Usual membership on stage is jazz trio of piano, acoustic bass and percussion. Love horns and guitars and add them whenever I can.
Influences
Most of my influences were old-school jazzers like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughn, Chris Conner, Ella and Shirley Horn but I grew up listening to rockers like Led Zepplin, the Doors, Cream and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I loved all the R&B/soul singers like Aretha, James Brown and Annie Lennox. Somehow all these influences managed to work their way inside me combining of all these styles topped it off with a big old helping of me.
After almost 20 years of fine-tuning her voice, Kellye has become that breed of jazz singer
that has a sound that is truly her own. Beginning her career on Austin’s Sixth Street, the
Kellye Gray Band (the KGB) provided a rare jazz experience that attracted the college
crowd as well as the more sophisticated up-and-coming baby boomers.
The Houston Press says, “Gray has a sort of Sarah Vaughn sits-around-with-Sade-at-Ella Fitzgerald’s-house-voice that has a tremendous strength and range.” Going even further the San Francisco Examiner called her, “a musical, most-imaginative tour de force.”
She recorded her first album, Standards In Gray (Justice Records) in 1990 and it soared to
12 of the Gavin Report with over 75,000 albums sold. Two years later she recorded
another chart-topper, Tomato Kiss (Proteus Recordings). An induction into the Texas Jazz
Heritage Society followed by a move to San Francisco and raised the bar and legitimized
her as a career jazz vocalist.
CMJ magazine called her “full of moxie and sophistication.”
In 2002-03 she produced the double live album, “Blue and Pink” (Proteus Recordings) and in 2007 released another collection of fan favorites on “Live at the Jazzschool (Grr8Records)”.
Amazon.com and Epionions.com report comments like, “Kellye Gray simply blew me away.
Very few female jazz singers have her range and soul.” And, “Kellye Gray is one of the
finest singers I’ve ever heard on record or in person. She can blast away or quietly capture
your heart.”
Currently she’s releasing her acoustic trio project featuring classical
guitar, acoustic bass and jazz voice. The trio recorded “KG3 Live! at the Bugle Boy
(Grr8Reords)”; at the La Grange, Texas vintage WWII army barracks venue.
Kellye has performed for dignitaries and heads-of-state. She has had the honor of sharing
the stage with a wide variety of jazz, blues and R&B stars throughout the United States and
the world. She regularly tours the U.S. and Europe performing at festivals and concerts and
nightclubs. Some notable mentions have been the Spoleto Festival USA, Stanford Jazz
Festival, Houston International Festival, the Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival, the
San Francisco Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s, the Cinegrille, Snug Harbor, Lincoln Center,
Les Caveaux de la Rochette, and many, many more.
“Simply the most exciting singer to debut” says USA Today.
im going in to record 2-3 new songs..my newest..new vibe..theyre ME. i posted a video of one of them "half of a man" on my page...on the left. best lyric ever..
Congrats on the fabulous Jazz Times review! Thankfully, I already have that coveted back-catalog for which the critic gushes.... and it ain't up for bids. Not even for another pair of high-draped pants.
The Show is ON just coming back to share about Spotlight blowing up hosted by me Common. The talent on the site is unreal and shows the real Reaching Higher people we have in this world. Lincoln Spotlight is the first to bring together rhythm and blues with all the soul and jazz that has shaped our music. March 17 is the deadline to be in the Top 25 and the final winner will open for me at an exclusive Lincoln Lounge event
The lounge have exclusive free download for the fans at Lincoln Lounge Featuring - Howard Hewitt, Maysa Leak, Kenny Latimore and Steve Russell so check it at www.lincolnlounge.com and get in the Spotlight with me at Lincoln Spotlight Contest
Thanks so much for the friendship... I have always loved your style and music! I really enjoyed your show at the womens Fest in Houston! Keep in touch... One Love, Robin
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