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Kelly Willis Profile
Kelly Willis Pictures
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Kelly Willis Videos
![video The video for Kelly's latest single "Teddy Boys", her cover of Adam Green's song. Picture](../viewVideo.html?title=Kelly Willis "Teddy Boys"YouTube=YouTube&summary=The video for Kelly's latest single "Teddy Boys", her cover of Adam Green's song.&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/t8ZHVfJy6sQ&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://0.gvt0.com/vi/t8ZHVfJy6sQ/default.jpg&celebrity=Kelly Willis&videoType=YouTube)
Title: Kelly Willis "Teddy Boys"
Description: The video for Kelly's latest single "Teddy Boys", her cover of Adam Green's song.
Title: Kelly Willis Not Forgotten You
Description: Live, 1999 Came home a little early last night shed not a tear when I turned out the light No I don't hurt like I used to Didn't ...
Title: Kelly Willis What I Deserve
Description: Live in Austin, Texas at Shady Grove for the KGSR music series known as Unplugged at the Grove in May of 07. www.myspace.com
Title: Kelly Willis Time Has Told Me
Description: Kelly Covers Nick Drake. Time has told me You're a rare rare find A troubled cure For a troubled mind. And time has told me Not to ask for ...
Title: Rexs Blues Jay Farrar & Kelly Willis
Description: A video about the disappearing family farms in my area, and the resulting rural decay. Townes Van Zandt provides the words... Jay Farrar & ...
Title: Kelly Willis and Dwight Yoakam Take Me
Description: Duet of the George Jones and Tammy Wynette classic Take me, take me to your darkest room Close every window and bolt every door The very ...
Title: Kelly Willis Wrapped
Description: Kelly Willis live at the Mission Theater, Portland Oregon. Nov.1 07. Translated From Love tour.
Title: Kelly Willis Presents
Description: Yallwire sits down with Kelly Willis in her studio to discuss her latest album, Translated From Love. In part one of this three part series, Kelly ...
Kelly Willis News and Gossip
Az Journal - Found Nov. 4, 2009
Snowflake Mayor Kelly Willis and Taylor Mayor Debbie Tuckfield will say a few words.
Pop Matters - Found Oct. 29, 2009
The last few years have found Prophet hipping the traditional-leaning Kelly Willis on tunes by Adam Green and Iggy Pop, and adding some razor...
Az Journal - Found Oct. 25, 2009
Mayor Kelly Willis noted that town officials had previously discussed annexing land west of Snowflake.
Austin360 - Found Oct. 21, 2009
Kelly Willis at Threadgill's; Daniel Francis Doyle at Club 1808; The Black Heart Procession at the Mohawk; The Bravery at Emo's;
Abilene Reporter - Found Nov. 3, 2009
David Shaha 280 series Shahan High game Joni Martin 149 series Martin 387. Texas Instruments High game Kelly Willis 249 series Chris man High...
Crooks and Liars - Found Oct. 17, 2009
Amy Farris , 40, was an amazing fiddler who played with people like Kelly Willis, Brian Wilson, Dave Alvin and Exene Cervenka.
Austin American Statesman - Found Oct. 23, 2009
? Joe Gross Also recommended: Glenn Tillbrook at the Saxon Pub Kelly Willis at Threadgill?s Daniel Francis Doyle at Club 1808 The Black...
Austin Chronicle - Found Oct. 22, 2009
... was the fiddler for Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women, but the redhead also performed with local heroes Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, and Alejandro...
Austin American Statesman - Found Oct. 21, 2009
Such Farris friends as Dave Alvin and Exene from L.A. and Austin?s Kelly Willis were scheduled to perform.
MySanAntonio - Found Oct. 27, 2009
... have been covered by a whole bunch of folks, including Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Slaid Cleaves, Dave Edmunds, Kelly Willis and Tim O'Brien.
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Kelly Willis
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| Kelly Willis | |
|---|---|
 Kelly Willis at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 2, 1968 |
| Origin | Annandale, Virginia, USA |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1990-present |
| Labels | MCA A&M Rykodisc |
| Website | Kelly Willis |
Kelly Willis (born October 2, 1968) is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.
Contents |
Early life
Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S., Willis was the youngest of three children. While her father was a U.S. Army colonel, Willis’ mother had a strong interest in music and sang and acted in amateur musicals. Willis began singing when she was nine as a way to comfort herself after her parents divorced. After the divorce, Willis and her siblings lived with her dad and moved around the country to accommodate her father’s military job. She spent her middle school years in North Carolina and her high school years in Annandale, Virginia.
Career
Willis joined her first band in high school. Her boyfriend, drummer Mas Palermo, introduced Willis to his rockabilly band. The band took her on as the lead vocalist and soon rechristened the band Kelly Willis & the Fireballs. After Willis’ high school graduation, the band decided to move to Austin, Texas, to participate in the vibrant Austin music scene. After a few months in Austin, however, the band broke up. Willis and Palermo, married in 1989, formed a new band called Radio Ranch. In Austin, Willis attracted the notice of several influential Texas singer-songwriters including Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Griffith introduced MCA producer Tony Brown to Willis. Brown was very impressed with Willis’ vocal abilities and signed her to the MCA label in 1989.
MCA embarked on a big marketing campaign to tout Willis after she recorded her first album on the label, the 1990 album Well Travelled Love. MCA ensured that Willis was interviewed by several national magazines including unusual venues like Vogue and Mademoiselle. Her voice appeared in the 1991 Ridley Scott-produced movie Thelma and Louise, singing "Little Honey." Willis also had a small part in Tim Robbins’ 1992 film Bob Roberts. Despite of all the publicity and positive reviews from most reviewers, Well Travelled Love and Willis’ subsequent albums for MCA (Bang Bang in 1991 and Kelly Willis in 1993) sold modestly and received very little radio play. During this time, Willis felt uncomfortable with the way she was marketed by MCA. In 1994, MCA released Willis from her contract.
Willis continued to pursue her music career after leaving MCA. In 1996, she recorded an EP for A&M Records entitled Fading Fast. However, her relationship with A&M was short-lived; after working with two major labels, Willis decided to record her next album on her own. Her efforts resulted in the 1999 album What I Deserve, which Willis sold to Rykodisc after finishing the album. What I Deserve received quite a bit of press after the album’s release. It was commonly seen as Willis’ response to her history with MCA, and was uniformly praised by critics, becoming a hit for Willis.
Willis was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.1
In 2003, Willis and Bruce Robison, her husband and fellow country musician, released the record Happy Holidays, a cover album of Christmas songs. Starting in 2005, Willis and Robison appeared in television and radio commercials for the anti-allergy product Claritin.2
In Fall 2007, Willis released Translated From Love. It was recorded at Robison's studio, Premium Recording Services, in Austin, TX.3 and produced by Chuck Prophet, formerly of the band Green On Red. The album is co-written by Willis, Prophet and notable songwriter Jules Shear, and includes a cover version of Iggy Pop's "Success."
In early 2008, Willis announced she would take an indefinite hiatus from live performances due to family obligations. Said Willis in a website announcement, "Being a traveling musician with four kids may not make an extremely compelling reality TV show but it is kicking my butt. I plan to continue making records. And I may do the occasional holiday show/song swap/benefit here and there.... Happy trails...until we meet again." Her winter / spring 2008 scheduled dates continued as planned until the final show May 2, 2008.
Personal life
Willis married high school boyfriend Mas Palermo in 1989, but they divorced in 1991. In 1992, Willis met Austin singer-songwriter Bruce Robison. They had a tumultuous relationship for the next few years.citation needed After several years of dating, Willis and Robison married in 1996.
After spending years on working, Willis turned to her family. She went through in vitro fertilization treatments, and gave birth to son Deral Otis in Jan 2001. Willis' experience with raising a child led to a different sort of album than the earlier What I Deserve. In 2002, Willis released Easy. The album expresses Willis' contentment with her new life through songs with a relaxed, mellow vibe. After the album’s release, Willis became pregnant again and gave birth to twins Abigail Esme and Benjamin James4 on March 24, 2003256 On January 11, 2006 Kelly welcomed 4th child Joseph Willis Robison; he weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces was 19.75 inches long.78
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | US Indie | |||
| 1990 | Well Travelled Love
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64 | — | — | |
| 1991 | Bang Bang
|
— | — | — | |
| 1993 | Kelly Willis
|
— | — | — | |
| 1996 | Fading Fast (EP)
|
— | — | — | |
| 1999 | What I Deserve
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30 | 24 | — | |
| 2000 | One More Time: The MCA Recordings
|
— | — | — | |
| 2002 | Easy
|
29 | 17 | 19 | |
| 2003 | Happy Holidays
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— | — | — | |
| 2007 | Translated From Love
|
46 | 12 | 37 | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | CAN AC | |||
| 1990 | "I Don't Want to Love You" | — | — | — | Well Travelled Love |
| "River of Love" | — | — | — | ||
| "Looking for Someone Like You" | — | 85 | — | ||
| 1991 | "Baby Take a Piece of My Heart" | 51 | 65 | — | Bang Bang |
| "The Heart That Love Forgot" | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Settle for Love" | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | "Whatever Way the Wind Blows" | 72 | 73 | — | Kelly Willis |
| "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" | 63 | 81 | — | ||
| 1999 | "Not Forgotten You" | — | — | 80 | What I Deserve |
| 2002 | "If I Left You" | — | — | — | Easy |
| 2003 | "Don't Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim!" | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | "Teddy Boys" | — | — | — | Translated From Love |
| "The More That I'm Around You" | — | — | — | ||
Other contributions
- Eklektikos Live (2005) - "Travelin' Soldier" (with Bruce Robison)
See also
Further reading
- Corcoran, Michael. “Happy holidays, from Kelly and Bruce; A songwriting duo's Christmas: The children will nestle all snug in their beds, while Mom and Dad's records dance in our heads.” The Austin American-Statesman 25 Nov. 2003: E1+.
- House, Silas. “Nothing to Fear.” No Depression July-Aug. 2002: 72-81.
- Manheim, James M. “Kelly Willis.” Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 1994. 278-280.
- Patoski, Joe Nick. “What She Deserves.” Texas Monthly Mar. 1999: 114-116.
- Picture of twins Abigail Esme and Benjamin James
- http://www.rykodisc.com/Catalog/dump/rykoalbums_1266.asp
- http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1481015/12092003/willis_kelly.jhtml
- http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/08/01/rockermoms/index.html
- http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1520547/01112006/robison_bruce.jhtml
- blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=54700718&blogID=86100522&MyToken=805087ab-598c-4eb5-ab8f-8722740c1845</ref>
References
- ^ Independent Music Awards - Past Judges
- ^ a b CMT.com : Kelly Willis : Willis and Robison: A Texas Family Christmas
- ^ Doole, Kerry (2007). "“Kelly Willis Web Interview "". Exclaim!. http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=114&csid2=946&fid1=27347. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ http://www.commotionpr.com/images/BruceKelly_twins.jpg
- ^ http://www.rykodisc.com/Catalog/dump/rykoalbums_1266.asp
- ^ Mothers who rock - Salon.com
- ^ CMT.com : Bruce Robison : Robison, Willis Welcome Fourth Child
- ^ blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=54700718&blogID=86100522&MyToken=805087ab-598c-4eb5-ab8f-8722740c1845
External links
- Kelly Willis official website
- Kelly Willis at Allmusic.com
- Kelly Willis discography at MusicBrainz
- Exclaim! - Interview with Kelly Willis - Exclaim! September 2007
