Following 38 years of playing live and with his first solo album now out, John Kelly is writing new material and out on the road again in 2023
As a pioneering artist John has broken new ground and continues to encourage change through his music, practice and collaboration with others. He identifies strongly as a Disabled Person. He has performed many gigs, 2 major Paralympic events and toured internationally with the brilliant Extraordinary Bodies circus company and Graeae Theatre Company, completing 9 tours.
John has worked with technologists and luthiers to design and build his bespoke guitar, the Kellycaster. This has added to his distinct style both in his live performance and his songwriting.
John’s musical prowess and ability to connect with audiences was most evident in Graeae’s acclaimed ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ tour, where he was a lead vocalist singing and performing the songs of his musical hero Ian Dury.
This led to a songwriting collaboration with The Blockheads (below), and the opportunity to record a new song for John’s forthcoming album with Chaz Jankel, co-writer of a number of Ian Dury & The Blockheads biggest hits.
After playing a number of popular live-streamed gigs during lockdown, John is in demand to host and perform online events due to his experience at engaging audiences both live and digitally.
John was recently invited to perform the National Anthem live at the Paralympics Homecoming event at Wembley Arena, which was also broadcast on Channel 4.