It was a very unusual thing for us to do on a Friday night but at eight o' clock Shirley and I rocked up at The Alder Bar - somewhere we had never been before - to see Kelley perform. She specialises in what you might call Americana and her split set included one or two well-known songs from that genre including "Me and Bobby McGee" by Kris Kristofferson and "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker. In between there were several of Kelley's own songs including the example below - "You Can Call Me Darling If You Want To" - courtesy of YouTube
She was alone on stage with her acoustic guitar and harmonica and though there wasn't a big crowd to see her, we were all very appreciative. She is a seasoned performer, comfortable in her own skin and confident about her abilities.
Kelley hails from Atlanta, Georgia but spent most of the last eighteen years living and working in New York City. That's where she met Ian's girlfriend Sarah who spent five years at drama school there. They became good friends - both of them a long way from home.
Shirley and I enjoyed the show and we chatted to Kelley during the interval. She had just flown in from New York this very day. The world of music is crazy. Like many other very capable semi-professional performers, Kelley Swindall deserves to be better known. Cream doesn't always rise to the top. Sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time and getting some lucky breaks.
Visit her website here.
I really appreciate singers who can sing with very little accompaniment and let their voices shine.
ReplyDeleteThe key is I think enjoying what you do and feeling lifted by it.
DeleteStruggle! the story of many performers who are actually quite good.
ReplyDeleteOr even very good... like that old Canadian country band Red and The Readies.
DeleteThat's got to be such a difficult way to make a living, you've got to love what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteHer British tour is of very small venues. There'll be nights when hardly anybody turns up..
DeleteThat was nice enough to listen to, good voice and I do like harmonica. My dad used to play on summer evenings when we kids played outside after the sun went down.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that this post evoked such a special memory.
DeleteShe can certainly sing! There are so many talented people out there, be it singers, musicians, writers, painters or any other form of creativity, and I guess we'll never hear of most of them. A lot is down to clever marketing - or simply luck.
ReplyDeleteYou summed it up in a nutshell. Even so it must have been nice for Kelley to connect with the witnesses who came out to see her last night.
Delete"Don't ever call me baby , cos I'm not"
ReplyDeleteThis woman is on the money.
It sounds like a nice chilled night out
It was great and all the better because it was a spur of the moment thing.
DeleteI like her. I bet we could all list some famous performers who have made it who have little or no talent.
ReplyDeleteYes - Westlife, Little Mix, Boyzone and The Spice Girls for example.
DeleteHow did she wind up performing in Sheffield? Is she touring around the UK?
ReplyDeleteHer British agent booked her fifteen dates and The Alder Bar in Sheffield was her first. She will be playing in Highgate, London on Sat Dec 2nd and Sun Dec 3rd. I suspect that you and Dave would enjoy her show. Why not go along?
DeleteGood to know! I'll let you know if we make it!
DeleteNice, I hope she has a great tour across the pond.
ReplyDeleteShe has been here before and told me she "loves Britain" and "feels at home here".
DeleteI went to college with a couple guys who formed a band. They went from playing open mike nights to getting booked at a local bar on a regular basis. By the time I left college, they had dropped out and were traveling the Midwest playing their music. I kept waiting for them to become famous and perhaps I still am but these days, I know the odds are heavily against them at this point. Like you said, sometimes the cream just doesn't seem to rise to the top.
ReplyDeleteThey make it when they are old men just a year or two shy of the cemetery.
DeleteShe sounds like someone I should know. I like her!
ReplyDeleteIf she ever comes to Tallahassee or somewhere nearby you should go to see her. Keep an eye on her website.
DeleteBut did she sing that classic country song, "I got tears in my ears from lyin' on my back in my bed while I cry over you."
ReplyDeleteI know that song. I believe it t was recorded by Smokin' Bruce Taylor and The Arizona Cacti on their debut album "SWMBO".
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