had broken up The Dots, and moved to Sydney where he recorded a defining solo album called Post. Without a record contract and no real idea how the album was going to be released Post was recorded over two weeks on a shoestring budget, delivering the essence of Paul Kelly in a loosely structured song cycle signposting Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney placenames the way Springsteen's speak of New Jersey. On the strength of that album Mushroom picked up Kelly's contract again and the singer formed a new group, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls (a reference to Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side"). In September 1986 Kelly's songwriting skills spilled over four sides of the 14 song double album Gossip, a classic Australian rock album recorded in just a month which attained gold sales and produced the hit singles "Darling It Hurts" and "Before Too Long." The album included three re-record songs from Post. Edited down to a 15 song single album, Gossip was also the record which introduced Kelly to American audiences when it was released by A&M Records in July 1987. In the meantime the group returned to the studio to record a collection of 14 new Kelly originals for its second Australian album, Under The Sun. To avoid misunderstandings, with the release of July 1989's So Much Water So Close To Home album the group changed its name to Paul Kelly and The Messengers. The new album was produced by Scott Litt of REM notoriety and its songs were coloured by American influences and experiences. After one more album. Comedy, Kelly decided the group had gone as far as they could and to avoid the risk of repeating themselves he dissolved The Messengers with a farewell tour.
For the next two years Paul Kelly recharged his batteries with a set of diverse activities, like performing in Australia and America, producing the groundbreaking Charcoal Lane album by aboriginal songwriter Archie Roach, collaborating on Yothu Yindi's "Treaty," writing songs for his acting role in the stage play Funerals and Circuses about racial tensions in small-town Australia, and releasing his first book of poetry, Lyrics. His second studio solo album 1994's Wanted Man spread his musical influences as wide as his activities. His 1997 a greatest hits album Songs From The South sold double platinum.
Paul Kelly attracts around him Australia's finest musicians, coalescing into groups he disbands amicably if he senses any sign of staleness. For every song he records himself there's another he hands to or tailors for someone else. For every Paul Kelly album there's another he's produced or worked on. At the heart of it all are his storytelling songs, about everything and everything imaginable. Love songs. Hard hitting political songs. Songs about sporting heroes. Songs in every imaginable style. Rock. Blues. R&B. Country. In 1999 he delivered two very different albums at the same time, a bluegrass album with Uncle Bill called Smoke, and a technology-influenced album as part of a new group, Professor Ratbaggy. ~ Ed. Nimmervoll, All Music Guide
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