One of the very best blues vocalists and slide guitarists this country hs produced. Dave is well known for his 20+ years with The Blues Band with umteen band albums and almost as many solo albums to his name. From the beginning, he's played with some of the greatest blues artists in the world - Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Son House & Buddy Guy. He's had his own Dave Kelly Band on and off, for over 20 years as well as performing solo and touring an acoustic blues due show with Paul Jones - this man simply lives and loves the blues.

With him are Gary Fletcher, bass guitarist and vocals and another member of The Blues Band, superb guitarist and long time blues artist Pete Emery and ace drummer Sam Kelly.

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.