DAVE KELLY (UK)
Schedule
Sat, 21 Mar, 2026 at 05:00 am
UTC+11:00Location
The Door Gallery Cafe | Geelong, VI
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We are excited to have Dave Kelly, British Blues Connection acoustic artist of the year for five consecutive years and 2025 - ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the UK Blues Federation Awards committee come to perform at the Door Gallery Cafe!Dave Kelly is a British blues singer, guitarist and composer, who has been active on the British blues music scene since the 1960s.
He has performed with leading bands the John Dummer Blues Band, Tramp, the Blues Band, 30-Odd Foot of Grunts and his own Dave Kelly Band. He is a disciple of Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Dave was a member of The Blues Band with Paul Jones, Hughie Flint & Tom McGuinness, and Gary Fletcher from its foundation in 1979 until it disbanded in 2022. By 1979, he had already earned a world-wide reputation as a blues artist, starting in the mid-sixties
performing acoustic Mississippi-style blues for folk clubs of the time. Debuting at the renowned Half Moon in Putney in 1964 - a session run by Gerry Lockran, Cliff Aungier & Royd Rivers – he went, in 1966, to New York to play Gerde’s Folk City. On returning to
England, he joined The John Dummer Blues Band as lead vocalist and guitarist, and it was with The Dummer Band that he made UK tours backing John Lee Hooker (twice) and Howlin’ Wolf. After leaving the Dummer Band late in ‘69 he went back to solo
performing, touring and recording with the legendary Eddie ‘Son’ House.
Since then, Dave has recorded TV themes and film scores to add to career highlights backing Buddy Guy and Junior Wells in concert and appearances at the Vancouver Island Festival with Albert Lee and James Burton.
These days he splits his time between France, where he appears regularly with Lou Stonebridge, and the UK, performing with his own band, the Dave Kelly Band; with celebrated pianist Ben Waters; and in his long-standing acoustic duo with Paul Jones of
Manfred Mann fame.
As a guitarist/singer/songwriter, Dave has 13 albums to his name the first of which “12 Play”, was released in November 1993 and
yielded his first number-one hit, “Bump N’ Grind”, which spent a record-breaking 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B
Singles chart. His most recent release SUN ON MY FACE (2023) on Repertoire Records features Paul Jones, Lou Stonebridge,
Steve Simpson, Rob Millis, Sam Kelly and Pete Emery.
The albums between these two feature guest artists Howlin’ Wolf, Jo-Anne Kelly, Eric Bibb, Long John Baldry, Maggie Bell, Chris Barber, Jona Lewie, Christine Collister, Chuck Leavell & Paul Jones.
www.thebluesband.com
Show at 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Tickets Online $25+bf
Door $30 (if available)
Proudly presented by Double P Events & Promotions & The Door Gallery Cafe.
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Where is it happening?
The Door Gallery Cafe, Provenance Wines, 100 Lower Paper Mills Road, Fyansford VIC 3218, Australia, GeelongEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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