Kelly Joe Phelps

Singer and songwriter Kelly Joe Phelps – born October 5, 1959, in Sumner, Washington - discovered his love for music at a young age, playing the drums, piano and guitar by the age of twelve. He grew up listening to the songs of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman and became proficient at improvised free jazz. He made the move from jazz to blues when he became obsessed with the likes of Pete Williams and Mississippi Fred McDowell. In 1994, he released his first solo album, Lead Me On, where he incorporated some of his original music with well-known blues tunes including “Fare Thee Well” and “Motherless Child”. He continued to release a series of well received albums including Roll Away the Stone (1997), Shine Eyed Mister Zen (1999), Sky Like a Broken Clock (2001) and Slingshot Professionals (2003). The live album Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind followed in 2005 as well as the studio release Tunesmith Retrofit. After a nearly four year wait, Kelly Joe Phelps returned in 2009 with the album Western Bell, which was followed by Magnetic Skyline with Corinne West (2010), Brother Sinner and the Whale (2012), and the compilation Roll Away the Blues: The Very Best of (2013). In 2013, Kelly Joe Phelps announced he was taking a break due to being diagnosed with ulnar neuropathy in his arm and hand. Kelly Joe Phelps died on May 31, 2022 at the age of 62.