Kelly Joe Phelps
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| Kelly Joe Phelps | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 5 October 1959, Sumner, Washington State., United States |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Instrument(s) | Acoustic guitar, Slide guitar |
| Website | www.kellyjoephelps.com |
Kelly Joe Phelps (born 5 October 1959, Sumner, Washington, D.C.[1]) is an American musician and songwriter. His music has been characterized as a mixture of delta blues and jazz.[2]
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[edit] Career
Kelly Joe Phelps grew up in Sumner, Washington, a blue-collar and farming town. He learned country and folk songs, as well as drums and piano, from his father. He began playing guitar at 12.[3]
Phelps concentrated on free jazz and took his cues from musicians like Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. He spent 10 years playing jazz, mostly as a bass player. [4] He refers to his "conversion" to a blues musician when he began listening to acoustic blues masters like Fred McDowell and Robert Pete Williams.[3]
Initially gaining notice for his solo lapstyle slide guitar playing,[5] which he played by laying the instrument flat and fretting it with a heavy steel bar, he has incorporated more ensemble work in his later albums. Inspired by the birth his daughter Rachel in 1990, Phelps began writing songs. He began singing and released his critically praised debut, Lead Me On, in 1995. This album showcased Phelps' craft, and as well as his own songs, he tackled traditional numbers such as "Motherless Children" and "Fare Thee Well."
He released his second album, Roll Away the Stone (1997) and followed it up with 1999's, Shine Eyed Mister Zen.
His fourth record, Sky Like a Broken Clock, appeared in 2001. This time he was joined by a bassist and a drummer - its companion piece, "Beggar's Oil" EP, was a critic's favourite in 2002.[citation needed]
His sound was further added to on his fifth album in late 2002. In order to achieve a richer, orchestrated sound, he collected guitarist Bill Frisell and bassists Keith Lowe, Steve Dawson, Jesse Zubot, and Andrew Downing for the recording of Slingshot Professionals (2003).
In 2005, Phelps released a live album, Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind, which was followed a year later by the studio album Tunesmith Retrofit.
[edit] Discography
- Lead Me On, 1994 (Burnside Records)
- Roll Away the Stone, 1997 (Rykodisc Records)
- Shine Eyed Mister Zen, 1999 (Rykodisc Records)
- Sky Like a Broken Clock, 2001 (Rykodisc Records)
- Beggar's Oil (EP), 2002 (Rykodisc Records)
- Slingshot Professionals, 2003 (Rykodisc Records)
- Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind, 2005 (Rykodisc / True North Records)
- Tunesmith Retrofit, August 1, 2006 (Rounder)
[edit] With other artists
- Paul Curreri: Songs for Devon Sproule (City Salvage Records) – producer, slide guitar on "Crozet Trestle Bridge"
- Zubot and Dawson: Chicken Scratch (True North Records) – vocals, acoustic guitar on "Hellhound on My Trail" and "May You Never"
- Jay Farrar: Sebastopol (Artemis Records) – slide guitar on "Outside The Door"
- Rory Block: I'm Every Woman (Rounder Records) – slide guitar and lead vocals on "Pretty Polly"
- Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage Choir: Say Yo' Business (a live recording) (Earthbeat Records R2 76762) – slide guitar on "Spirituals Medley" and slide guitar, lead vocals on "Ain't No Mo' Cane On Dis Brazos"
- Tim O'Brien: The Crossing (Alula Records ALU-1014) – lap slide guitar on "John Riley"
- Greg Brown: Slant 6 Mind (Red House Records RHR CD 98) – lap steel guitar on "Speaking in Tongues", lap slide on "Vivid"
- Greg Brown: Further In (Red House Records RHR CD 88) – lap slide guitar on "Small Dark Movie", "Think About You", "China" and "Someday When We're Both Alone"
- Tony Furtado: Roll My Blues Away (Rounder Records CD 0343) – lead vocals and lap slide guitar on "Willow Tree" and "Boat's up the River", lap slide guitar on "The Stark Raven" and "Bolinas"
- Tony Furtado Band (Cojema Music CM-CD2001) – vocals to "False Hearted Lover", "Raleigh and Spencer" and "Mollie and Tenbrooks"
- Martin Simpson: Cool & Unusual (Red House Records RHR CD110)
- Louise Taylor: Ride (Signature Sounds SIG 1241) – lap slide guitar on "Roll Away Car" and "Islamorada"
- Bo Ramsey: In the Weeds (Trailer Records trailer 10) – lap steel guitar on "Precious" and "King of Clubs"
- Townes Van Zandt: The Highway Kind (Normal Records (France) 201 CD) – dobro on "Banks of the Ohio" and "Ira Hayes"
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ All Music Guide biography - accessed January 2008
- ^ Ann Powers, New York Times, February 9, 2000.
- ^ a b Peter Karman interview, June 1998. Accessed on April 23, 2008.
- ^ Joyce Peters, The Towne Crier, May, 2000. Accessed on April 23, 2008.
- ^ New Hampshire Public Radio interview, April 16, 2007. Accessed on April 23, 2008.
