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PAUL JONES & DAVE KELLY

From http://new.edp24.co.uk/

20 March 2008 Harbour Room, Blakeney

The mudflats of north Norfolk are a long way from the Mississippi Delta.

But two well-known British blues men sailed into Blakeney Harbour room last night and transformed the atmosphere from the well-heeled north of the county to the cotton fields of America's deep south.

Paul Jones has evolved from heartthrob lead singer with Mannfred Mann in the 1960s to front the Blues Band with his voice and harmonica and has become an authority on the blues, highlighted in his radio programme.

Blues Band colleague Dave Kelly has played guitar and sung all over the world alongside blues greats including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy.

Their credentials are impeccable, and leaving their bigger bands behind, they pared back the blues to its rawest, richest acoustic colour, evocative of the delta where it all began.

A set including songs by Memphis Slim, Robert Johnson and Arthur “Boy� Crudup embraced blues that raced and rocked along like trains then slowed to plumb the souls of the men who wrote the songs.

Both performers added anecdotes and dropped names to add to the stories in the songs.

A real treat for blues fans at a venue gaining a growing reputation for staging the genre.

RICHARD BATSON

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Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, St Michael’s Church, Musselburgh 18^th January 2005

 A cold Tuesday night at St Michael’s Church, Inveresk, Musselburgh saw the return of what must be the hardest working men in the business.  Blues harp maestro Paul Jones and his Blues Band partner, and arch exponent of the bottleneck guitar, Dave Kelly.  This is the second time that the two have played this venue and although this time they were without the backing of the Blues Band it made no difference to the audience (or should it be congregation).  They went down a storm.

Notwithstanding the gruelling schedule of gigs from their base in Surrey, the two always turn in a performance which satisfies the most ardent fans of acoustic blues and the experience is enhanced by their engagement with the audience.  Between songs, they treated the audience to background material which was sufficient to satisfy the anoraks amongst us without boring the pants off the rest.

And what music, kicking off with Jimmy Reed’s laid back Big Boss Man, the first half of the gig included blues standards Key to the Highway and Crossroads, the latter, in particular, demonstrating Dave Kelly’s ability to bring something new to well known material.  Next up, the Hookerish Without You penned by Paul Jones was followed by some slick slide work by Dave on Statesboro Blues.  It was riveting start and it just kept getting better.

Dave tantalised us with a taster from his solo album “on sale in the auditorium, a steal at £12” before launching into Sleepy John Estes’ rollicking Drop Down Mama which should have had them dancing in the aisles.  Not this audience, though.  While at times the rustling of sweetie papers was almost deafening, it did not drown out the applause after each number, but that’s as far as it went.  And perhaps appropriately so, particularly for the poignant How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Poor Times And Live?

Clearly unhappy with the guitar he was using in place of his Dobro, Dave Kelly made a substitution at half time.  Using an acoustic borrowed from the Rev Andrew Dick of St Michael’s church, himself a talented guitarist, Dave used it almost exclusively and to fantastic effect, to complete the second half of the gig.  At the time of writing, it is not known if it had been returned to the good Reverend.

The duo’s on-going campaign to re-style themselves as a Led Zeppelin tribute band was amply demonstrated by superb interpretations of Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie’s When The Levee Breaks and Blind Willie Johnston’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine separated only by Paul Jones’ heartrending tribute to one of his heroes in Noah Lewis Blues.  Nor did they ignore the Blues Band back catalogue.  Sus Blues and Room and Board followed in quick succession and then (for me) the first real surprise of the night when Dave announced Chuck Berry’s Nadine.  It also appeared to come as a surprise to Paul Jones too, but he recovered well and responded with the second surprise of the night, Glenn Miller’s Tuxedo Junction.  On harmonica.  Brilliantly conceived and executed. 

The gig was brought to a close with a superb run through of standards from Robert Johnson’s Dust my Broom to Muddy Waters’ Too Young to Know, taking in another Paul Jones tribute to one of his heroes-Sonny Boy Williamson.  Another triumph for the duo and another reminder to the new wave of British blues artists that the old guard still rules. 

Angus Hepburn

From the local press in Sheffield:  The Boardwalk

A few myths about the blues to dispel.

Firstly, you don’t have to be miserable. Here are two virtuosos enjoying sharing their love of an art form that shaped much of our modern music. And no-one’s posing.

And you don’t have to be a croaking hard-bitten old rogue. Paul Jones, fresh-faced and boyish still, is belting it out with glee and paying dazzling harmonica tributes to his heroes, Noah Lewis and Sonny Boy Williamson.

He doesn’t seem to have aged in the 30-odd years since Doo Wah Diddy was a hit. (Maybe his loving version of Jesus On The Mainline explains his eternal youth.)

Dave Kelly’s a studious, unassuming-looking guy with a surprisingly big voice when it counts. Out there guitar heroes are making it cry and sing before arenas full of admirers. Yet there’s more depth and subtlety in Dave’s bottleneck playing than they’ll ever manage.

Every song is a lesson with a potted history and a biography of the writer. But it’s all told with a smile and no preaching. Sheffield-based keyboard man Bob Hall joined them to build up the big finish.

And even if the duo weren’t too happy about the sound on stage – "If anyone’s lost a ring, there’s one on the PA" – it sounded fine to the rest of us.

Get the blues and you’re smiling.

Review of gig in Berwick:

An Audible Book of the Blues:  The Maltings purred to the sound of two of the best exponents of the blues genre in the UK, Blues Band frontmen Dave Kelly and Paul Jones.  Kelly has been acoustic artist of the year for most years in the 90s and is rated as one of the best slide guitar players in the country.  Jones is a broadcaster and great blues harp player.  He is also the living embodiment of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: I didn't look that good when the doctor smacked my behind and said 'We think it's a boy Mrs Mee'.  One other fact struck me as I took my seat - there was a fantastic cross-section in the near-capacity audience.

This was a quintessentially English trawl through the blues; both were slightly self-mocking between songs and Jones in particular displayed a broadcaster's skill.  The story wrapping round Sonny Boy Williamson in particular was a gem.  The purists may have wanted 'less say and more play' but for me it enhanced the evening to have the songs explained.

As you would expect, the greater part of the set came from material recorded by The Blues Band.  Kicking off with San Francisco Bay Bluesthe stark, black backdrop heightened the impact.  They ran through a collection of the blues greats, some more familiar than others, but they showed their appreciation of heritage by not simply picking out the well-known; instead they revealed another layer in what is an infinite subject.

It couldn't be long before the great Robert Johnson took a bow and in the gloriously titled Come On Into My Kitchen Kelly displayed to devastating effect just why he is held in such high regard both as a guitartist and a singer; his voice conjured up sounds of more than 75 years ago.

As if to prove that the blues is still living, breathing and developing, throughout the night the pair weighed in with their own material and Jones' Room and Board was testament to sheer writing talent.  The other thing it achieved was to emphasise the transformation of Jones' BBC-correct speaking voice into a gutsy deep-toned teller of dark tales. Augmented by aggressive harp-playing it had quite an effect. 

There is always at least one moment that stops the audience in their tracks.  On Sunday there were two.  Kelly pulled off a feat that should have been impossible: Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay sounded as if Kelly had written it himself; it was quite eerie.

The second half continued in the same vein.  Jones' and Kelly's encyclopaedic knowledge of their subject acting as 'minder' to some wonderful playing.  When the Levee Breaks moved aside for Noah Lewis Blues, the story of the tragedy that befell one of the greats.  Here the brooding depth of Jones' voice and playing rammed home the poignancy of the story.

The masterclass continued. Elmore James' Dust my Blues and Sonny Boy Williamson all brought a murmur of approval before they were played.  Howling Wolf's Crossroads Blues was Kelly's high spot.  He gave a demonstration of how a blues guitar should be played.  No part of the instrument remained untouched.  The same could be said

Now to that 'other moment'.  Blind Alfred Read's How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Poor Times And Live?  Covered by Ry Cooder, it had Jones and Kelly playing and combining voices with such subtle force as if pleading to be given the answer.  The audience could only sit mute with admiration.  The look that passed between the two said it all.

It all had to end somewhere and the encore began with Baby What Do You Want Me To Do? The audience hand clap was definite but muted - they had to join in but were afraid to break the spell.  Muddy Waters' Too Young To Know was a rousing way to finish.  And then they were gone, but what remained was the memory of a magical evening. 

GARY FLETCHER

Review of ‘Human Spirit’ CD from Germany’s ‘Good Times’ magazine issue 90 Oktober/November 2007

Uberaus erstaunliche Soloplatte des Langjahrigen Bassisten der britischen Blues Band. Gary Fletcher liefert gleich mit „Payback“ einen munteren, freundlich Folk-grundierten Pop-Auftakt, aber definitiv keinen Blues – und diese Linie zieht er bis zum Schluss konsequent durch. „Can’t Get Arrested“ ist ein flotter Traber mit Drang zu Hoherem. Der Spitzensong „You Can’t Quit Your Love For Me“ wird durch Brit-Country-Einflusse a la McGuinness Flint oder Gallagher & Lyle gepragt. Hingegen kommen „Wake Me When It’s Over“ und „Solanki’s Knife“ als butterweiche, akustisch gehaltene Balladen. Der hubsche Folkrocker „So Lonely“ uberrrascht mit einem subtilen, haargenau passenden Gitarrensolo. Ein Hohepunkt dieses Albums, das seinen zweiten in „You Are True“ hat, einem „fast schon richtig rockenden“ Song mit felsenfester Melodie. Die Platte endet wurdevoll mit dem schon verhaltenen „You Took Me To The Edge“. Insgesamt ist HUMAN SPIRIT ein unauffalliges Werk der Meisterklasse, das Gary Fletcher (voc, g) mit Spitzenkraften wie den Blues-Band-Kollegen Rob Townsend (dr) und Paul Jones (harp), Keyboarder Lou Stonebridge sowie den Whitesnake-Leuten Micky Moody und Bernie Marsden sowie Dennis Greaves und Mark Feltham von Nine Below Zero in Eigenregie horbar stressfrei eingesielt hat.

BGO/Soulfood, 12/49:34)                                                                                                   hjg

Following translation by Wolfgang Pieker

Gary Fletcher – Human Spirit

Extremely amazing solo-album from long time Blues Band bass player. For a start Gary Fletcher delivers PAYBACK, a friendly folk-based pop song, which is definitely no blues. CAN’T GET ARRESTED is a fast trotter. The super song YOU CAN’T QUIT YOUR LOVE FOR ME is brit-country, influenced by McGuinness-Flint or Gallagher & Lyle. WAKE ME WHEN IT’S OVER and SOLANKI’S KNIFE are wonderful soft acoustic ballads. SO LONELY is a lovely folk-rocker with a subtle guitar solo and one of the highlights of the album. Another highlight is YOU ARE TRUE, a rockin’ song with a rock-solid melody. With YOU TOOK ME TO THE EDGE the album ends in a grand mood. Overall HUMAN SPIRIT is an understated masterpiece, which Gary Fletcher (voc, guitar) recorded with first class musicians like Blues Band colleagues Rob Townsend (drums) and Paul Jones (harp), as well as keyboarder Lou Stonebridge, Whitesnake guys Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, plus Dennis Greaves and Mark Feltham from Nine Below Zero.

BGO/Soulfood, 12/49:34)                                                                                                   hjg

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Blues Matters

Gary Fletcher – Human Spirit

The production is peerless, and songs such as May You Now Find Peace and Solanki’s Knife (a heart-rending tribute to the surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital who saved Jack Fletcher’s life) are utterly moving examples of the composer’s craft. Fletcher’s vocals are spot on, as is his acoustic guitar playing and the bass played by Jack Fletcher. All 12 tracks are Fletcher originals, and there’s plenty of blues – think J.J. Cale blended with Sleepy John Estes, Mark Knopfler and a dash of Pops Staples and you’re in the right area. After almost three decades, The Blues Band remain as one the few major musical institutions never to be invited onto Jools Holland’s TV show, but Gary Fletcher’s impressive breakthrough may well change all that. A truly inspiring album, already picked up by Radio 2’s Bob Harris, this is tender and stirring in equal measure, revealing the emergence of a major solo talent. That oft-quoted Blues Band axiom “We don’t bother the music industry and they don’t bother us” may well have to be overhauled.’ ROY BAINTON

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Amazon: Human Spirit : a true masterpiece!  21 Nov 2007

By: Moneypenny (Chobham, Surrey)

At long last Gary Fletcher has emerged from the shadow of the Blues Band and has proved that he is a seriously talented singer/songwriter in his own right. "Human Spirit" addresses real issues and no-one can fail to be moved by the raw emotion and honesty apparent in so many of the tracks. This is a slick, highly professional album featuring some superb guest artists. However, as mentioned in previous reviews, the music and lyrics are what make this great. Don't hesitate to buy this album - it's awesome and deserves as wide an audience as possible.

Amazon: Human Spirit : The first album was good but this is better 14 Nov 2007

By: A music fan (Chessington, Surrey)

I love it. The first two reviews say almost everything there is to say. Gary Fletcher's well-crafted and emotional songs, bolstered by the various guest artists and musicians, are very very good and in places so very honest that they assume brilliance. If you talk to him after Blues Band gigs you discover that he is also incredibly modest. If he were better known this would sell by the shed load. Instead most people will probably never hear it. A great pity. If in doubt, risk the outlay. You won't be disappointed.

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Sunday Life / Belfast Telegraph 29 July 2007:

Likeable, shuffling, understated blues in a J J Cale vein from Gary Fletcher on Human Spirit (BGO)

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TALKSPORT : The Mike Mendoza Show  www.themikemendozashow.co.uk 18 July 2007:

Probably known as the bass player in The Blues Band, Gary Fletcher's song writing talent is respected by many.  In the past year or two, Gary has started to perform solo having stepped forward to the lead microphone with the Blues band. Gary usually plays left handed on an upside down right handed guitar!.. adding an interesting twist to his finger picking, whilst creating quite a unique sound.  Gary's first solo album Human Spirit, long awaited by many fans, has just been released after 25 years and if you like understated, quality R & B, its been worth the wait.

Gary popped into the studio early Monday morning to chat about his career, his music, his new CD and perform live in the studio with his guitar.  If you want to keep up to date with Gary Fletcher, have a look at his website www.garyfletchermusic.co.uk

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The Dorset Echo, 6 July 2007

 It’s back to the stereo for the last item under the microscope this week, namely the Human Spirit album by Blues Band bassist and mainstay Gary Fletcher. Perhaps less celebrated than some of his more high-profile bandmates, Fletcher has nevertheless been quietly nurturing a rather profound songwriting talent for some years now, and the album is a low-key but absorbing triumph. Using blues music as a jumping-off point, Fletcher deftly avoids any of the stylistic limitations to which the genre is often prone by keeping the melody quotient high and the lyrical content sincere. Like a more credible Mark Knopfler or a more animated J J Cale, this is rootsy fare with impeccably underplayed musicianship, at its most effective on emotive songs such as Solanki’s Knife, about the surgeon who saved Fletcher’s son’s life.   -   MARCO ROSSI

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The Bob Harris Show, Radio 2, 25 June 2007

Gary Fletcher : Human Spirit

“The new album is called ‘Human Spirit’ and it’s out now on the BGO record label.” .......... "Some great names on this album and it's excellent." ............. "Very pleasantly Mark Knopflerish."

“Gary Fletcher in the studio with us  … and I played that track (‘Payback’) a few weeks ago now, Gary, & the the reaction I got to it was just absolutely fantastic.  I really was amazed, you know, by how many emails I got and how enthusiastic everybody was about that track.”

“It’s been a real pleasure, Gary - thank you very much indeed for being here and playing so brilliantly.”

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The Lancashire Telegraph, 22 June 2007:

GARY FLETCHER : Human Spirit (Universal)  LONGTIME Blues Band bassist Gary Fletcher makes his solo debut after 25 years — and if you like understated, quality R&B it’s been worth the wait. Boasting a who’s who of R&B, it’s a subtle offering a little reminiscent of Dire Straits when they were good. Some real quality.   -  John Anson

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From Blues In Britain, Issue 39.  (condensed version of review)

The Goldsmiths Arms, London W3 30/1/05 :  .............  Kien, a talented singer, songwriter and guitarist, started the evening with a half hour set of original and melodic acoustic pop.  Gary Fletcher, moonlighting from his regular job as the bass player in The Blues Band, matched the standard and then raised it again.  Gary, a left-hander, plays a conventionally strung right-hander's guitar.  He advised us not to try to pick up guitar tips as they would be confusing.  However one had to envy and want to emulate his ability.  He too played original material ........ Gary introduced every song with an explanation of what each one was about or how he came to write it .........  The time rang out all too soon .... There is music in the current Gary Fletcher repertoire for a least another set, but Sunday night has a 10.30pm curfew.  This was quality music to start the year.  -  Fran Leslie

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8 March 2005: Part of a bulletin board (RCCGB) review posting of the Dick Heckstell-Smith tribute gig :

Next we were treated to a nice little solo spot from Gary Fletcher, who plays bass with Paul Jones's "The Blues Band". He is also a great guitar player, and the first number he performed had me gaping with wonder. Beautiful sound from the 12-string, and the song was gorgeous. He was very self-effacing, and kept saying he'd get off stage quick to let the monster names carry on with the show! Silly bloke. He was fantastic.

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From Blues Matters! Feb/March 2005:

The close of the year saw yours truly invited to sit in with GARY FLETCHER and son Jack in his band over at Isleworth; extracting the electric mandolin from the axe armoury I set off to play but Gary, if the best you can do for a band is personnel from Family, The Blues Band and Whitesnake I shall have to reconsider helping you out again ... no, seriously this was a real treat and Fletcher's songbook is pretty wondrous, giving us the chance to revisit the aching Wake Me When It's Over and other own compositions.  Bernie!  - where's that new disc you promised me mate?

Pete Sargeant

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From The Bein Inn's website :  www.beininnmusic.com

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Gary Fletcher

From the Blues Band. Tickets £8. Following an impressively memorable debut at The Bein Inn last April, Gary returns to deliver his strong, thought provoking original songs. Whilst his renditions of some of The Blues Band classics that he has written like 'Greenstuff' will doubtless feature and impress, it is his acutely personal songs like 'World Gone Crazy' and the haunting 'Solanki's knife' (both of which deal with the events surrounding the near fatal accident suffered by his son Jack) that grab the attention. His withering appraisal of the role of the papparazi - 'Vulture on your shoulder' casts a lighter more humourous spell but whatever subject matter he deals with, his melodic sense and delightfully measured delivery adds up to an involving, rewarding and intimate evening's entertainment. His willingness to answer questions about the origins of his songs etc creates an almost 'evening with' type atmosphere..... Not to be missed!.'

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BLUES IN BRITAIN review November 2004.  Click on thumbnail to view.  (Then wait a sec or two for the Expand To Regular Size button to appear in the right hand corner in order to read the text).

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BLUES MATTERS feature (across several pages) Oct/Nov 2004.  Click on thumbnails to view.  (Then wait a sec or two for the Expand To Regular Size button to appear in the right hand corner in order to read the text).

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Gary & Rob Townsend are interviewed extensively in Vol 1 Issue 30 of Blues In Britain (www.bluesinbritain.org).  Click on thumbnail to see front cover.

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BLUES MATTERS, APRIL/MAY 2004

Dark, Blue & Personal

The Official Gary Fletcher Bootleg Album.  Hypertension HYP 4227

The majority of British blues fans will know Gary Fletcher through his continuing career as bassist and composer with The Blues Band, a veritable UK institution currently celebrating their 25th year together.  This is an interesting album on many fronts.  To begin with Gary's captivating and extensive sleeve notes in the accompanying 20 page booklet open a window on how a highly experienced group of musicians like The Blues Band select their own, home-grown material.  With so many of their own fine R&B compositions to choose from, the band have never relied solely on the well-mined seam of the Chess catalogue.  Gary's own composition, Green Stuff, featured here in a fascinating, pared-down acoustic version, has always been one of the band's show-stoppers.  However in recent years, he has begun to step into the solo limelight with performances of his own work, which equal the blues intensity of anything penned by Messrs Jones, McGuinness and Kelly.  This solo outing opens with an intensely moving World Gone Crazy, a very personal comment written at perhaps the darkest crossroad in Gary's career, when his teenage son, Jack, sustained a terrible accident which almos cost him his life.  On this collection we also get the opportunity, not always as pristine in the heat of live Blues Band shows, to hear Gary's vocals up close and personal.  He has a superb, controlled delivery, never straining beyond his range, and with good diction, so that every word is clearly audible.  Some of the songs here have already passed The Blues Band's writers' committee muster and have appeared on their albums over the years.  Told No Lies is a simmering, moody piece of work with a strong country blues flavour.  So Lonely is a great, soulful R&B outing originally sung by Dave Kelly on The BB's Itchy Feet album.  Others have featured on the Stepping out album, such as The Other Side of the Street.  Throughout the 16 tracks here there is a consistent lyrical quality which demonstrates a lot of creative thought and musicl dedicaiton.  Any young band setting out should listen very, very carefully to one track in particular - Watch My Lips - turned dowm by The Blues Band for their Fat City album ... between the lines it tells you a lot about band management.  Apart from Gary's own fluid acoustic, there are some great musicians on here, notably the slide guitar of Ed Dean, another highly capable left-hander.  Strong, personal, meaningful blues from a writer and peformer who isn't afraid to tell it like it is.  A must for any modern blues fan - and a credit to its creator.

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From BLUES IN BRITAIN, Issue 23

THE DAVE KELLY BAND

Hooker Blues Club at Wrexham Rugby Club 3/10/03

.............  A delightful opening set featured an acoustic slot from Gary Fletcher, with the excellent World Gone Crazy – written about a family tragedy – and the well-known Green Stuff - often performed by The Blues Band – being the highlights. 

Grahame Rhodes

(Go to Dave Kelly below to read rest of DKB review).

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THE RELATIVES
 

Roy Bainton, freelance music journalist for many years The Blues Band's Fan Club organiser, had this to say about The Relatives' album Feud of Love which whilst available to purchase from this site and at Blues Band gigs, was recorded more for fun and "(he)art’s sake" than as a commercial endeavour:

"The term 'Labour of Love' can be applied to most works of art. If you don't 'love' what you're making, then why bother? I can vouch for the fact that a lot of love and labour has gone into this recording, to say nothing of a stream of disagreement and a dash of familial bile. The Relatives are, if you don't know it, Gary & Hilary Fletcher. Any collection of songs which includes in their covering dedication 'Thanks to Betty at Relate' is going to be nothing if not textured.

First of all, if you are expecting an R&B record, then this is not for you. The fine-spun, mature pop music is hard to pin down. All the influences which have gone into Gary and Hilary's musical marriage get their airing, and this one of the disc's strong points. Because Gary Fletcher's background, unlike the rest of The Blues Band, is not the usual Chicago Blues package, then when Gary plays away from the BB formula, something very different comes out.

Feud of Love's lyrics, legibly laid out in the 16 page booklet, reveal a depth of thought, drama and something which today is often sadly only found in the 'remaindered' bin - a social conscience. Hilary's spoken verse on The Caring Eighties encompasses the steady atrophy of our collective social thinking over the past 18 years, and Gary's Summer Fuss points up all the fears of mature men living in the nasty 90s ... a fragile positivity against a steep, dark wall of doom:

'Some of us are lucky, some of us are not
Some of us would kill for what some of us have got ...'

I don't want to make a big thing of this aspect, because this album is, in the main, a very personal testimony of a relationship, and in some ways a chronicle of family life.

Considering the more 'down home' restrictions of working at the Coalhole Studios in Twickenham, both the bright and clear production and the multi-layered instrumental backings illustrate a flair and verve more usually associated with bands with mega budgets recording in sun-kissed Caribbean complexes. As we would expect, the bass playing is excellent, but it is refreshing to hear the other side of Gary with thoughtful electric and acoustic guitar, and both the drum programming and use of keyboards are outstanding.

Some of the songs are so traditionally 'rootsy' in their approach, too; it may be the purity of Hilary's voice on the opening track, More than just Love, or even the headily exotic feel of the first few bars of Dangerous Times, but these songs have stories; these words have been somewhere before they crept into a microphone.

There's the weary cynicism which besets the best marriages in Devoted, with the face-slapping chorus which observes:

'Oh they're devoted
to keeping it going
even though it's already gone ....'

Of course, we're totally biased here at Ready. But the question is, had I been sent this album as a total stranger to Gary's other musical work, would it have passed the playback test. What test? The test that asks you in two days' time, 'What the hell is that tune/lyric/phrase I can't get out of my head?' The more I listen to Feud of Love the more it grows on me. It's got a long, long life as far as we're concerned, and if you love good, well-crafted music, you'll not buy a better bargain this year."

Roy Bainton

DAVE KELLY

From BLUES MATTERS!  Feb/March 2005

The Dave Kelly Band at the Gloucester Blues and Heritage Festival 2004

................. When I got to my seat Dave Kelly and the boys were dishing up some real beefy blues as only, DK can do!  There's no need to go through his pedigree is there? Everyone knows about his Blues Band connection and his fine wailing steel guitar virtuosity and that piercing clear field holler vocal ability at the same time surrounded by a backing band of great talent.  This night my favourite number had to be Two Trains with stonkin' good bass lines from the incomparable Gary Fletcher.  There that's enough!  I really like DK and his band and have said as much many times in the past - and will continue to do so well into the future no doubt!

Diane Gillard

From BLUES IN BRITAIN, Issue 23

THE DAVE KELLY BAND

Hooker Blues Club at Wrexham Rugby Club 3/10/03 

The new season of gigs at Hooker’s kicked off with a visit from British slide guitar ace Dave Kelly – his third visit, afte rperforming at the club as part of a duo with Paul Jones, and as a member of The Blues Band.  This time he was in the company of his own fine band, featuring his son, Sam Kelly, on drums, with further family ties in the shape of guitarist and brother-in-law Pete Emery, along with Blues Band stalwart Gary Fletcher on bass and Pete Filleul on keyboards.

A delightful opening set featured an acoustic slot from Gary Fletcher, with the excellent World Gone Crazy – written about a family tragedy – and the well-known Green Stuff - often performed by The Blues Band – being the highlights. 

After a short break, the full band took to the stage for two most enjoyable sets of mainly blues, but with a few unexpected covers. Dave Kelly, as well as being an excellent guitar player, possesses a fine voice which was in god shape on the night.

A trio of excellent covers were first set treats – Steve Earle’s lovely My Old Friend The Blues, with beautiful slide intro, World In Motion from the pen of Jackson Browne and recorded by the late Pop Staples, and the timeless City Of New Orleans, written by Steve Goodman and a hit for Arlo Guthrie.

A more rocky, bluesier second set saw the band cooking on the blues standard Dust My Broom and a long, brooding Catfish Blues, with Kelly combining his effects pedal with more superb slide work, Emery supplying some excellent guitar as well.

Other highlights included the Littles Willie John and Milton classic Grits Ain’t Groceries and When The Blues Comes Calling.  A brace of well-deserved encores, featuring a rocking Nadine, sent the Hooker’s crowd home well entertained.

Grahame Rhodes

Guitar, February 2002:

Dave Kelly: Resting My Bones (Hypertension)

Dave Kelly is a busy man.  As well as keeping up with his Blues Band colleagues, he still finds time to set out with his own Dave Kelly Band - and this is his 10th solo release.  A warm, less stagey and more intimate collection than The Blues Band's Stepping Out, Resting My Bones shows Kelly relaxing and wearing his influences on his sleeve, with bluesy covers of Dock Of The Bay and If I Were A Carpenter, as well as strong original material.

WONDROUS The Journal of the Classic Rock Society, February 2002:

....... And talking of Dave Kelly brings me on to his new solo album "Resting My Bones" which was recorded over a leisurely 4 year period and for the main part has a much more relaxed feel than the Blues Band album.  Many of the songs are acoustic/semi-acoustic and Kelly has chosen a well balanced selection, mixing his own original compositions (the best being 'Watching The Fire' on which he sounds for all the while like British Folk stalwart Clive Gregson), with several covers ('Dock Of The Bay', 'If I Were A Carpenter' and Jackson's Browne's 'World In Motion') - on which Kelly's new arrangements fit snugly within the eay going ambience.  'City Of New Orleans' veers uncomfortably towards Country & Western but is the only blip on an otherwise excellent and totally relaxing album.  The personnel list includes former Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers and long time Roger Chapman cohort Steve Simpson, and their presence ensures that the standards remain very high. - Steve Ward

Sounds Country with Pete Smith in THE ADVERTISER 1 February 2002:

Dave Kelly is an institution on the British blues scene.  Ten albums with the Dave Kelly Band, four with the John Dummer Blues Band and fourteen with The Blues Band make him one of the most prolific bluesmen in the UK, yet his latest solo, Resting My Bones (Hypertension), has more country content than most emanating from Nashville these days.

Kicking off with a great version of the rockabilly standard Lovey Dovey, Dave turns in impressive and unique takes on Steve Goodman's City of New Orleans, Steve Earle's My Old Friend The Blues and Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay a la Jimmy Buffett.

Dave proves he can write a country ballad with two superb numbers, Life After Love and Watching The Fire. 

Tracks: 11, running time: 48 minutes, rating: 8.

More from Pete Smith in COUNTRY MUSIC ROUND-UP:

I've long been an admirer of vocalist and slide player Dave Kelly, be it with the Dave Kelly Band, The Blues Band (Since 1979) or as a solo on albums like Resting My Bones (Hypertension).  I have long regarded Kelly as one of the UK's finest rural bluesmen and that he remains on his latest but I can now add to that his prowess as a country performer for half the tracks fall into that category and are absolutely first rate.  

.... I do encourage you to check Dave Kelly out.

The Independent, 19 January 2002

......... The same label has also produced a collection from band stalwart Dave Kelly, Resting My Bones, an eclectic album that juxtaposes singer-songwriter material such as Jackson Browne-s "World In Motion" and Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" with the likes of "Dock Of The Bay" and Kelly's blues-tinged originals - and still seems to work.

Roger Tramp

From: www.netrhythms.co.uk January 2002

Dave Kelly - Resting My Bones (Hypertension)

Some time back on a hot night at the 12-Bar Club, Soho, the audience spilled out into the back alley. A tourist walked by and stopped to listen to the music. "It's OK I guess, but don't he play anything I know?". The act in question was Johnny Dowd so that wasn't going to happen! Now, if it had been Dave Kelly and he'd been promoting his latest album, she'd have been happy and singing along right there on the pavement. Lovey Dovey, Dock Of The Bay, World In Motion, City Of New Orleans and If I Were A Carpenter are some of the songs Kelly covers on his latest album for Hypertension, together with five of his own-penned songs, which are more in a gentle country or blues, roots-rocking mood, and sound like classic standards anyway.

This is only Kelly's tenth album in thirty four years. Hardly prolific but he's no slouch; the album title 'Resting My Bones' is definitely tongue in cheek. During this time he's been involved with four albums with The John Dummer Blues Band, fourteen with the The Blues Band and then there was the 'Tramp' sessions with Mick Fleetwood - and he's out on the road gigging for much of the year.

To quote Hypertension, 'Resting My Bones ... [is] played mostly in a group format, from the nucleus of The Dave Kelly Band of the past eight years: Pete Emery, husband of his late sister Jo-Anne Kelly on guitar, longtime DKB stalwart and sometime Blues Band keyboardist Peter Filleul, co producer and top session bass guitarist Marcus Cliffe and ex Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers. These are augmented on various tracks by the guy who produced The Official Blues Band Bootleg Album and Ready for The Blues Band: Lou Stonebridge on keyboards, long time Roger Chapman sideman Steve Simpson on violin and Nashville session guitarist Rod Smarr.'

It's an 'easy' album, laid-back and classy with nice touches of slide guitar and Dobro. It's one I'll probably be playing again and again.

Sue Cavendish

BLUES MATTERS!  Dec 2001-Feb 2002 (publishing quarterly):

DAVE KELLY: "Resting My Bones"

Dave Kelly is a man with few musical inhibitions and has undoubtedly made the best of these three new releases.  He may well be the consummate all-round bluesman but when he takes a semi-vacation from the genre he does it in some style.  Dave's solo outings are always eagerly awaited and I would argue that this is by far his best work yet.  

Dave soaks up the ambience of whatever is happening in his personal life and it always infiltrates into his compositions, much to our benefit as listeners.  If you want to know how he feels in this new century, it's all laid out in the Blues Band track, Mr. Estes Said on Stepping Out.  Here though, on Resting My Bones, the new Kelly philosophy is luxuriously expanded.  For instance, he now lives in the sunny climes of the South of France and it seems hardly surprising that the warmth and rich sunsets of this environment have inspired the inclusion of items such as Lovey Dovey and that fine Otis opus, Dock Of The Bay.  The musical ine-up here yet again give us Marcus Cliffe, and includes the late Jo Ann Kelly's fine guitar-playing partner Pete Emery, ex Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers, and one-time Blues-bander Pete Filleul on keyboards, plus the fine fiddle playing of Steve Simpson and the occasional rich organ of Lou Stonebridge. There's a Nashville input, too, from guitar man Rod Smarr, recently seen backing Dennis Locorrere on various tours.  

This is a thoughtful, late summer night of an album and is a far cry from the other DK persona, he of the blistering Elmore/Muddy axemanship on Blues Band gigs.  His own compositions are by far the stars of this bill - the mysteriously pointed lyrics of If It Fits demand a careful listen, and Watching The Fire already sounds like a mid-western classic written on some distant back porch years ago.  It takes some guts to lay down your own version of Jackson Browne's beautiful World In Motion - especially after Pops Staples might be considered to have done the definitive job on this song.  Yet Dave pulls it off with ease, as he does with Steve Goodman's classic City of New Orleans and both Steve Earle's My Old Friend The Blues and Tim Hardin's If I Were A Carpenter benefit hugely from the Kelly treatment.  

The playing throughout is superb, the production warm and DK's sunkissed vocals well up front.  This is an album you'll want to play again and again, a real slice of summer to thaw away the winter blues.  But then again, I'm biased.  Listen to this and hopefully, you'll be biased too .... Roy Bainton.

REVIEW from The Orcadian:

TOP BLUES GUITARIST PLAYS IN ORKNEY

Around 30 of us "Kelly's Heroes" braved the wind and rain to venture out to Woodwick House to hear the blues guitarist Dave Kelly on Saturday evening.  The man played two relaxed one hour acts, much of the material plundered from the Mississippi Delta artists of the 1920s (thus proving to the youngsters in the audience that cotton pickin' really was around long before Dick Dastardly.)

The informal setting helped set the relaxed mood for the show, and each number was preceded by an anecdote relating to the origins of the song or artist, thus heightening our anticipation and enjoyment.  Dave is obviously a true blues scholar and this seeps out through his playing and singing.

It is unfortunate that Dave Kelly is generally known better for the musical company he has kept in the past - Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf John Lee Hooker, The Blues Band etc - rather than for his own unique sound.  His soulful bluesy voice combined with his amazing slide playing really hits the mark, and many of his own compositions deserve to become standards in their own right.  Maybe he will be rediscovered in the decades to come, just like so many of the 1920s bluesmen were in the 1960s.

High spots of the evening were many including Steve Earl's "My Old Friend The Blues", "How can a poor man stand such times and live?", previously recorded by Ry Cooder, and a rollicking "Statesbro Blues."  We await his forthcoming album with great anticipation.

Only complaint of the night was about the seating which was an osteopath's dream (or nightmare).  Let's hope that next time Dave Kelly comes to Orkney there will be standing room only.

TOM McGUINNESS

Record Collector, 2007:

Coulson Dean McGuinness Flint : Lo & Behold

Blues In Britain No. 14, Feb 2003 (website:  www.bluesinbritain.org)

Tom McGuinness  Delicious Records DEL 111

On this release Tom plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica.  He is also responsible for the vocals and co-production with accomplice Marcus Cliffe. Marcus in turn plays bass guitar, string bass, drums, percussion and vibraphone.  Together, these two guys sound like the perfect band.

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