Biography:

Kelly Auty is an Australian singer and songwriter

Kelly’s impressive biography includes appearances at many Australian festivals and community events.

Kelly has supported numerous internationally renowned artists including Janis Ian, Jose Feliciano, Manhattan Transfer, The Drifters, The Platters, Eric Burdon, John Hammond, The Chantoozies and the Divinyls to name a few.

Kelly and her band won Blues performer of the year in 2017 and travelled to Memphis in January 2018 to take part in the International Blues Challenge, winning a place in the semi- finals after competing with 240 acts from all over the world. The band were also awarded the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society “Band of the Year” in 2018.

In 2023 Kelly has been working on new arrangements of some of her favourite originals & covers in the style of Blues, Roots, Country rock & Americana. Wanting to work with a brand-new look & sound, Kelly teamed with award winning & Blues Music Vic Hall of Fame Inductee, Melbourne producer & Bass player, Barry Hills, who has put together an amazing group of musicians- Nick Carrafa Drummer & singer, with Brian Fraser -Electric, Acoustic & lap steel and Roland Kretschmer - Electric and Acoustic Guitars & Mandolin. The band recently recorded at Woodstock Studio with engineer Richard Stolz.

Something old, new, borrowed and blue....and something just for you.

“Kelly sings from the heart” Jose Feliciano

For further information contact:
Helen Jennings OAM

m: 0484 612 274

e: helenjenningsror@bigpond.com


Kelly's Blues (2018)

In 2017 Kelly was inspired to enter the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society's "MBAS Blues Challenge". Kelly brought together her usual 'merry men', the talented artists she regularly works with and dubbed her group "The Kelly Auty Band" for the purposes of the competition. The MBAS run the comp to find the best possible Victorian Blues BAND (and Blues SOLO/DUO) to represent the MBAS and Melbourne at the annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in January 2018.

In November 2017 the band competed live in heats to determine a winner. The Heats and Final was scored by independent judges, using the scoring system devised by the IBC. The Kelly Auty Band was the highest scoring Blues artist in the "BAND" category and were awarded the MBAS BAND Blues Performer of the Year for 2017 and were then in line to compete in the USA.

As part of their international competition, The Kelly Auty Band recorded "Kelly's Blues" an all original Blues live album (Kelly's eighth independent recording). The album features Kelly Auty (lead vocals), Boris Conley (pianist), Nick Carrafa (drummer) and Max McIntosh (bassist).

In Memphis, the band played 25 minute sets over two nights of quarterfinals. A nail-biting day later it was announced the band succeeded onto the Semi-Final with 80 other bands/artists. This is as far as the band would go in the 2018 competition. made this time. At this point the Kelly Auty Band is now truly and credibly an International Level Blues Band. 

With family and friends in tow, Kelly and her entourage of 9 hired a 12 seater van and journeyed north east to Nashville, the home of country music, the back down through Memphis and into New Orleans. The band played a number of gigs and jams alomg their blues music history trail. Their journey was documented on Kelly's Facebook Page.

 

Blues  |  Gospel  |  R&B  |  Soul

Rock  |  Country  |  French Chanson